# scaring the fish ?



## glasseyes (Jan 28, 2012)

so since i dont do that much ice fishing Im listening in and watching some videos and I see where its easy to scare off fish from drilling and just walking on ice. Even over deep water.
Now I have a spot i would like to try on a lake that has a deep creek channel along side a large bay that is shallow. My hope was to catch crappie in the shallow bay but now Im thinking any drilling may spook them off to the other end of the lake. The deeper channel is not that deep , maybe 15' and the bay is probably half that. I catch fish all winter out of it when not frozen , the shallow bay. I have drilled holes all over it at one time when there was good ice but never caught a thing, which I know doesnt mean a lot could have been many reasons that day. So do the crappie come back to an area spooked after drilling or do you need to wait ., ?


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## BIGEYURK25 (Apr 4, 2013)

Sometimes it may spook the fish yes, but first hand experience from last week, I caught a fish with more down there while my buddy was literally 5 feet from my hole drilling his. More than likely they won’t go far or if they do, they’ll be back!


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## icingdeath (Jun 2, 2010)

Caught a lot of fish after drilling a few holes and just dropping down. Sight fishing in the clear waters and hole hopping didn't seem to really affect anything.


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## aquaholic2 (Feb 17, 2010)

icingdeath said:


> Caught a lot of fish after drilling a few holes and just dropping down. Sight fishing in the clear waters and hole hopping didn't seem to really affect anything.


I always worry about that too especially in shallower water, but I now have a Marcum camera and I continue to be amazed at how they come right up and stare into the camera. I expected them to shy away.....AH2


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## icingdeath (Jun 2, 2010)

I swear at times it seems as if spudding or drilling wakes them up! Lol


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## joekacz (Sep 11, 2013)

When perch quit biting most guys will start their motors for a few minutes and more times than not it will bring them back in again.Just something to remember.It's a quiet world down there and noise probably brings them in to investigate. Just kick'n the tires here.


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## glasseyes (Jan 28, 2012)

so what is it with all the videos on you tube with these PRO ice fishing guys that warn on scaring the fish by just walking on the ice, some say that if you have a hard snow covering ice and you step heavy on it and make a loud crunching noise that this will scare fish off. Or someone walking passed you while you fish and you can see the fish leave as they walk by. I have watched several different videos on this and myself never thought of fish being spooked by drilling let alone walking on the ice , that's why the post here, I don't ice fish much but would like to learn some of the dos and donts.


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## glasseyes (Jan 28, 2012)

this is just one i watched.


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## laynhardwood (Dec 27, 2009)

It absolutely scares the fish in my opinion. I don’t know how many times i have had fish charging up to my bait and then someone walks up to my shanty and the fish swims off extremely fast. I like to set up and be very quiet while I’m fishing.


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

glasseyes said:


> so what is it with all the videos on you tube with these PRO ice fishing guys that warn on scaring the fish by just walking on the ice, some say that if you have a hard snow covering ice and you step heavy on it and make a loud crunching noise that this will scare fish off. Or someone walking passed you while you fish and you can see the fish leave as they walk by. I have watched several different videos on this and myself never thought of fish being spooked by drilling let alone walking on the ice , that's why the post here, I don't ice fish much but would like to learn some of the dos and donts.



The pros also tell me if i use the gear there using ill catch more fish. .
I dont ice fish much either and do beleive noise above can spook fish. 
But i also think it could attract fish,or at times even turn them on. 
Imo it boils dowm to how aggresive the fish are atm. One day it might spook them the next day it might get them going. 
One of the spots ive been fishing is 2' or less and we have caught plenty of gills just after driling.... 
Theres no way around it,we are going to make noise getting to the fish. If you reakky thimk your spooking them pre drill some holes in a area an come back after things calm down.
Just like most any subject on here your gonna get different opinions on the subject.


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## carp (Oct 31, 2011)

I spooked a big buck once walking in to my stand, 2 hrs later he was feeding with 2 does and I killed him. I've drilled a hole, dropped my spoon in water and caught a fish instantly. I've also spook deer, and they never came back. I've been on pan fish, and had people drill around me and they quit biting! Nothing is 100% in the world of hunting and fishing! Sometimes snowmobiles will drive by and 30 seconds later I'll catch a fish? In clear shallow lakes I'd error on the side of caution, and be stealthy! Deep murky lakes might be a different story! Fish, and hunt and use the techniques warranted in your area!


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## glasseyes (Jan 28, 2012)

so from what I gather it may or may not matter, but error on the side of caution anyway. If fish scare after drilling come back in a little while and check again, lots of good advice.


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

i have drilled holes then was catching fish before i got all 3 lines in the water. some of the best fishing I've had was when the temps dropped and the ice was expanding and rumbling and making big cracks across the ice. but i was fishing for crappie in 24' of water. even if the fish do scare off i think they will return very shortly. just my opinion and doesn't really mean much.
sherman


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## leadcorebean (Jul 17, 2006)

you guys must never fish next to tomb! if those fish stay under his shanty than an auger certainly don't bother them.. sorry tom ! fish hear motors all season long i don't feel it bothers them to much


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## tomb (Oct 9, 2004)

"Stealth" is certainly not my middle name. 
The amount of times I have drilled a hole and immediately caught a fish far outweigh not doing so.
Still, I'm not going to knock people who have figured out how to fish for a living either.


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## AtticaFish (Nov 23, 2008)

I've often wondered this before as well. Sometimes moving in my shanty will make marks on the flasher disappear, other times not so much. I swear that it can be certain lakes the fish spook much easier than others. If i plan on hole hoping, i will cut a bunch of holes in the area i want to fish right off the bat so i don't keep making new commotion drilling, just foot steps. Regardless of if i'm on shore, in a boat, or on the ice........ i try to be as quiet as possible because that is just the way my father taught me many many years ago. You just don't argue with Dad.

It does amaze me though that walking and drilling does not spoke them all the time through the ice. During summer time, if you walk along the shore where there are bluegill sitting, they scatter instantly. However, when i drive my lawnmower next to my pond, that doesn't always spook even the giant grass carp who will usually spook if they see you 10 yards from the shore. Never know why.


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

yep I've always heard that fish will go out to the side when a boat motors over them. but I've caught a lot of fish on my riggers with 15 or 20' leads. so all of them don't run.
sherman


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## Muddy (May 7, 2017)

I think that it depends on the mood of the fish that day. Same as fishing from a boat. I do know this-you can't catch fish through the ice without moving around and drilling holes until you find them.


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