Does noise matter more over hard bottom?
Yes. Rock, gravel, and shell reflect and carry sound, while soft basin mud absorbs it — so a dropped pair of pliers or boots stomping on clear ice telegraphs much further over the hard structure jumbos favor than over the mud flats where small fish graze. Shallow plus hard plus clear is the worst combination: fish there get both the sound and the sight of you. Over deep soft basins you can be practically casual; on a 3 m (10 ft) shell bed, walk softly and keep the hole quiet.
The full story
This answer is one piece of a longer lesson — setups, diagrams and the reasoning behind it.
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