[fishingkats]

i have been thinking about this question for a while

i always have my radio on and it doesnt bother me when im fishing and i always hear on here how you guys and gals like it quiet

just wanting to know why the fish cant hear you

they will see a shadow or a change in light before they ever would hear you under water so was just wanting to know if you just want it quiet for yourself
to be one with nature just wanting to know

 

[James]

I've never had a problem catching Trout out of lakes w/ radios/people talking/dogs barking/etc... However, I've seen fish jet at a wisper. Bass will leave the shoreline at the slightest noise, as will Trout in a stream. Where you fished @ St. Vrain, there is a 3 foot wide brooke on the other side of the road (between the 2 ponds). I snuck up and checked it out at a few spots. I happened upon 2 Trout. One was easily 21/22 inches. I cast my bubble 30 feet in front of them, and they bolted at the sound of a tiny splash.
I didn't vote. I try to be a ninja at Bass ponds, but my favorite place to fish a river is right behind the go-cart track on the Big Thompson. The sound of the carts drowns out my clumsiness in the water.  :-[ 
 

 

[Walking Eagle]

"who cares im so good i catch fish no matter what" LOL

The fish don't care about somebody's radio. But I sure do. One reason I go fishing is to get away from the TV and the household noise and the last thing I want, is to have it follow me out there.

Don't worry about whether it bothers the fish, it doesn't. It's the fishermen that it bothers. If you get a chance to go out and enjoy the peace and quiet of nature, why not do it? It's good for the soul. You can hear the radio squawk anytime.

 

[fishinguitars]

I don't do anything to jepordize my chances of catching a large fish. I pay attention to my shadow as I approach the bank of a lake or river. If I'm coming up to a good spot on a river I'll often drop my tackle bag a couple hundred feet back just to eliminate any unwanted noise. With complete silence I feel completely zoned into fishing and know I have the chance at catching fish. Not to mention for me sometimes complete silence is the only thing that can drowned out the stress of day to day life. I guess my answer depends on where your fishing and what your fishing for, but for me its silence in the outdoors is a must. I agree with walking eagle silence in the outdoors is the best way a person can get away from it all and just relax.

 

[VolFan]

Just for the physics of it, due to the specific density of land and water, sound transmits several times better in water than in air.  Also, fish dn't hear exactly like you or me, they more feel the sound, like stanind in front of a bass speaker at a concert. My point is if you make a big noise fish will hear it for a few hundred yards and even small footfalls can be transmitted through the water.
That said I think it depends on the water you fish.  I definitely think fish grow accustomed to certain noises and stop being spooked by them, kinda like whitetails in the suburbs aren't really afraid of people or cars anymore.
And I agree with FG 1000%

 

[fishon]

I guess it depends on where I'm fishing. Some places that are full of the jet ski crowds, I'd kinda expect to here some dueling radios going on. Nothing like listening to Tammy Wynette in one ear and Bon- Jovi in the other. But if I'm on a secluded part of a stream, then I'd rather just listen to the water. I guess if I wanted to listen to music, sports, or Paul Harvey "Good Day " then that's what I-pods, mp3s,cd players are for.
P.S.
Are you sure the fish can't hear you?
What about all the clicking and rattle lures that are supposed to attract fish?

 

[fishinguitars]

the vibration is what sets the fish off with rattle's they feel it in their lateral line. Yes without a doubt fish can hear you. Small trout and other fish rely on all their keen sences to stay alive. Thats why small stream trout are so quick to bolt when they see a shadow or hear a loud noise.

 

[fishingkats]

so most people will make no noise getting to the water
so they can toss out a lure that makes as much noise as possible does this sound right

 

[fishinguitars]

hard to explain but there is good noise and bad noise. The margin of error depends on the surroundings of the body of water your fishing. Coming upon a slow deep pool in a small high mountain stream that rarely has visitors you better be extremely stealthy or the fish will spook. If your fishing an urban lake with a highly used path that runs around it you can get away with a lot more as far as your approach and the noise you make. Another thing to consider fishingkats is where these fish are in the food chain. A small trout is must be very wiery of whats going on. It has predators from above the water(birds of prey, racoons, and other animals) and below the water(larger trout and any other large fish that may inhabit the same waters). On the other hand tiger muskies or northern pike are apex predators and after they reach a certain size aren't to concerned with whats going on around them. Their comfort level is alot higher almost like being the biggest kid in high school. Bad example but you get the point. A rattle that produces sound waves underwater affects the fishes lateral line and can trigger a couple of different responces in which are favorable to the angler. 1. anger, or territorial strike 2. Hunger and the vibration of the rattle can help the fish zero in on your bait in stained off colored water.

Alot of these things don't apply that much to fishing for cats. They often hug cover and feel safe no mater whats going on around them. So you can have a concert going on in the backround as long as fish feel safe they won't have a problem picking off an easy meal close to their cover.

Sorry for the long post.

 

[hunterfishercamper]

i dont listen to a radio, unless i have personal headphones now. Unless i am on one of our boats or ice fishing. then i listen to a radio. but i dont crank the music up extremely loud. i also dont think that the music should be hard rock or any hard loud music for that matter. i like talk radio or softer music, country is as hard as it gets. the best thing i have found is too listen to talk radio or a sports game broadcast. these dont have the tendency to get the "i love this song" saying while the listener cranks it.

 

[1eyered]

Don't worry about whether it bothers the fish, it doesn't.  It's the fishermen that it bothers.

If bait dunking from shore I'll bump music if the fishing is slow and there is absolutely no one else around. I did this a lot at N. Sterling in the middle of the night out by the inlet canal. Again, only if NO ONE else is around..... Especially if there are guys like WE walking around with his intentions to refill his 'cutbait' bucket.... 

1eyeReD

 

[afishman]

they say that if you are fishing for stockers throw a litle bit of gravel in the water they will think it is food and come to check it out

 

[fishingkats]

it so good to hear so much information from every one
but i want to ask something else
why is it the people that do ask for me to turn down the radio are the ones drinking and yelling and making more noise then me and my kids and radio ;D

but just know if im ever out fishing and my radio is bothering you just ask and i will turn it down im a real nice guy

 

[TopSlugger4]

I guess it depends on how intricit you want to get. I can tell you of one story when I can certainly tell you fish pick up on noises. A buddy and I were stalking some carp. There was a group of about 20 and 8 or so were actively feeding. Quitly we inched up on them into a position where we could make accurate casts. We were then using more hand gestures as to how we would aproach them rather then talking. The biggest sign language conversation was about the biggest one of about 10 pounds at the back of the school I was in favor of making the risky cast right behind the majority of the fish.Hard to explain the real details of the situation but basically if the cast wasn't perfect we were going to spook the remainder of the fish. My partner was was mouthing NO NO NO!!! Just then someone aimlessly walking around comes by and yell's "HEY HOWS THE FISHING?" Being so zoned in on these fish it startled the hell out of me. Just then all 20 or so fish began darting off in every direction turning the water to mud. Dissapointed I quitly replied, not so good.

 

[Cutthroat]

i have been thinking about this question for a while

i always have my radio on and it doesnt bother me when im fishing and i always hear on here how you guys and gals like it quiet

just wanting to know why             the fish cant hear you

they will see a shadow or a change in light before they ever would hear you under water so was just wanting to know if you just want it quiet for yourself                       
to be one with nature         just wanting to know

Don't like hearing other people's music, because I like the quiet time and pure focus I have when fishing away from noisy electronic gadgets and music that doesn't suit my tastes. Just seems inconsiderate not to wear headphones if you want to listen to music when fishing.

 

[Zman]

I love listening to the Broncos lose while sitting in my boat!...bwhaahahaahahahahahaaa...

 

[jamiehughes]

when we are ice fishing in shallow water it definetely make a difference i dont know if it is the sound or the vibration but those fish know when you just stand up in the shelter, i,ve seen them spook many times at noise.

 

[Spin Dr.]

Fish can definitely feel vibrations from the shore. When approaching a stream or river it is important to walk softly or shuffle your feet. Don't come pounding up to the bank because the vibrations are transmitted into the water. It is not the noise so much as the vibrations. Same goes for fishing from your boat; dropping tackle, hitting the side with a paddle, even walking around will send signals through the water that the fish pick up on their lateral line.

 

[Cutthroat]

Sound doesn't transfer from air to water very efficiently, but vibrations do transmit from solid surfaces (whether boat or ice) into water efficiently. Fish can undoubtedly detect vibrations from radios set on the ice, or on sleds or other hard objects resting on the ice, and can detect hard footsteps. Whether or not this spooks them, I don't know. I have had bites while ice fishing in shallow water, and they stopped when I ran excitedly to pick up the rod. Might have been frightened by my thundering footsteps pounding through the ice.

 

[john]

The effects of noise on fish is difficult to determine. Countless times I have used a gas auger to drill holes in fairly shallow water and caught fish immediately. I don't know if they just don't care or if, in fact, they are attracted to the sound. I suppose using a Vexilar through the solid ice to ascertain what is below before drilling might be interesting. Still, I feel at times trout, and others, are put off by noise. This would be a good graduate research project for an enterprising student. John