The right noise brings fish to anglers
Numerous studies have been published about the effect of sounds and vibrations upon various species of fish.
All concur that fish detect sounds and vibrations through their inside ears or otoliths, and many sense movement via their lateral lines. They also agree sounds/vibrations are a two-way street. Some attract fish while others frighten them.
Vibrations may matter more than sounds. Fish don’t hear plastic worms; they’re drawn to the plastics by vibrations.
The fishing industry has invested heavily in technology to discover which sounds and vibrations appeal to fish and forage.
However, there’s not a sound or vibration that will send fish scurrying from one end of the lake to the other. Fish and forage must be close by to react to noise.
For years, fishermen have used sounds/vibrations to put more fish in their livewells. Besides tossing lures emitting sounds and vibrations, fishermen have equipped themselves with fish-calling devices employing underwater speakers, clicks, and noises, all purportedly giving off a racket that fish can’t resist.
Having served as a guide for more than 40 years at Lake Norman, Gus Gustafson has tried most of these noise makers with limited success.
“I’ve tried several sophisticated sound devices and haven’t had much luck with them,” said the veteran guide.
Surprisingly, the one fish caller Gustafson (www.fishingwithgus.com) swears by is one that utilizes little technology and carries a modest price tag. He heard about it while fishing in South Carolina.
Bobo’s Thumper
Called Bobo’s Thumper, the device consists of a rubber mallet driven by a 12-volt motor that produces a continuous and adjustable thumping sound which mimics the sound predator fish make while feeding. The thumping draws fish close to the boat, making them more catchable.
“I’ve used Bobo’s Thumper and homemade thumpers modeled after it for about 4 years, and they really work,” said Gustafson. “But thumpers don’t make fish or attract them for miles. Fish and forage must be present for thumpers to be effective.”
Thumpers work for largemouth bass, crappie, striped bass and shad. Gustafson also uses them for catching hybrid bass at Norman, especially when the fish hold offshore.
Gustafson said Norman once held numbers of striped bass which scattered in schools throughout the lake. In 2013, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission discontinued its striper program in favor of establishing a hybrid bass fishery because the hardier hybrid was more suitable to lake conditions.
“Unlike stripers, hybrids bunch up in huge numbers, making them difficult to find,” said Gustafson. “But once they’re located, fishermen can really hammer them.”
Before turning on his thumper, Gustafson searches for hybrids and forage by using his electronics or by sampling places where he has caught hybrids before.
“I’ve got numerous waypoints marking hybrid spots” said Gustafson.
He also looks for large gatherings of birds and boats, which often indicate the presence of hybrids,
“Give the boats plenty of space and don’t come racing to the area,” he said. “There will be plenty of fish for all.”
It concentrates the fish
Once he locates hybrids, Gustafson switches on his thumper and waits for it to work its charm.
Gradually, the thumper will draw more forage and feeding fish to his boat with the results visible on his sonar. Sometimes, the thumper is too effective to the dismay of other fishermen.
“I once pulled into an area near Duke Power State Park where seven other boats were on fish,” said Gustafson. “We were all catching hybrids. Then I turned on my thumper. One by one, the other boats stopped catching fish and left the place. I kept catching hybrids. When I looked at my sonar screen, I knew why. The thumper had drawn the feeding fish to my boat.”
While thumping works to corral shallow and deep fish, the technique is most effective when the fish are suspended in 25 to 50 feet of water within main creek channels.
To catch them, Gustafson relies upon a rig designed by his fishing buddy, Ron Frye of Lake Norman. Frye’s rig features a tear-drop shaped bait modeled after Mann’s Little George, minus the tailspinner and the underbelly treble hook. Instead, Frye’s replica has a single hook molded into its rear end.
The lure is attached to a three-ring swivel via a 4- to 6-foot, 20-pound fluorescent leader and functions as a fish catcher and weight. A second leader of similar length is tied to another swivel and holds a bait hook carrying a mussel. The last swivel is connected to the main line of braid via a snap. A spinning outfit holds the rig.
Deep technique
The rig is lobbed out to the desired depth and slow-trolled or vertically jigged as the thumper performs its magic.
“While many fishermen use traditional striper lures, like jigging spoons, Alabama rigs, lures and live bait, mussels take the majority of our fish,” said Gustafson. “Mussels are cheap and packages of them with the meat removed from their shells are available at Walmart and Food Lion. And you don’t have to worry about keeping them alive like live bait.”
The delicate mussel meat comes off a hook easily, so Gustafson wraps pieces of meat with a light string to hold them together.
Though thumpers can be used in the shallows, the units are not as essential as they are in deep water.
“Hybrids can be caught in the spring when they make their ‘false spawning run’ above the Buffalo Shoals bridge,” said Gustafson. “The river is only 5 to 10 feet deep, and its narrow confines makes it easy to locate and catch hybrids, even without thumpers. The rocky river bottom is coated with mussels. So mussel fishing is the deadliest way to catch hybrids, though they’re also taken by trolling and casting other baits.”
Navigating the shallow river can be hazardous.
“There are no markers and rocks are everywhere,” said Gustafson. “Don’t go past I-40 if you’re new to the area.”
Though hybrids are a fairly new addition to Norman, thumping serves as an old-timey way of catching these spirited fish weighing up to 8 pounds.
What is thumping?
Thumping is a fish-calling technique whereby an angler whacks a wooden stick, paddle or broom handle against a boat bottom to transmit vibrations and sounds resembling feeding fish. The ruckus causes fish to investigate and feed aggressively.
No one knows who was the first thumper, but thumping initially gained a following among fishermen in north Texas and spread to the Carolinas. South Carolina guides at Santee-Cooper began thumping for stripers and other species, but kept the technique to themselves.
More than 35 years ago, Jeff Bobo and his brother Barry stumbled upon thumping while fishing with an elderly angler who tapped the bottom of his boat to lure fish. The Bobos forgot about the weird tactic until years later. In 1995, after Jeff experienced several dismal fishing trips while trying for hybrid stripers at Lake Bridgeport in north Texas, he told his brother about the poor fishing.
Barry jogged his memory about thumping, asking Jeff if he had tried it.
Jeff found that thumping was a smashing success at Lake Bridgeport and other Texas waters. In 2010, he started his own guide service and practiced thumping to put his clients on fish.
But thumping had one major drawback. Jeff couldn’t fish with one hand and pound the boat bottom with the other. He couldn’t find many designated thumpers, either. Subsequently, he made his own mechanical thumper that freed both his hands.
“I was the first to make thumpers in the USA,” said J. Bobo. “I applied for a patent and started marketing them. I have them in 27 states. Quite a few people have copied my design.”
Compared to high-tech fish callers, Bobo’s Thumper is primitive in nature. It utilizes a battery-operated device with a 12-volt electric motor to set a rubber mallet in motion that pounds away at an adjustable rhythmic tempo. Battery usage is less than one quarter of an amp.
Thumping seemingly violates the sacred law about being quiet while fishing. However, extensive research has revealed that fish respond in a positive way to certain sounds and vibrations.
Apparently, the Bobos have their device emitting the right frequencies.
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