Is there such a thing as sonar/fish finder spooking fish

[Douglasdzaster]

Question for the gurus. I bought a little Garmin Striker plus 4 and installed with the transducer on the transom.
For the small screen I’ve been surprised at everything it can do. Love the gps functions.
I’m still learning how to set things for certain conditions. Gain , frequency etc.
I have read that some fishermen think it’s possible to spook the fish with the signals put out.
Saw where a fishing guide supposedly used the chirp sonar which is what I have. And he swears it affected his catch rate.
The other day I got into what I’m sure was hybrid stripers schooling. Judging by the other boaters. I have never seen things so obvious on the screen before. The arches where well defined and balls of bait fish. Instead of guessing what I was seeing where bait fish. Streaks where the bigger fish were hitting the bait balls. I tied on three diving baits as fast as I could and started trolling. We couldn’t get bit. I tried different trolling speeds and nothing. We had covered a large area and I couldn’t believe it was holding so many fish. At one point I stopped and checked the Garmin to make sure it wasn’t on simulator. But we made a turn to go back through and this time no fish. It was over and they were gone. I never got close enough to any other boats to see what they were doing but I could here them when someone caught a fish.
Some were trolling others sitting and probably jigging or cut bait has been working according to reports.
This all happened in 20’-30’ of water. The fish were from 25’ up to 13’ deep while feeding.
I definitely wasn’t prepared for stripers but should have been knowing they’ve been schooling. I thought they’d hit a crank bait for sure.
I decided then I would ask this question and get the real information about the rumors of the boat itself or sonar causing lost bits.

 

[flatheadsteve]

I've never heard of sonar spooking fish. Have you seen the BASS series? Those guys have 6+ running at once

 

[Still Afloat]

I’ve often wondered the same thing but, it is a fish finder not a fish catcher.

It’a proven fact that if I spend too much time fiddling with the fish finder, I catch fewer fish. Probably because I’m watching the screen rather than the line.

 

[KMixson]

I do not know about fish finders spooking fish, but in my experience, my boat spooked fish. I have a canoe and had a boat at one time. Out in my canoe I would see fish swimming around pretty close to the canoe which they would not do when I was in my boat even when anchored.

 

[Ray Clark]

Well, if fish finders spooked fish regularly, I think we'd see at some significant discussion of it by professional anglers and others on YouTube. What I have seen discussed is boat speed, trolling motor noise (particularly the jerky on/off nature of spot lock) and simply not presenting baits to the targets in the manner they desire.

I don't think you can draw a conclusion from one event.

What I have seen is how fish finders impact whales and orcas. They're very sensitive to the sonar. I was salmon fishing on the Inside Passage in British Columbia back in 2016. We were fishing calm waters one morning when a pod of orcas passed nearby. The guide, a 70 year-old First Nations member, said they wouldn't approach the boat as long as he was running the fish finder, but that they would approach if he turned off the FF. He turned it off, and a few minutes later, one of the orcas gently surfaced a few feet off the port side of the boat and eyed us. It was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. The guide switched the FF back on and the orca gently slid back under the water and slipped away.

 

[Billy H]

Your baits might not have been running at the proper depth or might not have matched the natural bait fish in the lake.

 

[Bailey Boat]

I used to guide a ton of striper fishermen on Lake Norman here in NC. I absolutely hated that activity but it paid well. All we did was cruise points to find fish, get up wind, cut the motor and drift back over them while jigging, worked well enough I stayed booked every weekend. I was out on the lake one morning by myself and noticed that when I drifted back over the school there weren't as many fish as when I first marked them.
What happened to the rest of the school??

I did some experimenting like turning off the sonar when drifting back over but it made it more difficult since I now couldn't see the fish. I tried re-aiming my transducer at an angle so I saw them a little sooner, yada, yada.....

Then I began looking for what was different when drifting back over and it hit me like a ton of bricks, I was turning the big motor off and using the trolling motor. Off to a new point, found the fish and left the big motor idling and used it for boat positioning instead of the trolling motor. They never moved on the drift back!! Then I suspected the TM might be making some noise so I used the TM to get to the next point, marked fish and stayed on top of them and they didn't spook in the least.

Moral of the story, it isn't what your doing when you mark the fish, it's what you changed from the first mark until now that's spooking the fish. Find them, make a mark, but don't CHANGE anything, keep doing whatever you were doing when they were first marked......

 

[Douglasdzaster]

I’ve often wondered the same thing but, it is a fish finder not a fish catcher.

It’a proven fact that if I spend too much time fiddling with the fish finder, I catch fewer fish. Probably because I’m watching the screen rather than the line.

I’m still figuring out all the functions but getting better at set it and forget it.
Unless I want to use the maps gps.
When I first got it we went night fishing. I had no business out there in the dark not knowing what I was doing..

Both of us are staring at the screen in aw at how clear a brush pile was. Drifted past it and couldn’t find it again. Found out later I could’ve marked the brush pile with one button and then I wouldn’t have lost it. We could’ve anchored and set up. Or if I would have been ready to anchor like I should have been. But nope we were like bugs to a bug light because we actually found the spot we wanted to find.

I’ve often wondered the same thing but, it is a fish finder not a fish catcher.

It’a proven fact that if I spend too much time fiddling with the fish finder, I catch fewer fish. Probably because I’m watching the screen rather than the line.

 

[Douglasdzaster]

Your baits might not have been running at the proper depth or might not have matched the natural bait fish in the lake.

I had my head doing nothing but catfishing. I knew the hybrids were schooling but wasn’t prepared. I even knew they had been hitting cut bait and jigs.
They covered a huge flat. i also hadnt had any luck catching bait that day. And there they were big balls of shad. I started to throw my net but didn’t know if that was wise while so many stripers where feeding on them.

 

[Douglasdzaster]

Thanks for all the replies and advice. I hope to make it back there after the days of rain and wind we have coming. I’ll be tied up for more opportunity fishing. I want to have fresh bait and drift through those areas as well as the deeper water where the blue cats are right now.

 

[airshot]

I remember when flashers and early depth sounders/ fish finders came out, there was nuch talk about spooking fish! However, by the looks of todays market, I would say it doesn't bother them ! How many boats "don't" have one...easier to count. ..

 

[thill]

Question for the gurus. I bought a little Garmin Striker plus 4 and installed with the transducer on the transom.
For the small screen I’ve been surprised at everything it can do. Love the gps functions.
I’m still learning how to set things for certain conditions. Gain , frequency etc.
I have read that some fishermen think it’s possible to spook the fish with the signals put out.
Saw where a fishing guide supposedly used the chirp sonar which is what I have. And he swears it affected his catch rate.
The other day I got into what I’m sure was hybrid stripers schooling. Judging by the other boaters. I have never seen things so obvious on the screen before. The arches where well defined and balls of bait fish. Instead of guessing what I was seeing where bait fish. Streaks where the bigger fish were hitting the bait balls. I tied on three diving baits as fast as I could and started trolling. We couldn’t get bit. I tried different trolling speeds and nothing. We had covered a large area and I couldn’t believe it was holding so many fish. At one point I stopped and checked the Garmin to make sure it wasn’t on simulator. But we made a turn to go back through and this time no fish. It was over and they were gone. I never got close enough to any other boats to see what they were doing but I could here them when someone caught a fish.
Some were trolling others sitting and probably jigging or cut bait has been working according to reports.
This all happened in 20’-30’ of water. The fish were from 25’ up to 13’ deep while feeding.
I definitely wasn’t prepared for stripers but should have been knowing they’ve been schooling. I thought they’d hit a crank bait for sure.
I decided then I would ask this question and get the real information about the rumors of the boat itself or sonar causing lost bits.

Doug,
Welcome to the world of fresh water stripers! I am a long time saltwater striper fisherman. Have literally caught many thousands. Here are a couple from Jan 1 of this year:




But in fresh water, it's a COMPLETELY different game. They are the spookiest fish I've ever seen anywhere! Bonefish on the flats aren't that spooky!

I've been out there, over the fish, and had a kid drop a fish on the floor, letting it flop around. You could see the fish on the finder leave, just like that. GONE.

Some days, you can't get within 100 feet of the fish, and you just need to make long casts, if you want to catch. If you are trolling, it must be with electric only and NOT at high speed.

And then comes the baits. In saltwater, I often use a 5" or 7" albino Bass Assassin on whatever size jig head matches the condition, and I catch a LOT of stripers. In fresh water, I'll catch a few on BA, but more often, they want small paddletails, small jigging spoons or blade baits. If you don't have the lure they want, you may sit and watch others bailing them one after another, and can do nothing about it but hope you can figure it out.

The guides and guys who really catch consistently typically use live shad they netted before sunrise. I could do that, but I typically don't, unless I have guests I want to show a good time.

Fresh water stripers are a completely different game. One day you are a hero, another day you are a zero. This year, I've had our best success at night, but we won't talk about that much.



It's not your fishfinder, but ANY source of noise can spook them, so be quiet. Try downsizing your bait or using the biggest minnows you can buy, or throw a cast net over the native baitfish. That will make it a lot easier to start out with.

 

[Douglasdzaster]

Doug,
Welcome to the world of fresh water stripers! I am a long time saltwater striper fisherman. Have literally caught many thousands. Here are a couple from Jan 1 of this year:
View attachment 119413
View attachment 119414
View attachment 119415

But in fresh water, it's a COMPLETELY different game. They are the spookiest fish I've ever seen anywhere! Bonefish on the flats aren't that spooky!

I've been out there, over the fish, and had a kid drop a fish on the floor, letting it flop around. You could see the fish on the finder leave, just like that. GONE.

Some days, you can't get within 100 feet of the fish, and you just need to make long casts, if you want to catch. If you are trolling, it must be with electric only and NOT at high speed.

And then comes the baits. In saltwater, I often use a 5" or 7" albino Bass Assassin on whatever size jig head matches the condition, and I catch a LOT of stripers. In fresh water, I'll catch a few on BA, but more often, they want small paddletails, small jigging spoons or blade baits. If you don't have the lure they want, you may sit and watch others bailing them one after another, and can do nothing about it but hope you can figure it out.

The guides and guys who really catch consistently typically use live shad they netted before sunrise. I could do that, but I typically don't, unless I have guests I want to show a good time.

Fresh water stripers are a completely different game. One day you are a hero, another day you are a zero. This year, I've had our best success at night, but we won't talk about that much.

View attachment 119416

It's not your fishfinder, but ANY source of noise can spook them, so be quiet. Try downsizing your bait or using the biggest minnows you can buy, or throw a cast net over the native baitfish. That will make it a lot easier to start out with.

Awesome reply! Thank you. Ive been concentrating on drifting for catfish. I’ll net fresh shad if I find them. The earlier I get there the better. Also I’ll try to catch some bluegill the day before here close to the house. I like fresh shad and fresh cut bait.
The weekly reports have said the stripers where schooling and caught on cut bait and 2oz jigs.
I literally got caught with my pants down. I had nothing but catfish on the brain. Everything I owned was tied up with Santee rigs for drifting and a couple for punch bait. I had a late start and had no fresh bait yet.
The lake is a little over an hour from here. And I’m watching the weather and will be going back as soon as I can. This time during the week when there’s little traffic.
I don’t know what kind of 2 oz jigs but I’m going loaded for bear. Something that looks like a shad would be a start. Maybe double up.
Got a day planned before hand for a trip to the local bass power plant lake to find some bluegill or carp.
The same time the stripers are schooling the big blue cats are in the deeper water which is right next to where the stripers have been caught. Wonder if a striper would bite a circle hook about 2-3’ off the bottom on a Santee rig. I just finished making a set of planer boards that will spread my lines out to the side of the boat.
Before I start cat fishing I’m going to cover the flats the stripers were on last week and the points as well and along the dam.
I got to go. I got some Bass Assassins to order.

 

[Billy H]

In one of the local lakes here there is a narrow that has been a hot spot for stripers for years. Guys go at night and when stripers chase baitfish up and they break the surface they throw top waters or shallow running cranks. Have seen some real slobs caught that way. Years ago my friend that worked a weird shift as a state trooper would meet me at the lake around 10:00 PM and we would soak chicken liver for cats from shore till dawn. Stripers would push baitfish right up on shore. Many times we caught stripers on the livers.

 

[Bailey Boat]

Many times we caught stripers on the livers.

Stripers are fed chicken liver while in the hatchery as a daily food... no surprise.....

Ya'll have to remember something, while in freshwater the Striper is at the TOP of the food chain while in saltwater they are nothing more than bait for fish farther up the chain. Ever seen a Striper with a perfect bite out of their side?? Bluefish, their faster than a Striper....