Fishing from a boat

[new2titicus]

Hey All,

So, I bought a boat back in May of 2009, and fished pretty much all season.  Except for a pretty big bass and a couple of perch I didn't have much luck.  I fished the last couple of times from shore and hooked up with fish (bass and perch) pretty consistently.  This leads me to believe that my approach when fishing from a boat was wrong. Or, deciding to start fishing with live bait later on in the season improved my chances.

I was wondering what some of the experienced anglers opinions were, when fishing from boats?

Does the following noises matter much?
Loud boat launch in the water and when on land
Squeaky oars
Dropping an anchor in the water
Talking on the boat
Too many casts into one area
Rowing too fast
Bucket with aireator
Dropping equipment or lures on the bottom of the boat
Wearing loud colored clothing, does camouflage or natural colors help

As a beginner is it easier to fish from deeper water, as to have more distance in between the boat and fish

Thanks,
Paul

[KenH]

Paul

I think I can come up with different answers to your noise questions all depending on
what fish species you were targeting, what method/techniques were being employed,
what water depth you were fishing and what time of year.
But to answer your questions in general, if the fish you are after are near the surface
or in shallow water, then noises of all kinds should be avoided. If you are fishing in deep
water or targeting fish 30ft down those noises don't make much difference.
Making noise while launching a boat doesn't make any difference unless you are planning
to fish within a short distance of your launch point. Clothing colors may or may not make a difference
depending on whether you're fishing in conditions where you can see the fish and the fish can see you.
I tend to avoid highly visible clothing that causes high contrast because a fish can be spooked when
brought near the boat and do a last minute panic run. I've lost fish and lures that way.

Ken

Ken

[phriday613]

Hey All,

So, I bought a boat back in May of 2009, and fished pretty much all season.  Except for a pretty big bass and a couple of perch I didn't have much luck.  I fished the last couple of times from shore and hooked up with fish (bass and perch) pretty consistently.  This leads me to believe that my approach when fishing from a boat was wrong. Or, deciding to start fishing with live bait later on in the season improved my chances.

I was wondering what some of the experienced anglers opinions were, when fishing from boats?

Does the following noises matter much?
Loud boat launch in the water and when on land
Squeaky oars
Dropping an anchor in the water
Talking on the boat
Too many casts into one area
Rowing too fast
Bucket with aireator
Dropping equipment or lures on the bottom of the boat
Wearing loud colored clothing, does camouflage or natural colors help

As a beginner is it easier to fish from deeper water, as to have more distance in between the boat and fish

Thanks,
Paul

Hey Paul,

my 0.02:

Just like what Ken said, if you're fishing where you launch, it matters to be fairly quiet near where you fish. Try casting a little farther to your spots if you don't want to be quiet.

I wear what i want to be comfortable, but yet also protected from ticks. Breakaway pants that are shorts and light colored shirts in the summer. I dont see how camo is necessary.

If you have squeaky oars, I don't see how you haven't gone mad yet! It gets annoying.. use wd40, or as a quick fix, dip your oarlocks in the lake to wet them and temporarily stop the noise. I noticed is the plastic oar inserts rubbing against the metal oarlocks.

If you're talking too much, then next time leave your wife at home lol  jk, I don't bring an ipod with me, but I may try it this summer. I don't see how having it up too loud would cause a problem. I'll find out the hard way on that, but its worth the risk!

To me, casting too much in one place is such a waste of time if you haven't seen, or felt anything bite. Use the fan method! Summers to me are best, because with the clear water, you can see a lot. Helps to know if something is around. I will look around first, then cast.. If i see nothing, move on! Polarized glasses are your friend.

I dont know about others, but in my experiences Bass are spooked more by casting next to them then my boats noise. I usually make my lure changes from 30-50ft away from where i want to cast, just in case it does spook something. I mean, i rarely drop a worm down, and usually cast about 10-20ft away from shore when on my boat. Don't stay too close to shorelines when on the boat, and you shouldn't have to worry about noise issues.

Wading for trout, now thats a different story..

[oilgorg]

Quick fix for squeaky oars. Dip oar in water then push oar grip low in boat.  Water runs down oar into oar lock.  End of squeak for a little while. Only bad thing is you might get some water on your leg.

[new2titicus]

Thanks a lot guys, so I guess for the most part it's comon sense when fishing from the boat.  I was just worried that there was absolutely no tolerance for noise, in which case I would have had to start fishing alone 

-Paul

[biggamee]

Paul,

      You don't have to fish alone..just keep the talking down to a minimal..When your fishing concentrate on fishing nothing else..leave your phone in the car, try to shut the rest of the world out.  Give it 100 % of your effort once your out there, remember "one more cast!!! might be a trophy fish.
I'm a big believer in no scents on your skin, wash your hands with the reservior water (no soap). There have been studies made that humans fall into 3 catergories. Highly scented, average scented, low scented. Top anglers are almost always low scented humans. So remember to be covert and like a fly on the wall. I took a buddy of mine fishing in the summertime, he spent like $80 !!!!!bucks at seven -eleven in food and drinks. Then he didn't shut up on the phone the whole freakin time, and insisted on playing his ipod...He still had the balls to ask me why he did'nt catch anything....Never again..If your going fishing bring your A-game..and eliminate distractions and unnecessary noise..Most important you got to put the time in..Go fishing anytime you can 3-4 times a week..Like a soldier, battle it out.

Erik

[arkpov56]

I agree with everybody above, who said "the quitter - the better".  For sure, neither additional noise, nor bright clothes or excessive scent are going to attract more fish for you.  Despite that some people do like to bring along their stereo and turn on some nice rock music.  This can be seen (and heard) more often among shore fisherman than those on the boats, but is not completely uncommon on the water.  This brings up an ethical question: what would be more unethical: to play loud music when most people around are looking for quietness, or politely ask the boombox owner to keep it down or turn it off, thus spoiling somebody else's fun?  Playing music is not illegal, isn't it?
I asked this question because of my recent experience.  While ice fishing yesterday on a small NJ lake I came across this situation.  I politely asked the guy fishing nearby with his boombox on to lower the volume, which he did, just as politely.  My buddy, though, said it was unethical of me to prevent others from having fun the way they do, as long as it was legal.  So who's right?

[KenH]

ark

While playing the boombox while icefishing isn't illegal, maybe it should be. If some poor soul 200 yards away is in ice water with just his face in the air screaming for help I may not hear him.
A boombox really has no place in fishing anywhere since there are walkmans and ipods for those who
want to listen to music. Just my 2 cents.

Ken

[arkpov56]

Could not agree with you more, Ken.  Although iPod wouldn't help you hear that poor soul's last scream (God forbid this from ever happening), but may be someone else fishing next to you could still catch it.

Running away from such a scary image, I would still find a reason not to use any means of noise making while fishing.   Why would I deprive myself of the pleasure of hearing the birds singing in the morning fog, the whisper of light breeze in the treetops or a splash of feeding fish?  Besides, this sounds is the fisherman's paradise we all are craving for, isn't it?  Or in the winter – the sound of cracking ice under my feet: I'd rather hear it than fill… 

So, Paul, my answer to your questions would be:
"Keep it quiet and you'll make happier both yourself and those around you."

[yonkers26]

Regarding noise between fishing buddies, I partially agree.

The obvious point of going fishing is to try and put something in the boat, but my/our focus depends heavily on how serious your buddy is about fishing. If I'm with someone who is 1000% about fishing but has the personality of a pork rind, I wouldn't enjoy that.

On the other hand, I've had great times just BS-ing with friends while fishing...even though we may have caught nothing. If I'm laughing for 3 hrs with someone I haven't talked to in years, that can be more memorable than catching 30 fish.

I guess it depends on your mood or goal at the time. Just my humble opinion.

[Uncle Crappie]

All you guys are great ! Also  by boat troll around 6ft divers 75 ft of the boat back .Stick 2 rods under rear seats of the back so they dont pop out guy in  back takes turns with rods 1 guys rows just fast enough for the plugs to vibrate . Once you get good at this you can run Ratl traps at any deapth you like but they need a faster row Good Luck guys! also try following contours 50 to 100ft off shore when site fishing just wont produce . let us know how you do!