Posting from the river

[DavidFin]

Waiting for the sun to dip. What a day and age to be alive, huh? Sometimes when i check the weather on my phone while fishing i feel guilty, like im cheating some how.

 

[phiendWMD]

The best fish are out of range of cell towers. Any self respecting fly fishing elitist knows this!

 

[Beefheart]

phiendWMD wrote:
The best fish are out of range of cell towers. Any self respecting fly fishing elitist knows this!

This makes me think of something I read in a book on smallmouth by Ken Penrod. He claims that power lines that cross a river attract fish. I can't say it's true, but I always keep a couple batteries in my vest just in case.

 

[bdfish]

I have a feeling that might be somewhat true. I seem to do pretty well under the power lines when floating the Juniata. Could be a coincidence but seems to hold true in my experience. The weird crackling noises are off-putting though. I feel like I am getting fried somehow.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

What is the name of the book and did he give a theory or explaination of this phenomenon?

 

[Beefheart]

He doesn't explain the phenomenon, just that he believes in it.

Penrod's book is called "Pursuing River Smallmouth Bass." He's not much of a fly fisherman, but I've learned a lot from the book. You have to order it directly from his site.

http://www.penrodsguides.com/books.htm

 

[salmonoid]

If anything, the presence of power lines perhaps raises your awareness of where you are at on a stream or river, and may help you remember catching fish under a crackling high voltage line. Your ability to remember catching fish at such a place helps your selective memory count fish from the past, and would eventually associate power lines with fish.

First Google result I got for bass and power lines was dudes wondering if they could get electrocuted if they cast their lure over a power line, as apparently 35 other people had previously done at that particular spot sometime in the past..

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

Sweet thanks for the heads up Justin.

 

[wildtrout2]

I have that book and it's informative, but I believe that "phenomenon" mentioned is a crock. I have fished where those lines cross both the Juniata and the Susquehanna lots of times without any noticeable difference in catch rate. Either way, that area on both rivers usually produces well.

 

[DavidFin]

Best fish I ever got on the Willowemoc was at the power lines pool.

 

[krayfish2]

Posting from the river / streamside? No. I'm too busy fishing for that crap. My Facebook status has been the same since the account was started, no Instagram, no Twitter or other BS social media. Wondering how the fishing is? Call me. If I don't answer, it's good and I'm busy. Lol

 

[steveo27]

Some say bigfoot uses power lines to navigate.

 

[CastingAcross]

Aren't forums / message boards the original social media?

I think my "casual fishing" is much more palatable on a busy schedule if I can field a semi-urgent call, text, or email. Most other things can wait, and I'll keep the ringer off if I'm out for the day.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

Decided to do my own research into the "power line phenomenon" and thought I might be on to something. I took a different approach than you guys did.



https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_electrolocation_in_fish

Alas:
http://aaronlesieur.com/bass-fishing-articles/fish-tales-shocking-information-about-electroreception-and-bass/

Finally we interviewed Dr. Keith Jones VP of Product Development Consumables at Pure Fishing and author of “Knowing Bass. The Scientific Approach to Catching More Fish” had to say about electroreception in bass: BAM: Have you heard of electroreception and the EChip? Jones: Yes, I am aware of the EChip. As I understand the story, it was originally developed for the recreational/commercial salmon fishery. I guess its creators decided they wanted to expand to a broader market. BAM: Do bass have electroreceptors? And if so, do they use these receptors to hunt or locate prey? Jones: No, bass do not have electroreceptors of any kind. The bass lateral line system, both along the side and spread across the head, is equipped to detect minute water disturbances (acoustic vibrations), not electrical fields. So, no, bass cannot hunt down their prey using the prey’s electrical impulses. BAM: Do the prey that bass target give off these electrical impulses? Jones: Yes. All animals, by virtue of their neuromuscular systems, constantly put off micro-pulses of electricity. BAM: Is there any benefit to this technology in the world of bass fishing? Jones: Sorry, but none that I can think of.

So yep I have to call this one selective memory on the part of the angler.

 

[sarce]

That 20" trout doesn't count if you didn't live stream it

*disclaimer* I actually enjoy the fishing side of social media - helps me find places I want to travel to fish.

 

[sarce]

Also fully on board with using technology to check the weather. If there's a chance of storms, I'll be watching the radar hoping one hits a trout stream. Then I can make a beeline for it after work

 

[Beefheart]

salvelinusfontinalis wrote:
Decided to do my own research into the "power line phenomenon" and thought I might be on to something. I took a different approach than you guys did.



https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_electrolocation_in_fish

Alas:
http://aaronlesieur.com/bass-fishing-articles/fish-tales-shocking-information-about-electroreception-and-bass/


So yep I have to call this one selective memory on the part of the angler.

Interesting! I'm not ready to give up on the theory just yet. Even if bass don't use passive electrolocation, perhaps some of their prey do. The wiki site you linked says that some catfish (studies show cats in the genus Suliformes) are drawn to electric currents. Maybe Madtoms (not of the genus Suliformes) are also drawn to electricity.

I did find some research that says some types of crayfish use electrolocation. http://neurodojo.blogspot.sk/2010/02/can-crayfish-feel-electricity.html. I just read that blog post and not the actual article, but that might be the most likely explanation.

Or, besides selective memory, power lines are a distinguishing feature that might make fishermen slow down, fish more carefully, switch up techniques because they "know" more fish are located there.

 

[mcwillja]

My best delaware trout of the season a 22" brown was caught directly under a powerline.

 

[krayfish2]

*Gentleman's Club disclaimer*

Lol

 

[pcray1231]

Salmonoid's explanation of selective memory is probably the right one here. And at least part of the explanation, if not the full explanation.

But I wouldn't totally dismiss the effect of powerlines. I'll call it "plausible".

The physics of electric fields around current carrying conductors is rather complicated. In theory, there is none, but that assumes a "perfect" (i.e. superconductor with no resistance) and straight conductor. In reality, there are very small localized electric fields that vary from place to place with the bend of the wire and the resistance encountered. But the effect at ground level would be virtually nill.

But the plausible part of this is not electric fields, but magnetic fields. Power lines do induce fairly powerful magnetic fields. At ground level, they are pretty small, but not non-existant. The military, for instance, gives a distance of 55 meters from any power line for proper use of a compass (whether by a soldier or on equipment). Having grown up near high tension lines, I can verify that compasses do react to the wires (it's AC current and very fast, so it's not fully predictable how).

Studies have shown that many animals sense the magnetic field of power lines. Cattle and buffalo, for instance, will tend to orient themselves north/south when grazing in an open field. This is why with large herds just standing around and grazing, you'll notice most of them are pointing the same direction. They're aligning to the magnetic field of the Earth. But below a power line, it's been shown scientifically that their standing orientation is much more random. Migrating caribou will becomes temporarily disoriented by overhead power lines, though they can usually figure it out and continue on their way.

And many fish, mostly migratory ones, including salmon and rainbow trout, have an area of their brain with magnetite, sense magnetism, and it is likely part of how they navigate. There have been studies where fish are attracted to nets with permanent magnets in the rim moreso than nets without. Those are strong permanent magnets but it obviously messes them up somehow, meaning they do sense it. So it's not beyond reason to suggest that they sense the magnetic field of a power line, in fact, it should be expected in at least some species! How they react to it, though, is anyone's guess.