Engine Exhaust?

[wyoben]

Does anyone think fish can smell, taste or sence engine exhaust. I troll for trout and walleye in some times less then 10 ft of water. I was thinking of piping the exhaust from my inboard above water line. Also I was wanting to muffle my exhaust to keep the noise down. Anyone ever done it? Or am I just wasting time thinking about it? I have cought my biggest fish trolling my little 14 ft aluminum with a electric trolling motor on fairly calm water with as much as 300 ft of line out (Brown trout) but that boat is to small for Wyoming Wind, I am building a 21 ft IMP Citation (HEAVY GLASS BOAT) w/ Merc 470 Ib/oB. Want to make it the best trolling rig around. I even have some 18 foot outriggers I'm going to put on it to get out to the side of my boat. Never seen that around here!! Should I just get a 4 stroke trolling/kicker motor and troll with it, there pretty quite anyway..... thanks Ben

 

[walleyehed]

Re: Engine Exhaust?

I've caught a heck of a lot of Walleye behind a 5.0 Mercruiser, a 120 Mercruiser, and my current 115 Johnny-which I also have a kicker on.<br />Can't say it seems to matter which way ya do it, except in shallow, steep-banked situations where quiet is always better.<br />Long-line when fishing 15ft and shallower when trolling, and I don't believe a kicker is needed.<br />Caught a 15-1/2lb'er (Walleye, of course) behind the 120 Mercruiser in 12 ft of water....she didn't seem to mind the noise.....

 

[rwise]

Re: Engine Exhaust?

seams to me that fish have found that the prop on our boats cuts up bait fish in the water and follow boats feeding. just a thought.<br />Richard