Thread: Setting the hook with livescope

Even with live sonar, anytime something feels different I set the hook.

I'm with you, ultraslab ... back when I would cast and slow retrieve, I'd feel most of the bumps ... even the light ones and sometimes even feel it before I saw the line jump. But, I'm sure there were times when they hit the jig & I had no clue I had a bite.
Since using LS I've had fish on that I didn't even know were there until I raised the rod, or I saw them on the screen make a quick move towards the jig. Now, some I do feel, but those are either directly under the rod tip (or close) or they hit it hard enough to register as a thump.

Livescope is a real eye opener. I like to do a slow raise when I see one near. It helps to feel them when they aren’t in that thump mode. I wonder how many I missed as we all did before livescope.

Thats what I've learned this year. A few takeaways having the same experience:

1. Use a long rod. I started with a 16 now a 17 footer and slowly lift your jig holding the line in your hand. They essentially hook themselves.
2. If it is that slow light bite, I either cut down my jig to make a smaller profile or keep switching colors till they hit harder. They are interested but not fully committed and I couldn't feel them.

This is something I noticed early on with LS , lots of times one of my buds would say he is right on that jig just looking at it …..as I set the hook and said whatever bro
Those that focus terribly hard on the screen get lost in the game quite a bit. Anytime someone says they are not fully committed to my jig and just looking at it and it seems like it might be touching its nose …..I quit watching the tv show and pay attention to how my line looks and how my line feels .
In the summer months I have seen tons of crappie just looking at jigs really close on LS and in most of those cases they already ate the jig …..just saying

What I'm seeing a lot is a strike that I don't feel depiste the mentioned rigs which is about a sensitive as they come. What I beleive in a lot of these situations the fish takes the jig and in a hot second spits it back out. A slow raise of the rod won';t catch those fish. As most know the bite can be very different not just by the day but by the fish. Some take it a lot more agressive than others. A swing and a miss is free, and I'm sure many of you have seen when he didn't have it in his mouth the sudden jerk will make him chase it down. There are no certainty's when it comes to fishing but for sure, for me right now, with surface water temps 92-94 it's a different bite than much of the year. No matter what you do a lot of fish will just follow the jig 30+ feet then just say no I don't think so and swim away. It never ceases to amaze me watching the varing behavior with livescope. Scott

Over the years , I have caught lots of crappie when the bite was very light. . No thump , no line twitch, no slack.
Hard to describe the feeling , I just say " the rod tip felt heavy"
If I see a crappie image merge with my jig on livescope , I barely raise the rod, setting the hook if I feel any resistance. Many days I miss more fish than I catch.

MO

I've had plenty that weren't the focus of the Livescope screen when spider rigging that I noticed the line tension easing and tip slightly lift back towards straight rather pulling down when I pick up to set the hook.