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The Noise Factor/ Does it matter?


Dakota Iceman

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Ok my Die-hard friends. Im sure this has been asked before but I wasnt privy to the post and I have a couple of questions that require some professional/amature answers from the staff and anglers alike.

I continually read about guys finding walleyes on all sorts of lakes,resevoirs, ect... Alot of the time the article states diffrent techniuqes for running and gunning, triangle patterns, swiss cheesing a flat ect... One of the articles offers this advice: "if you look down a series of holes and the vex screen is blank, keep moving" also, "look for the presence of baitfish" My question revolves around these senarios. Does'nt the noise of a gas auger scare fish away for a period of time?? I have seen guys do this....scream across a point punching holes and dropping the transducer in each hole as they go.... I am assuming they are checking structure or lack there of. Regardless iwouldnt think you would be marking anything in the general area for quite some time? Here again....my wife continually questions my judgement so I am not sure if "my way of thinking" holds true in the above situations. feel free to share any thoughts/ experience's Iceman out>

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Some years ago, Tony Dean did a auger noise test in South Dakota and had it on his show. Walleyes were bothered very little by any auger and gas augers spooked them less than hand augers. You may want to drop him an email and ssk him about it.

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I personally think it can go both ways. Sometimes (and for certain species) the noise can actually draw in fish, but other times it will hinder productive fishing.

Shallow water situations are often times more affected by noise, usually when targeting pannies and perch. Amongst the expansive Mississippi River backwaters it can be very tough to catch fish if you're loud and creating a ruckus. Especially when targeting fish in less than 5 feet of water, sometimes even as little as 2 feet.

For pike however, I've noticed that the noise actually draws in fish. Or at least spark some interest.

Usually when on a hardcore pannie hunt, I'll punch a series of holes, then I'll go back to where I started and scoop out the first holes and begin fishing. Sometimes I'll even give it a few minutes to settle down.

Same for when targeting evening walleyes when they roam up shallow (relative to the situation). I'll punch all my holes before hand so I don't create any commotion when prime-time occurs. This also allows to stay on top of the fish when they move, assuming they will slide up and down a given piece of structure. This way I'm all set and the fishing is not put on hault, nor do the fish have to try and negate the whole noise factor, since it won't be there.

Deeper water situations are not as affected by noise (but this doesn't mean be as loud as possible or that they still are not affected to an extent). Ice thickness also plays a role, as well as snow cover. Thicker ice, less light, more snow cover... these are a few other factors to keep in mind.

I've shared several conversations with other anglers about the noise factor. I know some people who prefer a hand auger throughout much of the their ice fishing endeavors, mostly due to noice factor. They chase a lot of shallow water gills and perch and don't want to spook the fish holding tight in the weeds.

Myself on the otherhand, while I try to use a handauger as much as possible, I still tend to revert to the gas-auger once ice gets thick. Does it hinder my productivity? Maybe. But I'm usually trying to cover ground and I haven't seen a huge relation to auger noise and fish activity.

This is a good topic. I'm interested in hearing other opinions as well, and I'm sure I'll be adding more responses as we go...

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Right On!! Now were talking. Should a guy be able to drill a hole pick up the vex/marcum drop it in the hole and mark fish in say 12-18' of water? Is that realistic or am I pushing the envelope of wishful thinking? In my situation I am fishing the missouri and depths can be anywhere from 15 to 40' Obviously a river system is way diffrent from lakes but I would be curious to know about both locales.

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That's totally realistic. I've seen that happen tons of times where I'll punch a hole with a gas-auger, then just seconds later drop down my LX-3 and mark fish. Then just seconds after that I'll catch the fish I mark. That just goes to show you that certain times the noise doesn't affect the fish. This has happened with crappies, gills, catfish, smallies, perch...

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Hey, thanks for the great info. I am looking to change my approach this year by getting more aggressive and covering bigger areas. My new LX-3 came ups yesterday amd it is my first "serious" attempt using electronics in my arsenal. This kind of info at least gives hope to a stationary style fisherman that moving can be the right thing to do. I suppose as my equipment has improved over the last few years I am more apt to move around more. Lets face it...a hand auger, 22+" of ice...no flasher and no machine to pull a shelter made you reconsider about pulling up stakes and moving even an 1/8th to a 1/4 of a mile. Thanks to the "swirling vortex" that is ice fishing gear....I have been sucked into the 21st century and none of these issues are no longer and obstacle...if you can get yourself to change old habits. Iceman out>

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I agree with Matt... Shallower water and the more noise a person makes will equal spooky walleyes and panfish.... Shallow for me we be anything under 10FT, where I havent seen much of a difference in depths over this. But even after drilling your holes, it seems the fish will calm down and come to your offering. As Matt said, hit your first holes first, the fish will slide back in. But be sure to keep your footsteps to a minimum too, even walking on the ice in the shallows can spook fish. And one thing to consider in real shallow water and your not fishing in a dark shelter, is to leave some slush in the holes. Light penetrating through your hole can turn a fish off too!!

Another good point Matt brings up is for a shallow low light walleye bite. Try to drill your holes before "prime time" as these fish will move up onto flats, bars, humps, quickly. So by pre-drilling holes, you will be able to capatilize on this migration without spooking the fish out of the area as they start to move up into the shallows.

Dakota, good luck this season with your new approach. Punching numerous holes and hole hopping should produce good catches for you!!

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Where I live the lakes are mostly under 10'. Especially on thinner ice I think noise kinda maybe sometimes spookes walleyes.

However, a light tapping of the slush scoop attracts perch. As does trucks driving on the ice.

Once the ice gets thicker, I don't think it matters as much.

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I'm with a lot of others on this topic. I am one of "those Guys" that punch a lot of holes. I usually do it for the reason you are talking about. I can then move freely and quitely from hole to hole without spooking fish. Often times I will even leave a little slush in the hole, this will help keep light out of the hole and look more like the surface they are used to looking at. However, as stated, I have many times.. Even in shallow water drilled a hole with a power auger and caught a fish out of it within 60 seconds. I think chipping with a chipper is much louder.

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I also have to agree with all of the previous responces!

Shallow water fish, 8' or less, can be spooked by hole drilling. Deeper water fish are not affected as much. I also usually drill a bunch of holes first and then start checking them for fish with the LX-3.

Many times I have caught crappies and sunnies in 9' to 12' of water right after I have drilled the hole.

Hand augers and chisels make more noise than power augers.

In shallow water I try not to run the power auger down the hole any farther then it takes to break thru the ice.

I believe that the auger churning up the water under the ice in shallow water will spoke any panfish that are close.

Cliff

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I believe In-Fisherman did a study a number of years ago that showed that below the ice, a power auger is actually less noisy than a hand auger. I agree with the walleye strategy - drill early, rest the holes, then they are good to go for prime-time. Panfish - I think the noise factor is WAY overrated. Very, very rarely have I seen noise have any impact on the bite - and usually, it tends to activate the fish, make them move more - which is usually a good thing. I don't go out on the ice with a brass marching band in tow, but I don't kill myself trying to be quiet either :-)

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Last winter, one of my sons had a Northern on his aquaview in about six feet of water. I drilled a hole directly above him and he never moved an inch. However, I've watched fish disappear when someone beat an ice skimmer on the ice or drove a car nearby. I guess fish just do as they darn well please.

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I agree with the general comments like:

-the shallower the water, the easier fish are spooked

-pre-drilling is better, especially for a shallow transition bite

-ice and snow thickness play a role

But I do want to make a couple additional comments:

Hand augers only make more noise if they are cranked slower than a power auger (it's a time factor). In ice up to 8-10" thick, I can hand crank an auger as fast as a power auger can. I just can't cut a number of holes at that speed. The blades on my hand auger and power auger are geometrically identical!

There is what I call the weed factor. Fish holding in heavy weeds are more difficult to spook or push than fish in open water basin environments or woody/rocky structure. I believe it's just a security thing, but might also involve sound wave suppression.

And finally, moving fish around isn't always a bad thing, as long as they are hungry. Neutral fish will often turn completely off if they are spooked. But "hot" fish usually stay turned on and will withstand quite a bit more pushing around while remaining turned on. On Lake St. Clair here in MI, I will get in front of or off to the side of a pack of perch hunters and let them move the fish to me wink.gif

The moral of the story is that it only matters if it matters. In different situations noise can play a role in your catch. If you Pay attention to the specifics you can use noise to your advantage.

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L,john....

You bring up an excellent point here. If the fish have some sort of cover to slip into until the noise of cutting holes stops they are less likely to be spooked completely into not hitting. I have shot thru the ice to find fish near sunken wood, popped a few holes and bee into fish right away. Weeds the same. I have also marked fish before cutting along breaks with no obvious cover, cut in the holes and found the fish to have moved. Deep water helps to muffle the noise of hole cutting and will help out some to keep fish in the area when cover is not available.

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I think Little John hit the nail on the head by saying it only matters if it matters. We're all different in our approach to ice fishing, and that's cool. I've been with guys that get absolutely pi$$ed when a truck drives by. Myself, I'm not going to take my ice fishing too seriously. Funny thing is, I don't take it all that serious and still manage to put a fillet or 2 in the freezer.

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I have always fished to get away from the pressures of a high pressure job and sometimes life in general. Someone driving by in a pickup has never bothered me. A snowmobile doing 60 twenty feet from my icehouse is another story that I won't get into. Hell, now that I am retired, I may have to start shootin at em. grin.gifconfused.gifsmile.gifcrazy.giftongue.gif

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My brothers bang on the ice with a sledge hammer while fishing tip up for Northern, and while on Red Lake it SEEMED that the fish got more aggressive when someone fired up an auger. It matters when it matters, so true.

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I was fishing the old Rainy River bed in 4 mile bay 100' from the Bomber track and every time a Bomber went by the water would dance in the hole. That's when I would jig like mad. Well I have a 12 pounder on my wall from that trip. I think the fish become much more active from the sounds on top of the Ice. Kind of like the frenzy that happens when you get one on, and another rod starts to bounce.... Kaz smile.gif

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