Does The Trolling Motor Prop Spooks'em?

[zewski]

We all know that spinnerbaits blades attracks bass, they can feel the vibrations with their lateral lines and they will come from far away to investigate. Now if they can feel a spinnerbait blade from far away, what does a 80pounds trust trolling motor ripping the water doing to them? Is is attracting them or spooking them?? 

 

The propeller certainly creates alot of vibrations under the water, I guess they can deal with it if they are in 12-20 feet, but what if you are fishing shallow??

 

If i am sitting in a quiet park with my wife having a picnic and an helicopter passes 20 foot over my head, good chances are that I will look up and be like "wassup?"

 

Makes sense? I want your opinion

[lanzbass]

I don't helicopter in on the fish, I usually shut my motor off and coast into  them , stealth stile ...

 

As I am sure they get spooked by the sound....

 

Also using ore's come in handy to quite things down ... 

[flyfisher]

I am sure a big floating object 1,000 times their size is more disconcerting than the trolling motor but I may be talking out of my butt to an extent since I use a kayak and paddle myself

[WRB]

There are several factors to consider, the mood of the or activity level and white noise surrounding the bass.

Bass that are conditioned to outboard motors and trolling react differently than bass living in a quite zone.

Example the marina area, bass living in and around marina's the white noise doesn't bother them as much, they have become conditioned to propeller sounds. Inactive the propeller sounds don't appear to affect them, they don't move away from it. Bass that are in an alert state are aware of propeller sounds and react by moving off at times and staying in cover at times, they definitely hear you coming from a very long distance as water transmits sound waves better the air.

We have poor hearing compared to bass with 2 hearing systems.

Tom

[zewski]

I fish where the fish has alot of pressure from other anglers, I think they know that trolling motor and noise = bad for them.

[webertime]

Don't forget about the magnetic fields the TM/Electronics put off, they can feel those too and can potentially be overwhelming.  But Tom nailed it, if they live in then city (Marina) they are used to the noise.

[slonezp]

I don't know about bass, but there are many documented shark attacks on the big motors. Something about the electrical impulses the motor sends out attracts them.

[Fishes in trees]

I think that the phrase "the trolling motor spooked my fish" is a great excuse and I use it myself from time to time.  Practically speaking, I don't know of an easier/better way to slowly move my boat down the bank against the wind.  I have caught fish with the trolling motor on so maybe those particular fish weren't spooked, or they were "spooked" into biting.  What a semantic dilemma.    I think the easiest rule to follow using the trolling motor while fishing is "don't be dumb"

 

I haven't caught very many shallow water fish immediately after blasting a shallow area with prop backwash.  I've caught enough shallow water fish while intermittently running the trolling motor, that blaming the trolling motor when I'm not catching fish seems disingenuous.   The bottom line answer to this question is  "I dunno.?."

[Raul]

It makes sense and it makes no sense at all, bass are quite interesting critters, there are days that the commotion created by a grain of polen touching the water scares the schnitzit out of them sending them away going boldly at warp speed where no bass has ever gone before and there are days the commotion created by cow landing on the wáter after falling 10,000 ft from the sky don´t even bother them.

 

Makes sense ? well, you got to figure out in which mood they are the day you´re fishing.

[Sam]

Way, way, way back when the earth was all water two old goats, Glen Lau and Uncle Homer Circle, produced three of the most fantastic bass videos ever produced. Even by today's standards these three productions are still excellent.

 

Uncle Homer Circle said that he and Glen Lau noticed the big bass hide in structure as the trolling motor passed by.

 

They actually saw the big ladies go into hiding.

 

Now if that does not tell you something about the bass species then nothing will.

 

Some anglers believe that you need to keep your trolling motor on a very low and constant speed. Other pros use the trolling motor as little as possible, thus making for the use of the Power Poles to keep you in one position so popular.

 

So to answer your question...Yes! Trolling motors can spook bass.

[flyfisher]

Way, way, way back when the earth was all water two old goats, Glen Lau and Uncle Homer Circle, produced three of the most fantastic bass videos ever produced. Even by today's standards these three productions are still excellent.

 

Uncle Homer Circle said that he and Glen Lau noticed the big bass hide in structure as the trolling motor passed by.

 

They actually saw the big ladies go into hiding.

 

Now if that does not tell you something about the bass species then nothing will.

 

Some anglers believe that you need to keep your trolling motor on a very low and constant speed. Other pros use the trolling motor as little as possible, thus making for the use of the Power Poles to keep you in one position so popular.

 

So to answer your question...Yes! Trolling motors can spook bass.

Seeing something one time hardly means it is the norm and who is to say the trolling motor is what sent them in to hiding?  Seems like if you are in a boat and close enough to see the fish then they can also see you so there may be more to send them scurrying for cover than just a trolling motor.

[Ratherbfishing]

I think fish can be conditioned in a lot of ways-trolling motors being one of them.  Sometimes they may grow accustomed to the noise but other times they may equate it with danger-particularly if they've been caught before when the sound was present.  And I think the "big girls" don't get big by being stupid.  So, whereas some of the time it won't matter, some of the time it does.  If you plan/expect to cover a lot of water quickly, it's kind of difficult to use a paddle to do so and therefore using a trolling motor (or outboard for trolling) is rather unavoidable.  However, if you plan to thoroughly fish a spot, especially a shallow spot, it's better to GLIDE or paddle in.   Particularly "fishy" spots merit more stealth, perhaps, than others.

[Sam]

Seeing something one time hardly means it is the norm and who is to say the trolling motor is what sent them in to hiding?  Seems like if you are in a boat and close enough to see the fish then they can also see you so there may be more to send them scurrying for cover than just a trolling motor.

 

Fly, if I recall I think they saw this happen many times. If you can score one of the videos I think you will be impressed with what these guys found out many years ago that helped formed the foundation of our bass fishing industry.

 

I also remember reading in a book or a magazine about a guy who was scuba diving and working on a pier and as he was hammering a metal rod into the bottom he felt something watching him. When he turned around he saw over 50 bass hovering behind him, watching what he was doing.

 

So I agree with Uncle Homer and Mr. Lau about the bass hiding from the trolling motor once they are conditioned to be caught after hearing and feeling the prop.

[merc1997]

i fish a lot at night on the area ozark lakes.  during the spring, in particular the moon of march, the bass a lot of times seem to be breathing air, they are so shallow.  i know for a fact that kicking the trolling motor on and off will spook bass off the bank.  i leave the troller on constant, and adjust the speed so that i am just creeping along at a pace i can keep up with fishing.  stealth is a necessity for catching big bass consistently as this time of the year.  in fact, your lure had better not be making any noise on entry.  even when the bass move deeper, i still try to maintain a constant troller so i am not kicking it off and on all the time.  i see many people run their trollers at highers speeds and are constantly kicking the motor off and on.  i just personally have experienced that does not help the catching.  another thing to remember is when the boat movement is constanly changing speed, it makes it that much more difficult to accurately fish your bait.  you are going at it really fast, and then the boat is blowing around with the wind.  this makes it very difficult to discern those nothing bites from a big bass.

 

bo

[WRB]

Since we don't know if the prop sounds will affect the bass at the time we approach them it's. good idea to consider it would, quite is usually better than noisy.

Shaks are very sensitive to electrical current, they have nose sensors to detect it. It is not uncommon for some sharks to swim up and check out the zinc plates on boats and motors. I had a musky swim up to the trolling motor and bite it while it was running slow, thought I hit something looked down and there wad this big musky a few inches from the prop and musky bit it agian....mean fish!

Jay Yelas won a Bassmaster Classic in a river area below a dam, his biggest bass came when cast into a boat wake after the boat buzzed passed within a few feet of Jay and the bank he was fishing. The prop noise didn't deter that bass. These are exceptions, not the general bass population.

Tom

[ww2farmer]

I have always assumed it did, so I use it only if I have to.

[Oregon Native]

This has always been a biggie for me and thats when your reeling in your bait .... especially a crankbait. Keep your foot off the trolling motor right before the lure gets to the boat. The sudden noise can turn fish...have seen a lot in clearer water......just saying!

Tight Lines

[jeb2]

Lots of great posts so far. In either the BASS or FLW mag in the last year, they mentioned that a study had shown TM's can spook fish and the best way to avoid it is to leave the motor on a constant setting. As mentioned by others here, the stop/start spooks them more.

 

But I think it depends on conditions a lot, too. If the fish are in 20' of water or better, I don't worry about it much. If the wind is up or there is a lot of current, again, I don't think they spook as easily from a TM. But in calmer, shallower conditions, especially on lakes that get a lot of pressure, I try to be as stealthy as I can.

[Shane J]

I have also personally seen bass hide as I troll along. Two times this past spring alone. For the last 3 years, I have been paying much more attention to my approach with the boat, both position and the noise factor from the motor. I have greatly improved catch rates, and size of fish caught. Coincidence? I don't know, but I consider the approach as important as what I am throwing in the water, whether it's 7 feet, or 27 feet.

[KyakR]

I think the "spookability" of bass is generally dependent on a combination of factors at any different time, mostly mentioned here already.  IMO bass also tend to be more wary in shallower water, especially in highly pressured lakes. 

 

Lots of great posts so far. In either the BASS or FLW mag in the last year, they mentioned that a study had shown TM's can spook fish and the best way to avoid it is to leave the motor on a constant setting. As mentioned by others here, the stop/start spooks them more.

 

But I think it depends on conditions a lot, too. If the fish are in 20' of water or better, I don't worry about it much. If the wind is up or there is a lot of current, again, I don't think they spook as easily from a TM. But in calmer, shallower conditions, especially on lakes that get a lot of pressure, I try to be as stealthy as I can.

X2

[CWB]

I've seen the videos Sam is talking about. Taken on a shallow crystal clear river in Florida if I recall. I also recall an article by Rick Clunn stating that he stops the trolling motor when retreiving the bait in as O N said. I fish a lot of very clear natural lakes and often see some hemongous bass and carp cruising in the shallows. Most times if the motor is on low and steady, it does not seem to matter but sometimes it does. Stop and go is definitely a no no in shallow water as almost every time the fish bolt off when motor is started. Best to be safe then sorry. Not sure there is a definitive answer. Based on the situation, I usually keep it on steady at the lowest possible speed I can get away with. Or I set up a drift with the wind and use it to reposition as needed between casts. Sometimes you are at the mercy of the wind or current and don't have much of a choice.

[basscatcher8]

I know they are a different species but ive about fallen out of the boat before when i hit the pedal and the giant carp that were sitting near by spook so bad it shakes the boat.

[TC235 <*))))><]

One of my honey holes is extremely shallow.. If i go wizzing around with the troller motor and pass any quality fish i probably should pack up and leave.. Not saying there uncatchable , but VERY hard to get a bite.. Usually means coming back to the same spot two hours later.. Just like the above post the big ones would dive themselves into cover or dart away quickly to a safe zone. Shallow water= Little to no trollermotor use.

[bassguytom]

All good info. here. When fishing offshore humps this year I have been very slowly creeping up to them with the trolling motor and when withing casting distance I have been also turning off my electronics. This was very hard for me to do but has increased both my numbers and size of fish substantially. I am convinced that trolling motor sound and the clicks of the transducers spook fish. I gotta tell you though I went through some serious withdraw not having my electronics on.