Noise???

How concerned are you guys about noise while you're fishing? I've heard more times than I can count about how easy crappie are to spook. I know people that if they snag a brush pile, they'll move to another spot immediately, without waiting to see if they messed up the spot. I've also been with guys that would run back and forth over a brush pile using a big motor wide open trying to locate it, and fished them very successfully. I've also heard guys say you should turn off your sonar, because that can spook the crappie (I don't believe that, but maybe I'm wrong).

Do you make sure you don't bang around the boat?
How deep is a brush pile, before you'd drive over it?
Do you keep your voices down?
Does noise really only matter if they're not biting well?

Please share you're opinions.

1. Loud thumps or metal to metal contact to the body of your boat.=Bad

2. 5 ft muddy, 10 feet stained and 15-20 feet clear

3. As long as you are not trying to sing Mozart you should be OK

4. Noise should always be kept at a minumum when fishing. What do you have to lose?

5. I feel that the shade of your boat passing over the brush especially on a sunny day can do more damage to a spot than routine noise.

6. Just because your jig gets snagged on some brush dont give up on it. Many times I have dropped right back into the spot i just got snagged in and caught some good ones.

7. Quality sonar dont scare fish unless its a battleship sonar trying to detect a U-Boat.

8. Never put up with a noisey trolling motor. If it's noisey sell it to a Cat Fisherman who does not crappie fish. HAHA!!!

agri, i was taught to always be real quite in a boat and tried my best to do so. one day a friend invited me and my dad to go fishing on brandywine down by frenchman's bayou. we went and got two boats. me and my dad in one and opie in the other. we were fishing in trees about 10 ft apart. opie would catch a crappie and get up and stomp from one end of the boat to the other to put it in a cooler and stomp back to the front of the boat to fish. dad and i looked at each other not getting a bite. opie would catch another and same thing. back and fourth. finally opie looked over and said to my dad, "you got to let'em know where you are." and took his paddle and banged it on the side of the boat a few times, laid it down and proceeded to catch another crappie. noise did not bother the fish that day because every time he'd catch another crappie he would stomp back and fourth and sit down and bang the paddle on the boat. it was funny. i'm still quite when i'm in a boat.

In my boat I want quite.
No radio playing, the water slapping against the boat is the best music to me.
No slaming the cooler lid.
No loud talking.
Stay still.
No poles banging around.
No handeling of the minners, use the minner net.
No rocking the boat.
No anchor dropping, ease them down softly.
No handeling of the jigs or lines with bolonie and mustard, gas, or boogers, on your hands.
No farting when your sitting right next to me.
No peeing on my back deck, lean farther out, or pee in a jug [yours]

crappie cowboy

Dang,,ya'll are picky about your boats, manners, whats a little your'n between friends..roflmbo

I enjoy a litttle BSing while FS'n but try not to bang around in the boat. I used to step lightly moving in the bioat,,these days I'm tickled to death to step without grunting like a rutting buck in November...

Speaking softly is not a option if you want a conversation with me, I'm near deaf, but a pretty good lip reader...I can tell when you say,,You Old Blank'idy blank blank......You're front ending me...lol. Seriously,,any other noise,,eliminates me knowing whats being said,,so if I am nodding my head and going "yeah" I'm either falling asleep or can't hear you...lol

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CrappiePro

1. Loud thumps or metal to metal contact to the body of your boat.=BadThumbs Up

2. 5 ft muddy, 10 feet stained and 15-20 feet clear.Thumbs Up I don't count out any shallow water! But shallower and clearer needs more stealth IMO

3. As long as you are not trying to sing Mozart you should be OKThumbs Up

4. Noise should always be kept at a minumum when fishing. What do you have to lose?Thumbs Up

5. I feel that the shade of your boat passing over the brush especially on a sunny day can do more damage to a spot than routine noise.Doh We catch them midday in full sun on stained to muddy waters less than 6' verticle jiggin!

6. Just because your jig gets snagged on some brush dont give up on it. Many times I have dropped right back into the spot i just got snagged in and caught some good ones.Thumbs Up We regularly use our rods to bump jigs lose then drop right back in to catch fish.

7. Quality sonar dont scare fish unless its a battleship sonar trying to detect a U-Boat.Thumbs Up Never seem to bother fish using our cheap depth finders setting over the brush.

8. Never put up with a noisey trolling motor. If it's noisey sell it to a Cat Fisherman who does not crappie fish. HAHA!!!Thumbs Up I never like loud motors and only use low speeds as sparpingly as possible if more so in shallow water.

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This is my views on CP's post. I should add I verticle jig mostly stained to muddy water most of the time. I run the big motor to within 100' coast using trolling motor to steer going over my condos in average 6 to 10' water navigating with my GPS. I drop a bouy and circle back to fish. I 've seen yoyo fishermen not catching in small creeks lined with yoyo's till a boat motored through. Sometimes on open water cover the wave action can stir up baitfish causing a small feeding frenzy!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by crappie cowboy

In my boat I want quite.
No radio playing, the water slapping against the boat is the best music to me.
No slaming the cooler lid.
No loud talking.
Stay still.
No poles banging around.
No handeling of the minners, use the minner net.
No rocking the boat.
No anchor dropping, ease them down softly.
No handeling of the jigs or lines with bolonie and mustard, gas, or boogers, on your hands.
No farting when your sitting right next to me.
No peeing on my back deck, lean farther out, or pee in a jug [yours]

crappie cowboy

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LOL I agree except NO MINNERS, NO ANCHORS, AND PLEASE PASS GAS AND URNINATE DOWN WIND!Thumbs UpRofl

I was once fishing with Darryl Morris, a guide on Lakes Hamilton and Greeson. He called me to the bow and showed me his jig and a fish below it on his FF screen (both horizontal lines). I watched the fish's line track up to meet the jig's line on the screen at which point he pulled up a nice speck. It was very cool to see. So I don't believe sonar spooks crappie.

As for other noise, I believe banging and stomping can spook the crappie. But I don't think talking at a normal level does. After all, half the fun is shooting the breeze with your fishing buddies. Now if you fish alone and find that you are talking to yourself, it might be time for a break :-)

Pretty much what I thought, and try to do. I heard the comment about the sonar bothering crappie and it just got me to thinking. Fishing has been fair to poor on Degray and I've been second guessing everything I know or think I know about crappie fishing.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CrappiePro

1. Loud thumps or metal to metal contact to the body of your boat.=Bad

2. 5 ft muddy, 10 feet stained and 15-20 feet clear

3. As long as you are not trying to sing Mozart you should be OK

4. Noise should always be kept at a minumum when fishing. What do you have to lose?

5. I feel that the shade of your boat passing over the brush especially on a sunny day can do more damage to a spot than routine noise.

6. Just because your jig gets snagged on some brush dont give up on it. Many times I have dropped right back into the spot i just got snagged in and caught some good ones.

7. Quality sonar dont scare fish unless its a battleship sonar trying to detect a U-Boat.

8. Never put up with a noisey trolling motor. If it's noisey sell it to a Cat Fisherman who does not crappie fish. HAHA!!!

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I don't mind talking in the boat, but hootin and loud talking is for bars not fishing. Thats one of the finer pleasures of fishing, getting away from all that.
I had a friend that was alwaying wanting to go fishing with me, but he always wanted a radio blasting music. He'd get almost fightin mad at me because I wouldn't allow a radio on...lol
I'm not saying you can't catch crappie with the country music playing, but I'm a simple man I guess, I can listen to the radio at home, but I can't fish at home...... just saying.

Good Catching.....crappie cowboy