Now, think about crickets, you hear them chirping until they hear something out of the ordinary, then they become silent. They noticed something was different about their surroundings and because of a natural built-in survival instinct, they became quiet. Trophy-sized bass have the same built in survival instinct. Once they notice something out of the ordinary, they simply shut down.

Trophy-sized bass have been around for a long time and they have defensive instincts that they have used to live as long as they have. They know what is normal and what is not normal in their surrounding environment. Remembering that water is an excellent conductor of sound, let's look at some of the things that Trophy-sized bass realize are not normal in their environment because of Trolling Motors.

Placing the Trolling Motor into the water

How many times have you seen an angler go roaring up to where they are going to fish and jump up in front of the boat and grab the Trolling motor rope and send the Trolling Motor flying over the side of the boat and make a splash so large you would swear that the Titanic had just went down in front of the boat?

Let's look at what the Trophy-sized Bass would notice about that incident. First they heard the boat approach their vicinity because of their lateral line, then they heard the boat slow down and then heard the Trolling motor splash real close to where their are at. Because this warns them that something is out of the ordinary, the Trophy-sized bass just shuts down until it thinks that things are back to normal in their environment. This could take 15 minutes or it could take a couple of hours. It depends on how the Trophy-sized bass relates this occurrence to past experience. Did it feel a hook and get rudely jerked away from it's environment and have to fight only to be removed from the water struggling for oxygen for several minutes while the angler held the fish up and took photos of the fish before releasing the bass back into the water where it could start breathing again?

You will not alert the fish to your presence as much, if you shut the big motor down and ease the Trolling Motor over the side of the boat and into the water and use the Trolling Motor at a constant speed for the last 100 yards to the fishing spot.

Bass might tolerate a noise that is constant, but some anglers turn the Trolling Motor on and off every 5 seconds. Next time you are in the boat and using the Trolling Motor pay close attention to what the Trolling Motor does when you turn it on and off. The first thing you should notice is the noise the bracket makes from the sudden jolt when you turn the Trolling Motor on and off. Do you hear the difference in the sound between when the Trolling motor is off and when it is on? You better believe the bass can hear it too.

Most people do not know that a Trolling Motor puts off an electrical field that the fish can feel. Even if the Trolling Motor is off, it still emits the electrical field in the water when the Trolling Motor is immersed in the water. When you are anchored-structure fishing, it is recommended that you take the Trolling Motor out of the water to prevent this electrical field from being transmitted into the water.

Using a GPS unit to find the spot quickly

By using a GPS unit, you can find the spot that you want to fish without having to troll around with the Trolling Motor while looking at the Depth Finder to find the spot. By going straight to the spot, you have a better chance of getting to the spot without the bass being aware of your presence.

Remember
When dealing with Trophy-sized bass, you have to
pay extreme attention to the smallest detail and
do everything with as much stealth as possible,
just to be successful some of the time.

About the Author

Greg Myers is Editor-In-Chief for a semi-monthly on-line Bass Fishing magazine. This Web Site contains information on Oklahoma Bass Fishing, Trophy-sized bass fishing and also has Bass Fishing information on some Northeast Texas lakes. Greg is in constant contact with Bass anglers from all over the United States sharing information and ideas on Bass Fishing, especially Trophy-sized Bass Fishing. You can find more information on Greg at OklahomaBassFishing.com.