Are you putting out good vibrations? When choosing a fishing lure, most anglers consider how it looks and performs, but what about the sound it makes? Fish use sound to hunt their prey. Anglers should do the same.

Good Vibrations: Tune Into the Sound of Your Fishing Lure

Sound travels four and a half times faster underwater than through the air—that’s 5,000 feet per second. Fish take advantage of this with two different sensory systems that detect vibrations in the water: hearing and lateral line. To hear, fish have an inner ear with sensory cells and small bones called otoliths. The lateral line running down the side of a fish’s body is more than decoration, it’s a thin channel filled with small follicles that detect vibration in the water. In the dark, murky depths where fish live, sensing vibration is key to locating prey and predators.

A fish caught by a LiveTarget lure
Are you putting out good vibrations? | Feature photo: Brad Wiegmann

Many lure manufacturers produce both silent and rattling versions of their lures. The silent models work best in areas with heavy fishing pressure. To get the attention of sluggish or scattered fish, switch to a rattling and chattering lure.

The shape of a lure also affects the signal it sends. A large, wide wobbling lure creates strong vibrations while a small lure with a hydrodynamic shape produces more subtle vibrations. For the best results, choose a lure that imitates the way the main forage looks and sounds.

Lures on the Market

Recently, lure designers have taken sound technology to new levels. Livingston Lures’ new hard bait actually houses a small battery-operated speaker that sends out croaking sounds proven to attract fish. Livingston Lures inventor, Robert Castaneda, explains, “Baitfish make a distress noise by forcing air into their bodies that is similar to the electronic croaking emitted from the sound chamber on our lure.” Combined with lifelike design, advanced rattles and a pulsating red light, Livingston Lures ring the dinner bell.

The folks at HydroWave have taken another approach to calling in fish. Their device sends out fish-attracting sounds through an omni-directional speaker that hangs in the water. Inventor Gene Eisenmann worked with scientists, engineers and professional anglers to develop a system of sounds proven to attract fish.

Capitalizing on how fish hear, HydroWave utilizes two different sound technologies. “Lateral Reactive Technology applies wave technology that a fish can feel through its lateral line,” Eisenmann explains. “Vibration Reactive Technology utilizes vibration waves that interact through the fish’s inner ear.”

HydroWave units come in both saltwater and freshwater models. Anglers can choose from pre-recorded sounds that imitate shrimp snaps, shad clicks, gill flairs, swim bladder pops, regurgitation and fleeing noises.

Anxious to test the theory, I installed a HydroWave unit in my kayak using a RAM fish finder mount that holds the control box, a RAM Transducer Arm that extends the unidirectional speaker over the side of my kayak and a 12-volt battery to power the unit. The results speak for themselves. For me, sound and vibration are two of the most powerful tools helping me fool more fish.

When professional fishing guide Brad Wiegmann isn’t tournament fishing or shooting photographs, he’s imitating shrimp snaps, shad clicks, swim bladder pops and gill flairs.

Cover of the Summer/Fall 2013 issue of Kayak Angler MagazineThis article was first published in the Summer/Fall 2013 issue of Kayak Angler Magazine. Subscribe to Kayak Angler Magazine’s print and digital editions, or browse the archives.


Are you putting out good vibrations? | Feature photo: Brad Wiegmann

 

1 COMMENT

  1. I have one of these – you can hear it, but it seems gimmicky: “Livingston Lures’ new hard bait actually houses a small battery-operated speaker that sends out croaking sounds proven to attract fish.”

    Any studies or real world experiences where we can see them actually making a positive difference? Thanks!

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