Many anglers are aware that loud noises and vibrations can scare fish and turn off their action like flipping a light switch. To fill the fish box, anglers must minimize the noise they make, whether they are casting for crappie in a lake or trolling for tuna in the ocean. Here are 10 guaranteed tips for stealthy fishing:
- Communicate with your crew before you leave the dock about watching the volume level. Make sure everyone knows to minimize the noise.
- Avoid shifting, as it creates a metal-on-metal “thunk” that can be heard above and below the water. Savvy captains plan their drift carefully until they’re well away from the fish.
- Slow down to reduce the noise created by propeller-driven propulsion, including electric motors. To boost catch rate, simply slow down.
- Ensure the boat doesn’t leak electricity by attaching a voltmeter to the negative terminal of the battery, with the other lead attached to a bare wire that’s five or six feet down into the water, to give it a test.
- Eliminate chine slap on boats with hard chines by taking a foam pool noodle up to the bow and sliding it under the chine. Its natural buoyancy will usually hold it in place between the hull and chine.
- Lower the volume level of a boat by adding a layer of cushioning foam to the deck.
- Avoid using lures that are too loud, like those with rattles, in very still, calm water. Same goes for poppers and chuggers. Casting a large or heavy lure that makes a big splashdown can have the same effect.
- Mask abrupt sounds with those that are non-threatening, like playing music at a reasonable volume.
- Remain calm and bite your lip when a fish takes a swing and a miss, and you’re much more likely to get a follow-up bite.
- Put small rubber bumpers or peel-and-stick rubber gaskets on the surfaces where a hatch or lid mates with the gutter or rim to dampen the sound of harsh fiberglass-on-fiberglass noises.
