Sound and Water

Water is a superb conductor of sound waves. This is because water is much denser than air, and its molecules are closer together. Thus, motional energy is transferred from molecule to molecule faster in water than in air. Specifically, sound travels almost five times faster in water than in air. Also, sound travels farther in water than in air.

Besides sound waves, another acoustical effect occurs in water: As you draw closer to a sound source, and the frequency of that sound gets lower, there is an actual outward movement of water that is generated along with the sound waves. This is like sitting close to a speaker and feeling a faint burst of air when a low bass note is struck. In water, this movement of water is called the "near-field effect," while standard sound waves (i.e., "regular" hearing) are termed the "far-field effect."

The near-field and far-field effects go together. You can’t have the former without the latter. Fish sense near-field vibrations through their lateral lines, and they must be close to the sound source to do so. Over a distance, the near-field effect fades out. Conversely, fish detect far-field sound waves with their inner ears, and these waves travel long distances in water.

How Fish Hear

Bass do not have an outer or middle ear, but they have an inner ear that is similar in many ways to the human inner ear. This organ has a system of connecting ducts and chambers divided into an upper portion (pars superior) and a lower portion (pars inferior).

The upper portion consists of three fluid-filled semicircular canals and an adjoining chamber. These three canals extend through the horizontal, vertical and longitudinal planes. As a fish moves, so does the fluid in these canals. Each canal has its own tiny chamber that measures the inertia of the fluid movement. This, in turn, provides the fish with its senses of equilibrium and gravity — its spatial orientation in the water.

The lower portion of the inner ear is responsible for sound detection. It has two chambers called the sacculus and the lagena. Each of these chambers contains a calcified ear stone called an otolith.

A fish’s body is approximately the same density as water, so sound waves move through it at about the same frequency and amplitude (noise level) as through water. However, the otoliths are some three times denser than the fish’s body. Consequently, when struck by sound waves, these "ear stones" vibrate at a different frequency and amplitude from that of the rest of the body.

The Lateral Line

How does the lateral line function? It consists of a row of pores in the skin’s surface that open to a canal containing an equal number of "neuromast organs." Water moving against the side of the fish causes fluid in this canal to vibrate, which stimulates the neuromast organs. Tiny hair cells inside these organs sense the vibrations and funnel this information to the fish’s brain. This process is very similar to how the inner ear collects and interprets sound waves.

Fish use their lateral lines for several important purposes. This organ allows an individual fish to maintain its position in a school. Without it's lateral line, a fish loses its ability to maintain its position relative to other fish as a school swims through the water.
The lateral line also serves as a built-in sonar system for determining distances from stationary objects. As a fish swims, a bow wave of water precedes it. Research suggest that when this bow wave bounces off an object, the fish’s lateral line picks up this return and signals the distance to the object. This may be how fish avoid hitting the side of an aquarium in complete darkness.

From a fisherman’s perspective, perhaps a fish’s most important use of the lateral line is inspecting food before eating or rejecting it. Our research tells us fish examine prey with other senses, but a close-up check with the lateral line seems to be one of the final triggers to strike.

Sound Fishing

What is Sound Fishing? It's a combination of understanding the science of how sound and vibration relates to a fish’s survival tactics and how to best utilize this science to build better lures that catch more fish.

How important are sound and vibration to a fish? Fish do use all their senses to locate food. However, sound and vibrations are key trigger mechanisms in a fish's biological genetic response to attack prey. Especially those sound and vibrations produced by schooling baitfish and from distressed prey.

G-Net-X research tells us certain sounds are more effective than others for attracting fish and triggering an aggressive strike. Listen to actual underwater recordings of schooling baitfish and the unique sound of the Rat-L-Trap. Remember one thing about Sound Fishing… it's not about just making noise.

Liv-N-Sound ®
The Liv-N-Proof™

Independent tests have proven that the Rat-L-Trap produces natural sounds which are nearly identical to sounds made by schooling shad under distress. These specific sounds are highly effective for attracting Bass and other gamefish and for stimulating aggressive feeding behavior.

Independent Analysis by a leading Bio-Acoustic Research lab confirms striking similarities between sounds made by live baitfish and the sounds of the Rat-L-Trap lure.

Bill Lewis Lures, makers of the famous Rat-L-Trap employed the services of Cetacean Research Technology of Seattle, Washington to independently confirm preliminary findings by the lure maker which indicated similarities between the sounds made by live baitfish and their Rat-L-Trap lure. The results of Cetacean’s analysis were quite remarkable. The analysis shows a strong correlation in the frequency domain between the two sounds. “The spectra from both the schooling shad and the Rat-L-Trap are nearly identical,” according to Joseph Olson, President of Cetacean Research.

Liv-N-Sound is a result of years of research and refinement to the design of the Rat-L-Trap resulting in a near exact duplication of the signature fish attracting sounds made by baitfish. These findings are among the most significant in fishing history and provide scientifically proven correlation between natural bait and artificial lure design...the Rat-L-Trap.

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Research Center

The G-NET-X research project was established to advance the understanding of how genetic "programming" and environmental conditioning affect the behavior of Bass and other gamefish. Years of research based on unique data acquisition techniques and detailed analysis has kept us at the forefront of technological advances in lure design. But we're not through learning.

Studying the behavioral patterns of fish in response to changes in sounds, actions, colors, and other conditions helps us answer a "simple" but important question - What makes fish bite and what doesn't? With this better understanding we are able to build fishing lures that more effectively trigger the natural instincts that cause fish to bite, and sometimes, even when they aren't hungry.

Not surprisingly, a major emphasis of G-NET-X research is devoted to underwater acoustics and it's effects on fish behavior. Our studies continue to prove that not all sounds made by fishing lures are as effective as others. We use this information in the design of the Rat-L-Trap and other sound making lures. Almost daily, our unprecedented bio-acoustic research program produces new and valuable information about how sound is most effectively used for both attracting fish and for stimulating aggressive strikes.

The Future

The outlook for producing even better sounding lures in the future is very bright. G-NET-X research continues to explore new frontiers in scientific research and innovative product design. Fishermen everywhere can fish with confidence knowing that each and every Rat-L-Trap has been built and tested by the company who stands at the leading edge of sound fishing technology.

After all… we invented it.