Truck Scaring the Walleye?

[Bullfighter]

I got out for some ice fishing over the past couple weeks during the cold snap. During parts of the day I chose to sit in the truck with the engine and heat on watching the jaw jackers do their thing. Action was below average for the most part....

Question: If you are fishing in 10-15ft of water with tip ups/jaw jackers 30ft from a running truck, do you think the walleye get spooked from noise/vibrations?

[bobalong]

I got out for some ice fishing over the past couple weeks during the cold snap. During parts of the day I chose to sit in the truck with the engine and heat on watching the jaw jackers do their thing. Action was below average for the most part....

Question: If you are fishing in 10-15ft of water with tip ups/jaw jackers 30ft from a running truck, do you think the walleye get spooked from noise/vibrations?

Never saw one spook from a running truck, but a few years ago when I used an underwater camera they would sure spook if you slammed the door or dropped the tail gate

[Angler]

I don't think so... I was sitting in the truck one day, doing the same thing, and I had hits on tip up for walleye. More lkely it is just a coincidence, or fish wanted some action, like jigging. Did it start to bite again, when shut the engine down? Or you kept sitting there all day long? LOL

[Tcon]

Haven't had an issue with the truck running and have done so many times in very cold temps. However, my nieces/nephews were were running the quad around us one day and I believe the vibration from the exhaust completely shut down the walleye. When they turned off the quads the fish came back. Lesson learned.

[Bullfighter]

I don't think so... I was sitting in the truck one day, doing the same thing, and I had hits on tip up for walleye. More lkely it is just a coincidence, or fish wanted some action, like jigging. Did it start to bite again, when shut the engine down? Or you kept sitting there all day long? LOL

I can't say that I was working that hard for the fish....cold and sleepy post-Christmas days.

"Truck Fishing" is great for the evening.....watch the jaw jackers in the headlights until midnight or so. For the evening walleye bite, the truck engine did not seem like an issue.

BIG REMINDER!!!! Do not have headlights/radio on when engine off unless you have full confidence in battery. The lake is a lonely place when the truck won't start under the stars.

[tight line]

Dont thinks so, ive truck fished with my sonar right out of my door and done good. funny last summer, i had my nieces and nephews and my boys out, we had a good walleyebite going, they got tired of catching fish and started jumping in and swimming around the boat, i was still nailing fish literally right under them..lol 12fow

[Half Pickereled]

I can think of two comparisons that would probably dubunk the thought of fish being spooked by a running vehicle. One would be the noisiest generator running wide open all day by an ice shack which would produce a lot more racket.
And a big old Evinrude chugging away in 6 feet of water keeping the stereo charged up. I don't think the fish could care less.

[curtis_rak]

I was in my shack the other day and was watching a walleye staring at my hook on the camera. I dropped my cell phone on the shack floor and the walleye took off at full speed... I think sometimes they are pretty sensitive to noise.

Conditions were 8-9 fow and -30 with the wind chill outside.


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[FlyTheory]

I know walking will spook fish in shallowish water. Maybe an engine if it's shallow too. Not sure

[Sooner]

I have been in my tent near a truck trail at Shaws point years back. Watching walleye below while trucks go by. Didn't spook in 12 ish feet of water.

[wbaj]

Never saw one spook from a running truck, but a few years ago when I used an underwater camera they would sure spook if you slammed the door or dropped the tail gate

X2, I once was watching a nice eye toying with my lure not quite committed but slowly circling the hook. My partner slammed the truck door and it bolted away like crazy!!
A few minutes later the whole thing repeated again, truck door closed and again a fish just under me took off as if it was speared!

I think they definitely "feel" the vibration through their lateral line and are spooked by the noise.

[EZM]

I was drilling a hole with a gas auger and the walleye and perch came right in to see what's going on. That day, every-time it slowed down ..... we made some noise and the fish came back.

Fish can definitely hear what's going on ..... just depends what kind of mood they are in it seems.

[stubblejumper01]

Several times when the bite slows down I have picked up the auger and started to drill. Before even finishing a hole we have had walleye strike tip ups It's happened enough to not just be a fluke. They must be sniffing around the bait and the extra noise seems to push them to strike.

[elkdump]

One of my favourite trout lakes, very productive rookies and rainbows often to 7 or 8 pounds ( lake only about 2km across)

But, a few years ago, drilling and fracking all winter, just about 800 meters from the shore

The fishing was dismal, there actually was constant vibration and noise if you placed your ear to the ice, the fish wouldn't bite that winter,

But other winters yes :)