Electrical impulses....

[Guest Chris Shaw]

I have just read in another thread about copper wire and salt in bait creating a small electrical field around/near the bait that can/does attract fish. This can also have the reverse effect.

 

I hope I get this right, if I do not I am sure somebody will correct me.

 

When two pieces of metal I believe of two different types a placed in water you get a small/tiny electrical charge between the two, it is more prevelent when salt is present.

 

Going back a while a bait company started selling rubber coated leads for carp fishing as it was being said that because the rig contained two if not three different metals this tiny electrical charge would be present around/near your bait. A carp having been maybe caught a couple of times will sense this tiny electrical charge on approaching the hookbait and leave it alone. People rowing out in the morning and finding all the bait gone except the hookbaits springs to mind here.

 

Do not forget even a coated lead has a metal swivel showing, so you could get the electrical charge between the swivel and the hook.

 

I believe this effect is called electrolysis.

 

Something for you to think about.

 

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Chris Shaw

 

They played on while the reel handles spun in unison.

 

[This message has been edited by Chris Shaw (edited 20 June 2001).]

[Guest Dave Hill]

Hi Chris,

 

Just two tiny points (Being pedantic)... and I might be completely wrong anyway!!!

 

I believe the salt element is essential for Electrolysis to work... Pure water cannot conduct electricity at all!! It is in fact an insulator. It is only the impurities (Salts) in water which allows electricity to be conducted...

 

In addition, I do not believe electrolysis will work if the two metals are in direct physical contact with each other. I believe they have to be seperated by the electrolyte (water + salt)...

[Guest Chris Shaw]

This effect does/must work in lakes rivers etc otherwise electro fishing would not work. So therefore an electrical current will pass through it. Pure water/distilled will still pass a current all be it poorly, (book consulted). The addition of salts just make it work even better.

 

Therefore this can/does happen in lake/river water.

 

You are right the two metals do have to be apart for electrolysis to work, swivel and hook, hook and lead etc.

 

 

 

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Chris Shaw

 

They played on while the reel handles spun in unison.

[Guest Bretty]

Did you know if you use electrolysis on water (H20) you get oxygen produced at the anode (positively charge wire, usually carbon) and Hydrogen produced at the cathode (negatively charged wire). If you then burn the hydorgen with the oxygen the heat energy you get out is greater the the electrical energy needed to separate them!! No one can explain this! and it seems to defy the conservation of energy laws?

 

Electrolysis is usually used to plate things, like gold plating and ANODizing metals.

 

I've seen an experiment where you can get electricity form a lemon by sticking copper and tin wires in it! All seems a bit weird dunno how that works.

 

I don't think the fish can sense these fields anyway. Electrical fields are all about electrons which are everywhere and generally will go to earth through a bank stick. The only time humans are aware or feel elecrical fields is when it effects the hairs on your body ie Rubbing a balloon (removing/adding electrons) on your head and the annoyingly static trousers thing. That and walking past a magnetic field with a pacemaker

 

Dri

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Bretty

 

[This message has been edited by Bretty (edited 20 June 2001).]

[Guest Chris Shaw]

Fish can apparantly detect these fields, they attract but can also spook fish.

 

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Chris Shaw

 

They played on while the reel handles spun in unison.

[Guest Johnny]

Studing Electronics as part of my degree, I should Know something about this???????

 

But I do know that fish are very receptive to electric fields especially predators.

 

They use their lateral line to sense living creatures around them.

 

Some fish (sharks , Pike) have extra nodules on there snouts (Bruno could probably name them!) for the purpose of detecting electric fields.

 

This property has been used experimentally by divers to divert shark attacks by wearing a device that emits a strong electric field to "stun" the sharks senses.

 

So it seems a small electric field means "mmmm lunch close by" and too large a field could mean a mouthfull of 50 red hot chilli's to us.

 

IMHO Johnny.

 

[This message has been edited by Johnny (edited 20 June 2001).]

[Guest ALAN FAWCETT]

I don't know about electrical fields being produced by metal in water.

what i do know is if you put 2 pieces of metal bar into the holes on a figure 8 lead (like a portable stereo lead) & put them into a cup of water you can make a lovely cuppa after a couple of mins!! (just make sure they don't touch!)

 

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TROGG (Alan)

 

 

[This message has been edited by ALAN FAWCETT (edited 20 June 2001).]

[Guest Ken L]

Don't know if this is relevant, but a mate of mine was in South Africa a while back and fancied snorkeling with the local sea lions.

A diving instructor told him in no uncertain terms that whilst he could go in with scuba gear, a snorkel would be a seriously bad idea.

The reason ? Apparently, the electromagnetic field set up by the scuba kit in the water puts the sharks off wheras a snorkel generates no charge and leaves you looking like lunch.

[Guest phonebush]

Guys,

Quote from sponsored study

"Passive electric sensitivity is found in all sharks, and a variety of fishes. Some can detect fields as low as 1 mV/km. This is roughly equivalent to one flashlight cell 1500 km away. They can detect small dc fields from respiratory or heart muscles of prey. Such a sensitivity is quite sufficient to detect the fields arising as the fish swims through earth's magnetic field.

 

Passive electrosensitivity explains the reputation of many sharks for garbage-can appetites. Any metal object, such as a beer can, in salt water will generate a potential well within the sensitivity of these fish. Since metal objects were not common in the ocean during the 300 million years of evolution of these fish, no discriminatory ability has arisen."

Phone

It works!

[Guest Chris Shaw]

The cells' that detect these small amounts of electricity are called neurone's.

 

My question now is.

 

Do carp have these?

 

If they do then they will detect the tiny amounts of electricity passing between the metal items in the make up of your rigs etc.

 

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Chris Shaw

 

They played on while the reel handles spun in unison.