It's been scientifically proven that sound travels faster (4X) in water and carries it's energy longer.

Makes me think that fish are use to all sorts of sounds.

I know for a fact that boat shadow will make fish scurry in a hurry.

2 minutes ago, Bird said:

It's been scientifically proven that sound travels faster (4X).

Exactly - the denser the medium, the faster sound travels

Air - 343 m/s

Water - 1433 m/s

Ice - 3882 m/s

Glass - 3980 m/s

Steel - 5960 m/s

 

https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/sound-speed-solids-d_713.html

14 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Exactly - the denser the medium, the faster sound travels

So can you even measure how fast sound travels through a guy that insists on fishing with fluoro?...

58 minutes ago, Bird said:

Makes me think that fish are use to all sorts of sounds.

I know for a fact that boat shadow will make fish scurry in a hurry.

 

You are right but do fish interpret sonar pings as a threat like they do a shadow or as a non-threatening sound like fish feeding or breaking the surface? 

 

I have no way of knowing so I'll try to be as stealthy as possible. 

 

Pretty obvious the pros can't live without it. 

On 2/17/2023 at 9:56 AM, gimruis said:

Possible.  But I would have to imagine that the constant hum of a bow mount prop would be an even louder pulse in the water.  So turning off the sonar but continuing to use the bow mount is a bit of a moot point here.

 

Of course. I was only speaking about the sonar alone with no other noise (motors and so forth). Where I fish is extremely tight quarters shallow water and stealth mode is a must. In any event, it's just a hunch included in my approach that the fish might sense the steady pinging of a sonar. 

On 2/18/2023 at 10:47 AM, MassBass said:

Pretty obvious the pros can't live without it. 

John Cox does, quite well 

I can tell you this…we fished in 40 feet of water this weekend and had Live Target running on the bow.  Every single time the boat got over a school that was suspended off the bottom, they immediately went straight to the bottom.  Schools that were out in front or off to the side stayed suspended. There was other sonar running, downscan and sidescan.  

I could dump my units tomorrow and never miss a beat. I'm a shallow water junk fisherman. For me, I've got two  nice, new Garmin temperature gauges. The main thing I use them for nosing around in new water.

Give me a paper map and I'll be happy.