Livescope has changed big bait throwing forever.

[Seminole Slide Swimmer]

I've been throwing big baits for bass off and on for almost 15 years now.  The reason I would get burned out on it is the hours and hours without a bite when I could be throwing a more traditional bait and putting fish in the boat.   In the last year I've jumped back into it heavily to the pain of my bank account but it's all been worth it. I caught more big bass on large baits in 2022 then the previous 15 years combined. What changed? Livescope.  I installed Livescope on my boat back in February of last year and have only really gotten proficient at it in the last 8 months or so. The thinking was, With my job/kids I don't get near the fishing days I used to so when I do get to go, I wanted to be more efficient. Well after a year I can say this: I don't guess anymore, I don't spend a couple hours dragging a Hudd over the same point over and over.  I look for fish, see them, and throw to them. If they react, they're bass and if they don't move they're not.  I work on them with some different presentations and if no bite, I move on.  Bigger blobs are bigger bass and get more time/attention. Often times it pays off because I'm watching how they react to the bait and adjust accordingly.  I know by watching some of my favorite big bait Youtube channels I'm not the only one who's figured this out. I'm never going back.  I'm not a pro, I still go days throwing big baits and not catch them, but now, I KNOW the fish were there and just not interested that day.  I see guys like Milliken talking about how it's not cheating but yeah..it totally is.

[Archtx9]

I installed Active Target in the fall of 2022 when I upgraded my electronics.    I have yet to cast to a fish and see it hit a big bait, mainly because I’m not looking down during the cast.   The AT allows me to eliminate water mainly.   It’s surprising to see so many fish not relating to anything, contrary to old theories.   KVD basically said the same thing.

The guys targeting those giants at OH Ivey are living by forward facing sonar.   It’s unlikely that anglers would ever have  been offshore targeting suspended fish with A rigs with a depth finder and maybe a side scan.

i do keep a crappie jig on the deck with an ultralight spinning rod for brush piles if I need some fish for tacos.

The fish population in my home lake was decimated by the stocking of grass carps in 2014, to where the lake is basically a bathtub now with no vegetation for the last 6 years or so.   The Active Target is allowing me to see fish (they might not be bass) which definitely keeps your attention.

Lastly the Active Target is showing be how many fish are in areas that I could never get a big bait with trebles anywhere hear…….way back under docks, in the thick of a submerged tree the fish look like Christmas lights.    I does allow me to throw over structure, knowing just how much I can let the bait sink without catching limbs, etc

[Seminole Slide Swimmer]

Yup! Agree 100% on the no fear throwing expensive baits. I’m in N Florida and the lakes are full of structure. I no longer am scared to toss my Hinkle over tree tops because I can see exactly where it is and keep it from getting snagged.

[chefchris]

I've seen it first hand with a few guys I know and follow on IG, they're going on less trips, catching WAY bigger fish and less time on the water since they got livescope. 

we were actually having this same conversation the other day with a group of guys that all throw big baits, one of the guys now has livescope and says its just insane and the reason he stuck the fish he did this season. 

guys like Milliken are showing it in real time, literally picking out the biggest fish on the screen and targeting them, his videos are crazy. i mean his bags speak for themselves and the cast to catch with the livescope footage to match. 

is it cheating? i dont think so. you still have to have the correct presentation, baits, timing and time on the water, etc. does it give guys an unfair advantage? sure it does, but so does having better gear, better/bigger boats, even basic electronics are better than no electronics. 

technology is changing everything around us on all levels, from phones to fishing, as the technology gets better, it gets cheaper and is more readily available, so will be interesting to see where it goes and how much better it gets in the next few years 

[urbanhick]

I used to drop shot for fish on the screen and would rather stick a treble hook in my eye than fish for fish that are on a screen now but to each their own.

[bassbass]

It's must be like playing a video game.

[Seminole Slide Swimmer]

3 minutes ago, bassbass said:

It's must be like playing a video game.

it is.  100%.  Now instead of just fishing hoping to catch a nice bass I'm fishing trying to catch the biggest bass I can.  Passing up fish because they don't appear big enough.  Honestly it's a different kind of excitement.  I will say, It is pretty fun seeing a bass on livescope you know is a giant start accelerating towards your bait knowing it's about to crush it.

[Bass the east]

Us poor people are falling behind

[Snookonfly]

If you aren’t scoping, you’re hoping! 

[chefchris]

1 hour ago, Bass the east said:

Us poor people are falling behind

dude your not kidding, i looked at the lvs34 and 12" screen combo and it was more than the price of my hull/boat, the 16" version i believe was like $6K or more all in. 

[jthod]

I've had the older PS22 panoptics on my kayak last year.  It caught me a ton of fish.  not necessarily casting at fish, but finding small isolated brush off shore.  Scan around, find brush, cast citizen at brush, win money.

I upgraded to LS32 first part of winter, and man is it a world of difference from the PS22 setup.  Definitely has put more fish in the bucket that I would have without it.

[danthefisherman]

I’ve watched a few of Miliken’s videos as well and it’s insane to see how much live scope reveals about fish behavior and how they relate to structure, bait, etc. If anything it is a good learning tool as you can literally watch how a fish reacts to your bait at the end of a long cast, taking a lot of the guesswork out of the “game”.

A powerful tool for sure but there’s no way that I would spend that type of money on one. I’ll just stick to fishing the “old fashioned”: enjoying my surroundings with my eyes up. Getting bites was never the only goal of fishing for me.

[Seminole Slide Swimmer]

44 minutes ago, chefchris said:

dude your not kidding, i looked at the lvs34 and 12" screen combo and it was more than the price of my hull/boat, the 16" version i believe was like $6K or more all in. 

lol. Ok but in fairness that’s a premium setup. I went with the LVS32 and 1022 (10” screen “). Was a bundle trade in deal from RMP. Was $1700 out the door. I can take 3 of my swim bait combos and they add up to more. With the new LVS34 out everyone is selling off their 32. You can get some smoking deals right now

[Swimb8ting_TheSouth]

15 hours ago, Seminole Slide Swimmer said:

lol. Ok but in fairness that’s a premium setup. I went with the LVS32 and 1022 (10” screen “). Was a bundle trade in deal from RMP. Was $1700 out the door. I can take 3 of my swim bait combos and they add up to more. With the new LVS34 out everyone is selling off their 32. You can get some smoking deals right now

what's the big change with the new lvs34 versus the 32?

 

[B_larkin3]

Fish caught on live scope are no better than fish caught on private water. Yeah it’s a fish but it’s not the same as learning a public lake and finding the bite. Takes the sport out of fishing in my opinion. It’s cool to see these guys catching giants stringers but they need to add an * next to that weight. I know it doesn’t do the fishing for you but cmon. I don’t think Bonds should be considered the home run leader either, if you get my meaning.

that being said I think it’s an incredible technology that isn’t going away anytime soon and will be the norm in the industry if it hasn’t become the norm already.