How Much Noise Is Too Much?

There's probably no fisher person alive today who, if they were lucky enough to have a dad or someone else to take 'em fishin' as a kid, didn't at least once hear this phrase (or words to the same effect): "Hush up, or you'll scare all the fish away." I certainly heard that phrase often enough.

Part of my problem, as is likely true of most kids, was that I didn't have a very long attention span back in those days, especially if the fish weren't bitin'. Couple that admission with the fact I also always had a younger brother to pick on, and you should understand why Dad would have to remind both my brother and me more than once about staying quiet around the water's edge.

More often than not, it wasn't until we both realized we had pushed Pop's tolerance to the limit that we finally would settle down and do as he said. After all, we neither one wanted to risk finding out whether he really had the ability to "pin our ears back behind our heads," as he hinted might happen.

As the years passed, and Pop and I shared many more fishin' trips together, we both derived a lot of laughs from remembering those early days. We'd sit together for hours in a boat, talking as casually as we would in the living room--and catch fish the whole time.

While I came to realize utter silence isn't always necessary to keep from scaring away fish, I still take steps to maintain a certain degree of stealth on the water. I mean, who among us don't routinely kill our gas motor and drop the trolling motor before approaching an area where we intend to start fishing? It's just common sense, right? Well... maybe not so much to some.

I don't think I'll ever get over an incident that occurred during a tournament I fished earlier this year. Early morning found my partner and me back in a super shallow, narrow area of a creek, and we were catching fish. In the distance, we heard another boat approaching, and as luck would have it, the team of fishermen were from our tournament. When they saw us, they quickly killed the gas motor and started fishing a short distance behind us on the trolling motor.

That was OK, but then the duo asked if it would be all right for them to pass us. I gave 'em a green light, figuring they would have the common courtesy to pass on their trolling motor. Instead, though, they fired up the gas motor and idled by us, leaving a muddy trail behind. And when they had gone but a short distance ahead, they proceeded to get the boat on step, and you can imagine what happened to the water then. This area we were fishing is barely 2 feet deep--on its best day--and this wasn't that kind of day.

I couldn't help but simply chalk up the experience as a "lesson learned." If the same situation ever arises again, however, I'll handle it altogether differently.

I understand that, even when using the trolling motor, noise is generated, and it's all too easy to stir up the bottom, both of which can turn off and/or spook fish. That's why many of the pros, according to what I read online, advocate running a trolling motor on a slow, constant speed, rather than using an erratic off/on operation. Some also say you never should put the motor in reverse, instead opting to turn the boat and make a full circle. And last but not least, you'll find these same pros are sticklers for setting their trolling motors as shallow as possible.

After reading their comments, I decided to dig further and see what the recommended way is to choose a trolling motor for your boat. It seems the mind-set among a lot of fishermen is just to "buy the biggest trolling motor you can afford." People in the know, though, will tell you there's a better way.

They advise that, first of all, choosing the proper shaft length is critical. The generally accepted guide is a shaft long enough to keep the propeller submerged in varying water conditions but not so long that it catches the bottom or is a pain in the neck to slow.

Specifically, the experts will tell you to start by measuring the distance from the horizontal mounting point on the bow to the waterline, with the boat in the water. You then should add 20 inches to this measurement, and if you plan to fish a lot of rough water, you also need to add another 5 inches. You want a shaft equal to or greater than that total but never less.

You also need to consider thrust--the measurement in pounds that is needed to move your boat through the water. One school of thought I read about subscribes to the idea that boats need about 5 pounds of thrust for every 200 pounds that they weigh. To determine the thrust requirements for your boat's trolling motor, using that idea, add its estimated weight to its maximum weight capacity and divide by 200. (FYI: I found another school of thought that suggested boats need about 2 pounds of thrust per every 100 pounds of weight.)

Another matter that comes into play is deciding how much power you need in a trolling motor. The choices are 12, 24 or 36 volts. I fished on a 12-volt trolling motor for a lot of years, but once I had moved up to a 24-volt system and realized what I had been missing, I never have looked back. With three batteries in the rear of my 17-foot Skeeter, there's not much extra space, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

And for the "techie" types, there even are trolling motors to satisfy their desires. Some models include digital displays that show water depth and other pertinent information. There also are some self-directional motors that move the boat in a straight line according to wind speed, shorelines and depth contours. You further can find a few with built-in battery gauges that tell you how much power is left in the motor.

So, to answer the question, "How much noise is too much?" I think the answer boils down to what kind of fishing you happen to be doing at the time and what the conditions are on any given day you choose to go. If you're using an up-close technique, such as pitchin' or flippin', or if you're fishing a confined area with high banks, where sounds of any kind are apt to echo, you're likely better off to "keep it zipped." And you always should try to avoid dropping or banging things around in a boat.

If, on the other hand, you're fishing a spot where there's a lot of boat traffic, or where there's considerable wind and wave action, talking likely doesn't pose much, if any, threat to your fishing success.