Recently I was relaxing on the pier. It was a gorgeous day and many folks were enjoying it. The only sounds were waves washing on shore, gulls having their usual conversations, and occasionally one could hear voices and snippets of people chatting.
I was just zoning in and seeing some blues and Spanish mackerel feeding.
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Peaceful.
It all changed when this “person” turned on a huge speaker and cranked the knob off. It was akin to the sound of ice breaking underfoot and about as welcome.
It’s a personal preference but I found, through extensive research (I asked a bunch of people I know), that there are definitely commonalities to be found.
Michael Howlett of Newport used to run big boat charters in Oahu. They would always have music playing when fishing offshore for mahi mahi, tuna, marlin. Sometimes it was a while between bites but usually it added to the fun of the day for the tourists who would come out for the day.
I used to fish quite a bit with a friend, Bryan Pahmeier of Titusville, Florida, who is gone now and who had a really nice sound system wired up in his flats boat. He’d use it when running to new spots but not early in the morning.
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Justin Manners of Jacksonville says it depends which fish and at what depth. “Ocean, I say go for it. Deeper water bottom fishing for bull drum, catfish, etcetera, go for it. Fishing flats, I’m not going to take a chance.”
This seems to be the theme, as we continue to see.
Ryan Furtak, a fly-fishing guru from Scranton, Pennsylvania, who is the master of the Upper Delaware River system, has an interesting take: “Loud music is completely fine. Under these conditions: Smallmouth bass fishing. I never found they cared. Definitely not while trout fishing or saltwater flats fishing. Spook large trout 100% of the time. Spook flats fish and won’t be able to properly communicate with the guy poling the boat. Otherwise, as long as nobody is around to be disturbed, crank it up.”
Chris Medlin of Surf City offers a measured response, appropriate for the mayor’s son: “Hmmm, I’d say we should just tolerate it because I just don’t want rule after rule on our outdoor activities.”
Those are the people who have mixed feelings or are more open to loud music. I have a lot of friends who are adamant about their opposition, to say the least.
Tim Still of Havelock enters Focus Mode where music is unwelcome. “Well, I’m against it for the same reason I turn off my radio completely when I’m parallel parking. I don’t like the distraction, but I’m not sure if it affects the fish.”
I feel the same way about parallel parking, for sure.
If you talk to Capt. Harry from Kitty Hawk, he’ll tell you, “That’s a hard no while fishing except when traveling, but then it depends on what’s playing.”
Rob Snowhite of Washington, D.C., “despises” having to listen to others’ music on the water. “Never play mine while out for same reason. Maybe going from Point A to Point B”, but even then he says, be considerate.
Now we start to get into the real meat of the conversation. People who are passionate and experienced at fishing for the big ones in the shallows like Rick Patterson of Cape Carteret, “I personally wouldn’t. I believe having loud music playing would definitely spook reds in shallow water.”
As we’ll see, the more technical the fish you are target, the more likely you will find that anglers don’t want any extra sound. Dave Bernstein of Morehead City gets right to the point, “Never have music on while fishing.”
David Edens of Hilton Head fly fishes 98% of the time. He says that redfish on the low tides are super spooky but, “It’s Ok when I am fishing bait in deep waters. Just not too loud.”
Rip Woodin of Rocky Mount, a confirmed fly fisherman who was taught to fish in the mountains, is unequivocal, “No.” (He may have added a colorful word for emphasis.)
Kristi Irvin, who now lives in Italy, came up with a response that matched her lovely personality, “Good Morning, my friend! How are you? Thanks for asking my opinion. First, I love music. It’s a huge part of my life. I never listen to music while fishing however. I love the sounds of what’s going on around me. When I first head out, the sounds of nature are exhilarating and relaxing at the same time. Then, most times, I’m so absorbed that even the most beautiful sounds fade away and I’m in my own world. The only time I’ve ever enjoyed playing music while fishing is when I’m on a charter boat at sea and we are making our run in or out.”
See what I mean? So nice.
Personally, I never have music on while on the water. I’m too into the sounds in my own head. As Norman Mclean tells us in “A River Runs Through It,” “The best part of fishing is that soon the whole world is full of thoughts of nothing but fishing.”
It would seem that the general consensus is that playing music while fishing is fine but in moderation. Not so loudly that it bothers the fish and definitely be considerate of others while out there. Just because it’s not illegal, doesn’t mean it’s always the right thing to do.
