Chances are, throughout your years of boating, you’ve heard a myth or two about fishing. Perhaps unsurprisingly, many tips you get from friends and strangers alike aren’t super helpful or even accurate. We at Smooth Moves want to ensure you have the best information before launching from the dock. Here are the most common fishing myths debunked.
Myth: Talking Scares Fish
Obviously, it’s important to keep loud noise at a minimum when fishing for freshwater and marine life. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t pass the time with a conversation between you and your friends! Your normal speaking voice won’t scare away potential schools of fish. Even music is unlikely to penetrate the water’s surface and cause underwater disruptions.
Rather, fish are more startled by sounds amplified by the vibrations of your boat, including when you drop tools on the floor or run the motor. As long as you control those sounds, you can talk, laugh, and listen to music all day long!
Myth: Big Fish Only Bite Big Bait
This myth is very believable. It’s reasonable to imagine that larger marine and freshwater life prefer heartier meals. However, while certain fish species can eat larger prey, they tend to hunt whatever food is available.
Therefore, larger fish in bodies of water with smaller prey will nibble smaller bait. The most important thing is to purchase bait that mimics the predator’s preferred natural diet. However, if you’re struggling to bring home a substantial catch, consider increasing the size of your lure.
Myth: Avoid Fishing in the Rain
There are plenty of reasons not to go fishing in the rain, but the myth of fish being less active in these conditions is not one of them. Actually, rain fishing provides a few unique benefits, including a massive supply of fresh worms, increased aquatic activity, and higher water levels. Fish tend to whip into feeding frenzies amid rainfall, giving you more opportunities to snag a trophy!
Myth: Bananas Onboard Are Bad!
As an avid boating enthusiast, chances are you’ve heard about the age-old myth concerning bananas and bad seafaring luck. In history, sunken ships often took most of their cargo down to the sea floor; however, fruit would commonly float to the surface, along with other signs of shipwreck. When passing ships saw floating bananas among the debris, they associated them with bad fortune.
Also, the ethylene gas emitted by ripening bananas causes other produce to rot faster. Early seamen unaware of this phenomenon believed this to be yet another indication of sinister energy. Another reason bananas were often left on shore was their tendency to carry venomous spiders and vermin.
Ultimately, these incidents are all coincidences, so feel free to bring a banana with you on your next boating trip!
With the most common fishing myths effectively debunked, you can enhance your fishing excursion. Another way to optimize your time spent on the water is by improving the shock absorption of your marine seating. Thanks to our Smooth Moves Ultra suspension system, you can quickly create a more comfortable and responsive boating experience for yourself and your passengers. Learn more about our beneficial suspension kits here at Smooth Moves!
