Do we give fish too much credit for being smart?

[Champ 2001]

Isn't that only if in gear and not in neutral?

In the Tournaments that I have fished, it says ANYTIME the big engine is running.

[stratofast]

Fish are as stupid as those who like to cause traffic congestion on the interstate because they don't want to pass but don't want to follow. You know a bait ball. So some are smarter than others and some are timid or scared just like everyone else in life. You just have to figure out which one they are. The fish that is.

[Spot-a-saurus]

Fish are as stupid as those who like to cause traffic congestion on the interstate because they don't want to pass but don't want to follow. You know a bait ball. So some are smarter than others and some are timid or scared just like everyone else in life. You just have to figure out which one they are. The fish that is.

There is something to this. Always that poor fish that has hook holes all over his mouth and cull beam tears that still won’t turn down a spinnerbait or Texas rigged worm

[wwc3]

They are not very smart ! I caught the very same fish 3 times in less than an hour---on the very same bait !!!!!!! Tore its mouth up pretty good !!!!!

[BOATS]

I have read that fish relate the sound of trolling motors to danger and ignore the big engine noise.

[Les Young]

In the Tournaments that I have fished, it says ANYTIME the big engine is running.

What does this really have to do with the question asked? It wasn't at all about what any rules state one way or another simply whether fish are smart or not.

[Les Young]

Isn't that only if in gear and not in neutral?

[wicker*man]

Yes we do.

[ManxFishing]

While we will never see a fish read or write
so no there not smart
What they do have is instincts to survive, The dumb ones are eaten pretty fast.

[LewStulePH.D.]

I have read that fish relate the sound of trolling motors to danger and ignore the big engine noise.

This will also put to bed that age old query when typing about going fast in a bass boat "You ever catch a fish going 65?..."

There was this One fish, Mr. Limpet, sharp as a tack, so sharp they made a movie about Mr. Limpet The Incredible Mr. Limpet The other link was the actor, Don KNOTTS

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[suck my wake]

I asked Denny Brauer if he turned off his electronics when he flipped docks. He said not really. He said the fish know you’re there.

[Ron H 520]

Be careful as someone on here will protest you for the big motor on but no kill switch attached to driver....

. Quite possible.

[Ron H 520]

Fishing a tournament yesterday i was livescoping fish with an a rig. I bring the a rig over a brushpile and see nothing chase it out so i start to reel it in cery quickly when a fish darts out of the pile toward my bait and slams it 10’ under the trolling motor. Doesnt sound odd does it? Id had a flat dead battery with 2 hours left in the tourny and managed to get it jumped but fished the last hour with my big engine idling because i was afraid if i shut it off i wouldnt get it started back. So the fish bit 10’ from tge boat with the big engine running. I didnt notice any difference in the way the fish bit or reacted to the bait with the engine running. In a world where guys are turning off transducers and tip toeing around the boat so as not to spook fish, are we giving them too much credit? This was in fairly shallow water (10-15’) on a lake thats highly pressured.

I’ve had that happen to me also over brush. We just started rippping the Jigs, which triggered the bites. If I have learned one thing, its to listen when the fish says something. A Bass is a greedy thing, sometimes it can’t stand thinking a meal is escaping, or it’s Buddy might get it before him.

[Walkabout7781]

Isn't that only if in gear and not in neutral?

No, not the way most organizations wrote their rules..."When the outboard motor running" is the normal deal. Their rules will change when the electric outboards are required.

PS: I'd agree that the speed of retreive increase triggered the fish.

[1BADAIR]

Like a crank bait. A lot of times they bite as it’s going down or coming up to the boat . Direction or speed trigger

[jcyoung517]

Fish don't grow to be 4lbs and up by being stupid

[Walkabout7781]

Fish don't grow to be 4lbs and up by being stupid

Maybe so, but I caught the same fish (4 lb 2 oz and 4 lb. 8 oz) in the same place on the same lure. The 4-2 was a week later on a tube, and the 4-8 a day later on a wacky Senko.

[Hbach]

I have some five year old catfish in a pond. We hand throw feed about every other day. They look like piranha feeding on the floating food. Throw in amongst them with a night crawler, piece of hot dog, pretty much anything - and immediately hook up. Before you land that fish, all the rest will have vanished. Very rare to catch another - even an hour later. They wont even come back and feed the next day.

[Slicefixer]

A bunch of Einstein's if you ask me.....😉

[JTN]

We catch a lot of Walleyes trolling with the 9.9 kicker motor in 6-8 feet of water pulling crank baits 30-40 feet behind the boat,at night we get down to 4-5 or water with 20-30 feet of line out...The kicker is like a little dinner bell;)
Watch the guys sharp shooting or power corking walleyes on the YouTube they never shut the big motors off.