Do you leave the fish finder/sounder running while fishing?

[back2boats]

Just wondering, as I saw a mention in a reply to me about catching squire, that some people turn them off for finicky fish.

I would like to leave mine on so I can see what's under me while fishing, but not if it will reduce my catch.

[Bremic]

Generally leave it on while drifting, so you can keep an eye on the ground you are travelling over. Generally turn it off when anchored, for the reason you mentioned.

[shaungonemad]

Yeah I like to leave mine on most of the time so I can see the fish I can't catch I only turn it off when anchored in shallow water.

[back2boats]

Generally leave it on while drifting, so you can keep an eye on the ground you are travelling over. Generally turn it off when anchored, for the reason you mentioned.

Yes, particularly wanted to leave it on when drifting. Thanks

[back2boats]

Yeah I like to leave mine on most of the time so I can see the fish I can't catch I only turn it off when anchored in shallow water.

I see, so it might have more effect on the fish in shallow water, not so bad out deeper? What depth would you call "shallow" - under 2 or 3 metres, of even deeper than that?

[Jsmfun]

anywhere in the bay would be shallow if you are anchored .

[banshee]

I think if it spooked fish there'd be a lot of hungry dolphins about.

[Noelm]

I personally don't think it scares fish, but I also don't see a lot of sense leaving it on either, some people are almost hypnotized by their sounder and fiddle with it endlessly rather than fish,( kind of like a mobile phone) just find the location you want to fish, and fish the damn place, sounder on or off, just fish.

[scottar]

I had an interesting conversation with Rod Harrison a couple of years ago and courtesy of working in the industry we eventually got onto sounders and the like. Rod was of the firm belief that the barra in Awoonga had become aware of sounder noise and when entering shallow bays to fish he did so with his sounder off. He found that when entering the shallows with the sounder running and "pinged" a fish, it was not unusual for that fish to spook. Unfortunately, from my own experience, when this happens in Awoonga, it is not unusual to see fish run from cover everywhere in the vicinity when this happens.

Certainly from my own experience when anchoring over schooled fish in salt water and leaving the sounder running it is not unusual for the fish to disperse. Turn the sounder off for a while and then back on again and the echoes will have returned. I do however leave my sounder running when drift fishing offshore - there is no point fishing where the fish aren't.

As for dolphins - I don't think it would matter if the echo location did spook the fish. I watched one run down a queenfish in Onslow last year - incredible to say the least. The queeny made a bolt at the rock wall until it ran out of water, went through a 90 degree turn and jumped - all the while with the dolphin about 6 inches off it's tail throwing up a massive bow wave. The fish never made it back into the water - got smashed in mid air. Off the Goldy, we have had them sit and watch released fish for at least 30 seconds - you see them roll to the side, and then off - only to see them on the surface shortly after with fish in possession. It is almost like they are giving the fish a head start just to make a game of it.

[Dignity]

When drifting I leave it on, but when anchored turn it off, too distracting. Dolphins off the banks display similar behaviour as mentioned by scottar, the only difference is they will play with the fish after catching them by tossing them in the air a couple of times. Was very interesting the previous weekend that they were happy to take iodine bream but wouldn't touch a footballer cod or even a small coronation trout, they lived to grow bigger.

[astro66]

tried it off/on ///music off/on ...catch the same fish ....makes no difference...

[Feral]

I'm lucky, I have a Lowrance elite, it very considerately turns itself off .........

[scottar]

I'm lucky, I have a Lowrance elite, it very considerately turns itself off .........

Its a special "feature".

[mitc69]

i personally leave mine on just incase something BIG come below :)