Do Loud Noises Scare Fish Away?

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So do loud noises scare fish away, or not? For as long as I can remember, I have been advised to avoid talking while fishing. This same logic was repeated regardless of where I fished too. On a boat in the middle of the lake? Be quiet or you will scare the fish away! In the middle of the Gulf doing a bit of deep sea fishing? Better keep talking to a minimum otherwise you will not catch anything!

I especially found this to be the case when I was fly fishing, but it got me wondering, do we really need to keep completely hush next to this noisy river?

Although no one really knows who first uttered the advice, one thing remains clear. We all want to ensure we come back to shore with a big catch. Or at least, a fish or two. Which is why we are willing to lower our voices, avoid playing music, and try to make as little noise as possible while we are fishing. But what if we do not have to?

What if our ability to pull a few whoppers out of the water is based on our bait, cast, and retrieve, with sound not playing a part at all? In this article, we answer the age old question, will loud noises scare fish away?

What Fish Experience Underwater

Although they can see and hear, most of the time fish rely on vibrations to get an idea of what is going on around them. Small vibes gently moving the water around a fish is likely due to food, such as a bug. Big vibrations, on the other hand, typically signify a large predator is nearby. When these massive movements make their way to the salmon, tuna, or bluegill, they instinctively zoom away.

Throughout history, this fight-or-flight response to potential predators has made it possible for fish to avoid being eaten. Those that adhered to the run away plan survived long enough to have offspring, and thus the method was passed down through the gene pool.

Which brings us back to the question at hand. Will loud noises scare fish away?

How Sound Travels

Have you ever tried to talk to someone underwater? In case you haven’t, words you speak tend to become just a muffled noise by the time it reaches another person. And as someone who made a game out of this phenomenon, I can confirm that even if you speak loudly right next to a person’s ear, the message will not be audibly transferred.

Give it a try sometime if you get the chance. Hearing what the other person thinks you said can be hilarious.

That said, the reason sound gets muffled underwater is due to how packed water molecules are. See, in their compressed state, particles of H2O are almost always touching. As a result, vibrations quickly flow through a body of water. To give you an idea of just how fast these vibrations travel, sound waves move about four times as fast in water as they do in the air.

However, in order to actually get any momentum behind that sound wave, a great deal of energy must be used. Which is why yelling in someone’s ear underwater does not improve that person’s ability to actually hear you. But that is just an example of someone speaking with their head below the surface of the water. Things change when you are talking or playing music loudly above water, as you drift on by in your boat.

Sound Traveling From Air to Water

As we mentioned above, water is comprised of densely packed molecules. Due to this, the only way to force a sound to move quickly through water is by using a lot of energy.

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s look at an example. Say you are talking to your buddy out on the lake. Do the vibrations from that conversation have enough energy to penetrate the surface of the water?

In most cases, the answer is no.

See, getting water particles to move out of the way is somewhat of a hurdle due to the water’s surface tension.

Since water molecules are packed so tightly, an invisible membrane forms on the top of a body of water. This barrier is why divers are told to put their hands together over their heads before diving in. Breaking the water’s surface tension with your hands rather than your head is much safer.

And in case you were wondering how much safer, those that do not break the surface tension with their hands end up using their head to do so. As a result, the impact of hitting your head on the water’s surface tension runs the risk of experiencing a potentially life-threatening concussion.

Needless to say, most sound vibrations made above the water do not pack enough force to break through the surface tension. However, when the vibration comes into contact with the surface tension, a few mini vibes may reach a fish’s ears. But as we’ve mentioned above, small vibrations typically signal a bug has landed on the surface of the water, which may end up being alluring to the fish.

So What Does Scare Fish Away?

Fish adapt to their surroundings. As a result, they become familiar with certain sounds, such as a boat motor. They also tend to ignore somewhat loud sounds that occur naturally, such as a waterfall. In most cases, the louder sounds automatically generated by nature are a good decibel level to adhere to. As in, if you are talking at a volume that is under the sound of a waterfall, fish cannot hear you at all over the roar of the splashing.

Another example is wind and vicariously choppy waves. These natural sounds tend to make a decent sound cover, which you can use to your advantage. That said, on days when there is no wind and few waves, consider speaking softly if you are trying to catch easily spooked fish or those that prefer to reside in shallow water.

In addition, be sure to take shadows into consideration. Predator birds and other animals tend to peer into the water. This action typically results in a shadow being cast over the water. Due to this, fish instinctively know to avoid areas where an unusual shadow looms, even if that area is silent.

Wrap Up – Do Loud Nosies Scare Fish Away?

Loud noises and talking above water will generally NOT scare the fish away. Keep the sounds to a reasonable level and you won’t have any problems. A rule of thumb is to try to not be the loudest thing out on the water. If the lake is silent and there are no wind or waves, then it’s probably best to keep it on the quiet side.

Fish respond to vibrations and movement in the water far more than talking or music being played over water. Because of that it is a good idea to be careful with banging your boat on stumps or dropping things in to the water as this will certainly spook the fish away.

Thanks for reading and happy fishing!

Check out our article on how to make your own homemade fishing line conditioner here!

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