Leaving boat running while fishing
Submitted by fisharoo on Wed, 2012-09-26 15:06
Just wondering what are your thoughts of leaving the boat running while drifting bottom bashing?
My brother reckons it scares the fish, but I always leave my boat running on short drifts. N yep he's coming on my boat fishing this weekend so if he doesn't catch anything he always says I left the boat running.
Any of you feel it makes any difference?
Thanks
Perfish
Posts: 103
Date Joined: 15/11/11
Not noticed any difference
We alternate between on and off when drifting and it doesn't seem to make any difference. Motor is used to control the speed of drift so not just on but in gear too!
Can't see how the difference could ever be proven!
Man with line in water catches fish!
You only get what you always got if you only do what you've always done!
Ryan C
Posts: 1575
Date Joined: 08/07/10
i learnt to hold station
over lumps from a mate of mine who has done it for years now and it certainly doesn't affect our results and thats "hovering" right over lumps in as little as 30m , so i dont think it affects demaersals much at all. cheers
allrounder
Posts: 1853
Date Joined: 10/11/08
no difference at all
He needs to find another reason unless you are a bream fisho in a back water with no boat traffic then he may have a case.
So tell me have you got your info from years on the water or hours on the internet?
Just1morecast
Posts: 917
Date Joined: 04/12/09
I always did when I had the
I always did when I had the boat. For me jigging it helped especially in deeper water and when the drift is super quick. Helped stay ontop of the fish and not affect the jigs action. I've been on a few boats as a deckie and the minority do it only some keen jiggers I found. Saying that whitey from seasport always leaves his engine running. I haven't found it to spook the fish when out drift fishing
Forever learning with fishing
fisharoo
Posts: 297
Date Joined: 02/07/11
Bad or good, I'm a pretty
Bad or good, I'm a pretty impatient skipper. I try to hit as many of my spots as possible then try to find new ones. I only do 1 drift over my ground then zoom off to the next, hence I don't turn off my boat. Don't get to go out much these days, may be need to take a chill pill before heading out:)
Thanks. Just as I suspected I can tell him hes a crap fisho, nothing wrong with my spots.
grayzeee
Posts: 2283
Date Joined: 09/07/09
If you didn't keep the boat
If you didn't keep the boat running , you'd have to use a sea anchor. No bigger pain in the arse out there imo
If I spent half as long fishing , as I do reading this bloody forum , I'd be twice the fisherman I am.
snappermiles
Posts: 2100
Date Joined: 05/11/10
shh guys dont let them onto the secret
my motor hardly ever gets turned off!! i only ever drift if the winds too strong to hover! so no it doesnt make a difference
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tim-o
Posts: 4657
Date Joined: 24/05/11
Recently doing a
Recently doing a whiting/flathead drift it was too windy to hold bottom, so rather than add more weight which is impractical with light graphite gear, I ran the motor and backed up everynow and then, but nearly copped some waves into the intake of the outboard so gota be careful backin into seas hah. My mate reckons 2 strokes are quieter under water than 4s, can any divers confirm this, I would have thought the other way around.
I am, as I've said, merely competent. But in an age of incompetence, that makes me extraordinary.
Adam Gallash
Posts: 15661
Date Joined: 29/11/05
running
Its also a nice piece of mind to have it running when 40nm from nowhere and no one in sight.
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fisharoo
Posts: 297
Date Joined: 02/07/11
This is one of the main
This is one of the main reasons too that I keep it running. Many years back, fishing on my mates boat. He left his lights on while leaving two rocks. Went out way far and when we called it quits, motor didn't start. That was a long day
sea-kem
Posts: 15100
Date Joined: 30/11/09
How much more fuel do you use
How much more fuel do you use guys? I always turn mine off.
Love the West!
allrounder
Posts: 1853
Date Joined: 10/11/08
You will use less in fuel
Than the repairs for stop starting your motor 20 odd times a day.
So tell me have you got your info from years on the water or hours on the internet?
sea-kem
Posts: 15100
Date Joined: 30/11/09
I don't get what you mean
I don't get what you mean repairs? We would probably stop start maybe 10 times. How can I damage the motor doing what it's designed to do?
Love the West!
Belly Fish
Posts: 499
Date Joined: 09/03/12
Starter Motors
Had 2 x 115hp Johnson 2 strokes before I upgraded to 4 strokes and both starter motor covers went within 2 months of each other....that gets interesting when you are 25nm offshore. Got it going by holding the cover in position with a towel....the upward force only occurs whlst its cranking I used to always turn the motors off, but only do that now on long drifts. Mind you, 4 strokes are very lean burners at idle. Agree with teh comment about hours on the clock though....does affect resale
randall df223
Posts: 6454
Date Joined: 08/08/11
I have just bought a big arse
I have just bought a big arse sea anchor, and like the peace and quiet (even thou i am running a four stroke) so I turn it off. @ tim-o, i find it very hard to believe a two stoke is quieter under water. i've been swimming when two strokes are in the area and they are noisey!
Fish! HARD!
Paul G
Posts: 5215
Date Joined: 12/12/07
We have done dives in 30 m
We have done dives in 30 m and had the boat follow the bubbles you can here the boat no worries from below..As for scaring the fish what a load of crap .I leave my motor running and I seem to catch a few fish some days ,so the myth is busted. As for the fuel maybe a extra 3lt per day .
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Seaquest
Posts: 1134
Date Joined: 22/10/09
Turn mine off and drift over
Turn mine off and drift over spots. Have a two stoke thats quite loud even at idle. It doesn't do any harm to an outboard stopping and starting it. My last donk did 1300 hrs and was started 30 plus times per trip and never had a problem. As for fuel consumption I know with my motor it definetly uses more if left on all day. One other thing I don't like is you double your hours on your boat. Not good for resale. The only time I use the boat to hover over a spot is when the drift is two strong, but this is very rare as I'm a bit of a fair weather fishmen. I think its an advange to drift at times. Picked up heaps of good fish off the main ground.
Brad Y
Posts: 260
Date Joined: 03/02/12
While I havent got one for my
While I havent got one for my new boat yet, I used to just slide the electric motor over at the bow and use that to keep in position while fishing- in rivers/estuaries and out in the ocean either in the bay or out deep. If you can afford one, the minn kotas with ipilot are apparently brilliant. Just hit the anchor button on the remote and the GPS on it will keep you in position. Already heard good reports of these motors working while jigging sambos. Instead of drifting over schools you stay on them. People dont think of using them much out on the bluewater instead associate them with estuary and river boats but they work very well. Although at $2500 they aint cheap!
Currently Im running a sea anchor. While the etec is quiet, its still nicer to have nothing but the lap of water on the side of the boat as the only noise. Correction- its nicer to have braid zinging through the guides but it aint always the case
Fish for thrills....
murphster
Posts: 16
Date Joined: 21/09/12
Just like Pauly G,i have
Just like Pauly G,i have been a pearl diver in Broome for 20 years up untill recent times,we also follow bubbles one bloke diving the other driving the boat, in rough weather you would drive stern first into the waves and wind to avoid running over the hooker hose ( bow first would blow the nose around and over the hose and into the prop, no fun )in doing this we would fully submerge the outboards on a regular basis we never had any dramas 2 stoke or 4 stroke ,just be sure to pull the cowling off every time and rinse it in fresh water should be all good.As for noise and scaring the fish away getting them out of the way was more a problem they couldnt give a stuff.35m down and you can here that motor going it was more of a comfort that the bloke up top was still there.other times we would start the compressor up and both jump over ,you could here that pumping away the whole dive ,if it stopped you new it was time to bail out,in my opinion fish and SHARKS would come around to see what was going on, i wish it was quite down there.
kelsea
Posts: 134
Date Joined: 14/02/12
Running
Never found leaving the motor running to make any difference to what's going on down below. Holds you over the ground with a decsent skipper, should mean better fishing if you do it right.
Ocean bound is where I'll be found