Turning off the Vex?

[Jrod0582]

So last night i was fishing eye's on minnetonka with one of my buddies. We were sitting there for a while and not catching anything, he then told me to turn off my vex because its "a little trick of his". 5 mins after we turned it off we caught 2 decent eyes. I think it was just a coincidence but I can't be sure. So I am asking if any of you do the same thing? Can the sound your transducer puts out really spook the fish away?

[MGK]

So last night i was fishing eye's on minnetonka with one of my buddies. We were sitting there for a while and not catching anything, he then told me to turn off my vex because its "a little trick of his". 5 mins after we turned it off we caught 2 decent eyes. I think it was just a coincidence but I can't be sure. So I am asking if any of you do the same thing? Can the sound your transducer puts out really spook the fish away?

The vibration can scare the fish off.

[MT Hank]

Never had that problem, I don't think anyway. There are times I don't catch fish and I do use a Vex. Hummmm.... Might have to give that a try, Thanks!

[SDFlagChaser]

i can't say i've ever heard of that.  i thought i heard once that fish are attracted to the clicking noise a ducer makes, but i could be wrong there.  I think it was probably just coincidence, because i have caught many, many, many fish with my humminbird turned on.

[POk3s]

Sounds about the same as when you're fishing off the boat and you're favorite song comes on and you just know. All of the sudden fish on! Sometimes confidence is the biggest fish killer

[MeatHunter737]

another reason to buy the Lowrance x67c  8)

[MelroseHawkins]

i can't say i've ever heard of that.  i thought i heard once that fish are attracted to the clicking noise a ducer makes, but i could be wrong there.  I think it was probably just coincidence, because i have caught many, many, many fish with my humminbird turned on.

Do you have the Hummingbird 35?  Do you like it?  I assume they are pretty comparable to Vex at the current time.  It's nice to have a few different products for competition to keep the prices down.

[SDFlagChaser]

i have the 55, and i love it

[Gillgrabber]

I asked the same question a while back after hearing from a guide that it did scare them.  Got a variety of answers:

http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=93300.0

[Robby]

While fishing bass tourneys it is a well known secret to turn off electronic unless absolutely necessary.  I do not think this matters in farm ponds and stuff, but when dealing with pressured fish I believe it works.

[hardh2ofish]

Ive wondered about this>   Ive turned my vex on in a very quiet basement room.   On high power the snapping is enough to turn my head away from in front of the ducer.   

[toofuss]

Do you have the Hummingbird 35?  Do you like it?  I assume they are pretty comparable to Vex at the current time.  It's nice to have a few different products for competition to keep the prices down.

I just bought the 35 and sitting it side by side with an fl-18 i like it better. You get a larger display, the same zoom basically, and it costs less new. The only thing I wish for out of it would be the backlit display but my lantern does good enough.

[the_mad_iceman]

I was on the river this past weekend and in 10 FOW and I had my Vex with me.  There were guys 30-40' away form me.  I had my Vex on and I had some EYES iced, they on the other hand didn't even have a bite. I always thought that the clicking may have scared away fish, but after this weekend, I don't think so!

[TritleFishing]

I practice the same thing during open water fishing.  When you come back into the shallows the pulsation/sound of the sonar can mess with the fish.  Often times spooking them too early.  We always shut our sonar off when fishing for bass in shallow water (<15ft) coves.

[Lobes]

I won't be turning mine off any time soon. Still catching fish ...

                              
NBG

[Curley]

I sat in on a seminar by Mike Laptew the diving fisherman.
http://laptewproductions.com/
He was underwater with a boat coming in and going out. It was crazy how loud a transducer can be. and how it can effect fish. He recommended turning it off on shallow flats.

[darkwater777]

Funny thing is I usually catch more fish with any flasher then fishing with friends that don't have them. How do explain that trick?

[Waynesburgjay]

I think it draws them in sometimes, sometimes it don't.  I guess it all depends on what kind of mood the fish are in.

[FISH2163]

Did you ever notice that you can here your transducer when you pull it out of the hole? It only makes sense that the fish can pick that same vibration up through their lateral lines.

[IcemanADK]

Fish are attracted to noise, vibration, crash, etc. Not a doubt in my mind. I never poo-poo when I crash my nymphs or soft-hackles to the surface when I'm fly-fishing. Pressured fish or not. I'd say it will entice a large fish. I liken it to the same reasoning behind rattling crankbaits. Salmo is even making a rattling jig now, are they not?
I guess it all depends on the fish and what they are looking for. As many have stated, you won't catch me turning off my flasher any time soon.

[shwung79]

Trick revealed!  I've been ice fishing 10+ hrs with a vex.  While on shallow flats when the fish "seem" to have lock jaw, turn it off.  Wait a few...then start hookin em! 

[Hardwater Problem]

Ice man I was just going to say essentially what you were getting at.  The fish cant hear anything.  It is also my understanding that they lack the ability to reason.  Their entire lives are spent driven by the instinctual urges to eat, avoid being eaten, and reproduce.  They feel vibrations from lures, boats, cracks in the ice, 4 wheelers, augers, feet, etc...  In my (not a fish but played one on tv) opinion, any vibration could be food, or danger, and I think they could check out anything at first, and will then feed or flee.  I don't think they can differentiate one vibration from another.  Might be way off, but maybe shut it off if you are marking them and not getting them to strike???

[icemantwo]

Ive wondered about this>   Ive turned my vex on in a very quiet basement room.   On high power the snapping is enough to turn my head away from in front of the ducer.   

Yeah, it can get really loud and the fish WILL NOTICE if they're pressured enough.  When fishing in the summer, dunk you're head in the water and you will hear a pretty loud clicking noise coming from your depthfinder.  Flashers do the same thing, of course.  I guess you could also try it when ice fishing

[ih772]

I tried it this morning and it didn't make a bit of difference. The fish with lock jaw still had lock jaw with the sonar turned off.

[Gillgrabber]

I'm not convinced that fish can't reason or figure things out.  Some may laugh at this, but my kids had a goldfish that used to get very excited when we walked into the room.  He would come close to the glass as if watching us and get excited when we approached the tank.  He could tell we were getting ready to feed him and rush to the surface waiting for food.  If they can figure that out, I have to believe gamefish can figure out what a flasher means.
Just saying........

[IcemanADK]

They have a brain the size of a walnut... lest we forget.

[ice dawg]

They have a brain the size of a walnut... lest we forget.

Tell that to a 6" Perch. 

[jaysun23]

I remember reading something a few years back that larger gamefish with more sensitive lateral lines can detect "something" in the water when a sonar unit is running, however I think it's a pretty big stretch to think they have the ability to interpret that "something" as a danger

[Hardwater Problem]

I remember reading something a few years back that larger gamefish with more sensitive lateral lines can detect "something" in the water when a sonar unit is running, however I think it's a pretty big stretch to think they have the ability to interpret that "something" as a danger

I agree, although the goldfish thing "is" interesting.