Hi Dan, I sent this question to George Poveromo and Jose Wejebe, but they did not respond.- I reef fish in 30′-40′ depth for white grunts, gag grouper, red grouper, and black sea bass. Will the hum/noise of a constantly filling/circulating livewell affect how well the fish bite? Thanks, Scott

No matter what type of fish are your target, whether it is white grunt, gag grouper, red grouper, or some other type of fish, noise travels a long way under water, and especially at certain times, and under certain conditions, the noise can spook fish. One sure fire way to check whether or not the fish are being bothered by the sounds of your circulation and constantly filling live well, is to simply fish with it turned off for a while and see for yourself. If you are in an area where you are getting lots of fish, simply turn it on, and see what happens. If the fish fall off when the live well is on, you will know for sure that it is a problem for your target fish in the areas and depths in which you fish. It is not generally believed to be much of a problem in fishing for your target fish at the depths you mentioned, because the water sounds normally are believed to cover and mask the other sounds, and most live wells are built to be as quiet as possible, but there is nothing like trial and error to test your theory and ascertain that you are not limiting your catches by keeping your live well humming.

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