6 hours ago, Jig Man said:

My stealth ends where the water meets the ramp.  Where I fish there is boat noise all day long so they are used to it.  I don’t try to sneak up on them.

Same here. I figure if the fish were to not hear a sonar signal they would think something is wrong.

I guess I’m the only one music playing, trash talking, dog barking, lip ripping redneck here 😂😂 I never once think I should be quieter. 
 

I even give the by standers some karaoke depending what song is on. 

Every one of my giant bass were caught using jigs and casting 45-50 yards (long cast). Long casts are not ideal but get any closer and those big wary bass shut down and move to deep water and suspend until you move on.

Tom

90% of the time I'm on the pond I fish alone and it is quiet, very quiet. I do my best to fit in with the natural silence. I try to muffle any movement or noise I might make. My yak is camo (grey/black) and I'm wearing the camo dejour. Not so much to disguise myself from the bass but more so that people who drive by don't see me. I don't want to attract any attention.  By habit, I make long casts, sometimes into the next area code. I'll cover as much water as possible and the long casts force me to be more accurate. Stealth isn't only a physical state. It''s also a mental state where I release all the day to day life baggage that we normally carry with us. This allows me to focus better and to be able to hear what the water is telling me.

My long time fishing partner stays on plane to within 25 yards of where we're going to start fishing sending waves.

 

I've always wondered why I catch twice as many fish fishing solo. 

I try to be super stealth appreciating the water. And plan my first cast to be long. Then I usually. Trip over something, someone yells did ya  catch any! I slip walking down the sloped bank you name it lol. First cast gets a lil bird nest or into the cat tails and snagged. So after a good 15 minute struggle we are in business!!

 

that said when I used to bass and inshore fish in Florida from my aluminum canoe or kayak. I was always as quiet as possible. Trolling motor on the canoe shut off far away. And push poke the rest of the way. Kayak as quite as possible and not drop anything. Again good luck with all that if I’m involved lol

Think said this before…. If I’m hawg hunting, electronics off, motor and trolling up, and I pole in. I use the the push pole to stick pin myself in place and set for awhile.

10 hours ago, Crow Horse said:

I do my best to fit in with the natural silence.

This is my goal, I’m probably not as quiet as those in canoes and kayaks, but try to be.

If I’m out just fishing, I’m relatively quiet but not crazy about it. When I take someone with me we are usually laughing and talking. 

1 hour ago, GRiver said:

Think said this before…. If I’m hawg hunting, electronics off, motor and trolling up, and I pole in. I use the the push pole to stick pin myself in place and set for awhile.

This is my goal, I’m probably not as quiet as those in canoes and kayaks, but try to be.

If I’m out just fishing, I’m relatively quiet but not crazy about it. When I take someone with me we are usually laughing and talking. 

Sounds like a good trip to me. I’ve never really been in a position to hunt monsters. It’s usually productive numbers I look for if a few big ones pop up I’m happy. 

 I was lucky enough to fish for unpressured smallmouth bass for a couple of years. it was the best fishing I ever had. These fish would follow my canoe around and if a lure was hanging over, there was a good chance it would get taken. The more I fished  , the harder it got to catch them. This was on a river and the word got out. It has never been the same. My take, the more pressure the more important stealth is. Unpressured fish,   boat  noise draws them in. 

On 12/21/2025 at 7:06 PM, WRB-2.0 said:

Every one of my giant bass were caught using jigs and casting 45-50 yards (long cast).

 

Of course, I (and nearly every other human) have never caught giant bass like Tom's, but I do have a computer-like memory for the biggest bass I have caught. I remember where I caught them, the weather, the lure, etc. And I remember the casts and they were also long casts. 

 

On 12/21/2025 at 6:03 PM, Susky River Rat said:

I guess I’m the only one music playing, trash talking, dog barking, lip ripping redneck here

 

Ha! Considering you're using a jet to move, I don't think any other noise matters much.

I fish really clear water.  Most of the big ones I caught were using some kind of cover and that gives them a sense of protection.  I could get fairly close ( 20 feet) and there was no problem.  

 

Where I fish they like undercut banks (largemouth).

@Swamp Girl I mean you might not be wrong 😂 different breed of people. 

I'm pretty stealthy in the yak. But when fishing in my buddy's 10' aluminum jon we just do the best we can. It's noisier, but it has advantages. For one, it's his boat and he runs the motor from the back. Win-win for me. I have more time free to cast.

 

I don't notice a big difference in catch rates or size. 

If the water is clear and open I'll make long casts from 25 to 30 yards out. The bass see a lot of boats so I don't think the boat by itself is going to spook the bass.  I think they are more likely to get spooked if they see me. 

All of my biggest bass have been caught wit long casts and all were hooked at the end to the middle of the cast.  This may be because I always make long casts and position the cover or structure in the last 3/4 of my casting distance.  I also lose many big bass by casting way past trees and hooking the bass on the far side of the cover.

 

When I fish in a friends boat he always criticizes me for casting past the cover.  He thinks I am wasting my time casting past the cover, he plops the bait right down where he thinks the bass will be.  To prove his point we will flip cover, and he points out how many bass we catch while flipping.

 

We do catch many bass flipping baits right into the sweet spot, and some of them are decent size, but I always catch the biggest bass doing it my way, and I am too old and stubborn to change my ways.

 

All of my big one that got away stories are from long casts, as well as well as epic backlashes, but I am an expert backlash picker, and love to tell stories about the big one that got away.  So if you ever see me fishing out of my kayak, you will see bomb casts, and hear lots of swearing.

I don't claim to know what a bass is thinking so I can't say for sure how much stealth has contributed to my fishing.  I can think of example where it seemed to make all the difference.  I can also think of fish I have caught in the noises of environments.  

 

I think bass tend to get used to the noise on a busy Saturday in June with fishermen and jet skies everywhere.  In a quiet out of the way spot that sees an angler maybe once a week,  I think fish can be easily spooked by almost anything.   Those are the places I try to be as stealthy as possible. 

Whenever possible I shut off the electronics, stay off the t/m, and let the wind push me through a known productive area.  If this is productive I will circle around and do it again.  This has been a successful method.