Underwater sounds.

[snagged in outlet 3]

2 hours ago, Quillback said:

I've always thought about that.  And there may be sounds that attract them.  A diver buddy of mine will sit on the bottom and clack a couple of rocks together, he says that smallmouth will swim up to see what's going on.

Seems like I remember a time when the guides on the Bull tailwater would run their outboards circling a pool, maybe throwing a rock or two into the water and it would get the big browns agitated and then they'd bite.

I've always thought we assume that noises that would scare us if we were a fish, will scare the fish, but in my experience they may react differently than we assume.

Some guys use thumpers to attract whites, hybrids and stripers.  

[snagged in outlet 3]

On 6/18/2024 at 10:33 PM, fishinwrench said:

interesting observation that I've confirmed personally is that Carp & Buffalo are more easily spooked with a trolling motor than they are with an outboard.  

Good!   I’ve had on the state record smallmouth that transitioned to a drum while reeling it in far too many times😆

[Johnsfolly]

9 hours ago, snagged in outlet 3 said:

Some guys use thumpers to attract whites, hybrids and stripers.  

In Europe they will use "clonks" to attract wels catfish to bite.

 

[Al Agnew]

17 hours ago, Quillback said:

I've always thought about that.  And there may be sounds that attract them.  A diver buddy of mine will sit on the bottom and clack a couple of rocks together, he says that smallmouth will swim up to see what's going on.

Seems like I remember a time when the guides on the Bull tailwater would run their outboards circling a pool, maybe throwing a rock or two into the water and it would get the big browns agitated and then they'd bite.

I've always thought we assume that noises that would scare us if we were a fish, will scare the fish, but in my experience they may react differently than we assume.

Good points.  The truth is that it's impossible for us to get into the brain of a fish to understand their reaction to much of anything.  We can only observe how they react, not why.  Another big question: why do they attack lures?  No lure on earth is a perfect, or even a really good, imitation of what they eat.  And some lures are NOTHING like anything they eat.  Yet there is something about any good lure that triggers an attack reaction--sometimes.  Maybe that something is not some slight resemblance to something edible, but a stimulus that we aren't even thinking about.

[Quillback]

6 hours ago, Al Agnew said:

Good points.  The truth is that it's impossible for us to get into the brain of a fish to understand their reaction to much of anything.  We can only observe how they react, not why.  Another big question: why do they attack lures?  No lure on earth is a perfect, or even a really good, imitation of what they eat.  And some lures are NOTHING like anything they eat.  Yet there is something about any good lure that triggers an attack reaction--sometimes.  Maybe that something is not some slight resemblance to something edible, but a stimulus that we aren't even thinking about.

It does make you wonder when it comes to lures.  Buzz-baits with a clacker, jitterbugs, in-line spinners, and whopper-ploppers are a few I can think of.

Up early today, going over to one of the local lakes to see if I can get a few on one of my of unrealistic lures.  

[tjm]

Isn't it anthropomorphism to assume that fish brains control their actions?  They respond to stimuli primarily on instinct in the same way a newly hatched spider can build a perfect web. 

[bfishn]

2 hours ago, tjm said:

Isn't it anthropomorphism to assume that fish brains control their actions?  They respond to stimuli primarily on instinct in the same way a newly hatched spider can build a perfect web. 

Absolutely, but... they also have proven ability for learned responses in addition to instinct. Like the shock/reward process I mentioned earlier, or SeaWorld, and everything in between.

I fondly remember my trip to several Canadian shield lakes that each saw at most, a half dozen anglers a year, if that. Those fish were so dumb... 

[tjm]

How positive can we be that the learned responses in gamefish are not simply reinforcements of instinctual behavior? I haven't checked lately, but do we have any proven knowledge of how instincts even work? or how they are formed? can a future generation of bass be hatched with the instinct to flee trolling sounds?

[fishinwrench]

36 minutes ago, tjm said:

but do we have any proven knowledge of how instincts even work? or how they are formed? can a future generation of bass be hatched with the instinct to flee trolling sounds?

The avoidance of anything scented strongly of GARLIC, by little 10-12 inchers, was proven to ME years ago.   

It was like they were born knowing to avoid it.  

[tjm]

That doesn't surprise me the stuff is toxic with  N-propyl disulfide and other sulfur compounds. Worse in it's powder form than raw.