Garmin Livescope, HB 360 and other high end electronis.

I'm posting this in the main forum because my thoughts to follow are more applicable here. First off, I'm a huge Garmin fan and I'm really impressed with many of the video clips from all over. I have two of the 93SV on my Lund. I think Livescope would be a great tool and might even buy the transducer in the future. I've seen some pretty impressive results from the HB 360 also. I love catching, and eating, crappie and these tools are very impressive.

That said, I'm an old geezer and I have a concern about these high end electronics. I've fished since way before the old "green box." My concern is the impact tools such as these can have on the resource. I certainly like to have a couple of meals in the freezer but, for my wife and I that's about five fish a meal and that gets me some left overs. I have no problem with anyone catching crappie from dusk to dawn and would love to do so myself. However, I'm seeing more pics of full livewells or cleaning tables, day after day. When I can make it to a lake I rarely keep over half a dozen eaters a day. I prefer to release most of my fish and allow someone to catch em again. I certainly understand everyone's requirements are way different than mine so I don't want to slam anyone over this. There are times such as a planned fish fry that I will keep more. I just ask that everyone consider the impact these modern tools can have. Very few anglers need a couple hundred, or more, fillets in the freezer.

I understand and agree with what you're saying. It concerns me as well. Having said that, I have a Livescope on order. I hope it helps me catch a limit every day, BUT I won't keep more than a mess every once and a while like I've always done. I hope others do the same, but I know some of them won't.

Just remember there are limits for a reason and state biologists pay a lot of attention to impact from fisherman and other natural causes to set those limits, crappie reproduce in high numbers and don’t have a long life span, sure there are more being caught nowadays because of the advancements but I don’t believe you can destroy a fishery because of technological advances, remember just because they are easier to find doesn’t mean you can make em bite

Everyone wants to improve their catch rate, including me. We all want the latest and greatest equipment, specifically electronics. I’m no exception. While I could afford it, can I justify spending that much? I’m frugal, bordering on cheap. I’ve not mastered the electronics that I already have. I often have no idea what I am seeing on the screen. Then, when I’m pretty sure that I know what I’m seeing, I’m not sure where what I’m seeing actually is. Is it on the left of the boat? Right? Directly under? Truthfully, I have probably just made a justifiable case for electronics, such as Livescope!
Social Media, IMO, drives the need to have tables, coolers, and tailgates full of crappie. After all, who wants to read and see pictures of a day when I am skunked? I am a member of a Crappie FB Group, and I can promise you it is much different than this site. Arguing, cursing, and full of keyboard pros. It makes me very thankful and appreciative of all that is, and has been done, to make crappie.com what it is. Much like a campfire where we share our stories!
I’ve started rambling, so I’ll wrap up. Will these latest electronics be permitted in major tournaments? Will peer pressure continue to drive sales? What’s in the future? Use whatever tools you can comfortably afford that increases your enjoyment of this sport. Follow all game laws. Enjoy the pursuit!

I’ll just say this, livescope May help you locate fish quicker but as with any finder, it doesn’t guarantee you putting fish in the boat. My Panoptix is more of a video game on the water to me. I caught limits even when I had the cheapest units made. I’m retired and I want to enjoy my time on the water as best and as often as I can now. I’ll continue to have benefit fishfrys for the church, teams, and family as they request. And I’ll keep some for myself when I want too.

I have the livescope on my boat, about two week now. The thing is it shows so much there i a learning curve i have not mastered. The garmin support people i talked to said it will make a better or worse fisherman out of you. I asked how and the reply was you will see more fish then you can catch. I didn't understand until i went and it will drive you crazy seeing what is down there and most won't bite. You can see them moving around tops post and other structure but most won't bite. It will put you on fish but from there its up to you and the fish. I agree with the other post catch all you can but keep only what you need.

Gonna agree 100 % with Et fish. 90 % of the average fishermen today haven't touched the full potential of their current electronics. The fishermen I've seen having success with livescope and 360 are the one's that spend hours and days every week on the water. I think in the end, you are going to see a bunch of very disappointed fishermen that spent a lot of money and don't have the success they thought they would. Not because these are not great tools but they don't have the time or patience to learn how to use them.

I don't have a problem with people keeping what they catch as long as they don't waste it. When my wife and I could only fish weekends we kept our limits each weekend. However once I retired and we were able to fish anytime the weather permitted we only kept five for ourselves as that gave us an excuse to go fishing on a regular basis.

I don't believe crappie is being over fished on the lake I fish. I can't say what applies to other lakes but for years my lake has had a problem with most crappie being undersized. You could catch large numbers but only 10% of what you caught were legal to keep.

Frankly I love that situation as I love to catch crappie and only needed five keepers a day. I personally would prefer to catch 100 undersized crappie a day than to only catch a few large crappie a day. But most people hated it, as they could not fish every day.

So I've ordered the 93sv+ and the Live Scope unit. I'm impatiently waiting for it to arrive. I believe this will add to my enjoyment of crappie fishing and will not impact the number I keep.

But after this long winded response my answer to your question is that I don't believe the new electronics will impact the crappie population that much. Few people catch limits every time they fish and few people are able to fish every day. So when they do catch a limit they are proud of what they have caught.

One thing to think about:

The majority of people on public forums (or the internet in general) are not reporting their normal catch. You might see 20 people that post pictures of "limits" of fish. Coolers full of fish. Livewells full of fish. Stringers full of fish. The reality however is that the other 400 people didn't catch anything! In other words, nobody seems to report when they catch 2 fish. Or six fish. But have zero problems thumping their chest to be the "Internet Rockstar" when they do finally catch a large amount. If you see someone with a photograph of a ton of fish, do a little research back and see when the last time they posted catching that many. Was it a month, two months previous. Does that mean that they didn't fish for the last month or two? No, it simply means they only feel it necessary to thump their chest when they do good!

I see forums all the time where people are posting limit catches of fish. A week later they are complaning because there isn't anyplace to park, there isn't anyplace to launch their boat, and there isn't any access. Did they ever stop to think about the consequences of their "chest thumping" posts?

In the days of old, people didn't share information. One might wonder if it had to do with the fact that they wanted to keep the fish to themselves. OR, one might think that they didn't want the word to get out and their "special place" to be overrun. Back then you also didn't seem to have the braggert type of people. Today, a large majority of people always want to one up someone. Their bragging (in the form of a photograph) has consequences.

My point in all of this is simple. For every post someone is making with their rockstar pose, they probably went to the lake 20 times and didn't catch much. These people are hard wired to only report the good and not the bad! Local areas are starting to see the dangers of these types of posts. As a whole, I don't think that one particular fish is being fished out (as a whole) HOWEVER: when people start seeing limit catches on the internet from "Rockstars" in one particular location, it brings in the masses which results in more fishing pressure on that particular area than it might have had if they would have kept quiet about it!

I got to agree...enjoy what you catch if you catch and return or devour ....I figger every time we put out Habitat we increase the population or at least room for expansion of fishable water...Enjoy Your new Elect... I'm stalling a little to see what else is coming....

Just don't waste!!!!!!!!!

Not true I know one guy in Arkansas who catches fish daily to keep a few but gives away way more than he keeps. The biologist have no idea what the ratio of fish being taken out of lakes is really imo. I think in the future we will see the repercussions. Just like the bass fishing guys have in the past. Keep what you want to eat, give a few away but fish because you like to fish and not to look good to other folks.

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Originally Posted by FurFlyin

I understand and agree with what you're saying. It concerns me as well. Having said that, I have a Livescope on order. I hope it helps me catch a limit every day, BUT I won't keep more than a mess every once and a while like I've always done. I hope others do the same, but I know some of them won't.

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you going to see them little fishes swimming around your boat and they won't bite. You gonna be mad!

The problem/solution is people. Some disregard the rules and keep all they can regardless of how they get them. Don't believe too many will spend big bucks to keep limits every trip, and if they do they'll find out just because you see them means you can catch them.

Enjoy fishing. Keep what YOU can eat and release the rest!.

Works for me.

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Originally Posted by ET Fish

Everyone wants to improve their catch rate, including me. We all want the latest and greatest equipment, specifically electronics. I’m no exception. While I could afford it, can I justify spending that much? I’m frugal, bordering on cheap. I’ve not mastered the electronics that I already have. I often have no idea what I am seeing on the screen. Then, when I’m pretty sure that I know what I’m seeing, I’m not sure where what I’m seeing actually is. Is it on the left of the boat? Right? Directly under? Truthfully, I have probably just made a justifiable case for electronics, such as Livescope!
Social Media, IMO, drives the need to have tables, coolers, and tailgates full of crappie. After all, who wants to read and see pictures of a day when I am skunked? I am a member of a Crappie FB Group, and I can promise you it is much different than this site. Arguing, cursing, and full of keyboard pros. It makes me very thankful and appreciative of all that is, and has been done, to make crappie.com what it is. Much like a campfire where we share our stories!
I’ve started rambling, so I’ll wrap up. Will these latest electronics be permitted in major tournaments? Will peer pressure continue to drive sales? What’s in the future? Use whatever tools you can comfortably afford that increases your enjoyment of this sport. Follow all game laws. Enjoy the pursuit!

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You know, a few true fishing reports would probably help our overfished lakes. My latest trip would be a good example. Got on the water about 2:30, the water was stained and the surface temp was 46. I went to a blowdown that is usually productive, and didn’t get a bite. Decided to try some main channel docks. The first dock produced two 9” fish. The next 10 docks produced 0. I decided to long line an area where I marked fish. Not one bite. Back to the brush to take advantage of the “dusk bite.” Nothing. Loaded the boat and went home. It was a beautiful day!
All of the above incidents are absolutely true. Not a very sexy report, and it makes a guy feel kind of inferior. However, if you fish enough, days like this will happen.

Other states might be different but here in Texas the biggest problem we have is folks not taking enough fish out of the lakes to the point the crappie become stunted.
LOP and Fork both you have to keep every Crappie catch all winter long an have been that way for a log time.

They are now two of the best lakes in the state

Buff, you bring up an interesting point/observation: Things are very regional.

Take Texas as an example. It seems that a vast majority of the fisherman (or at least the publicized aspect of it) are after the trophey Bass that live in Texas. We all know that other fish obviously are not forgotten, but people tend to only focus their attentions on that predominant species (at least in terms of publicity).

It would be no different than Michigan and our amazing Walleye fishery or Salmon fishing. People are less likely to pose with pictures of crappies than a large Salmon. Another thing we have found is that, just as you said, people are often overlooking a lot of lakes for the more public bodies of water. Almost as if the are stepping over a dollar to pick up a dime! In many cases, the inland lakes that used to be flooded with people and had issues are now teaming with fish just waiting to be caught!

Of course, a devious person could make a couple simple "Rockstar" posts about a particular body of water just to stir the mud and see how many people flock to it!

I got the Livescope in October last year. I’ve caught hundreds of crappie and not kept one. My freezer has all I need. Livescope is unbelievable. The things you see and the way the fish react are something I’ve learned I never had a clue. For instance fishing standing timber, those things will chase the bait down and hit it. I always heard the bait needed to be above them because they look up.

One of the problems Livescope creates is, I find myself hunting and no longer fishing. I normally don’t have a lure in the water until I see a target. Yes it cuts down time but you still have to know where they are located.

As for hurting the population, I’m not sure it will. I find crappie in places that are never fished and I fish large reservoirs in eastern Oklahoma. There are a lot of crappie areas to fish that these new electronics will open up.

Yes, I’ve had days where they just would not hit the jig unless you held on their nose for a couple of minutes and others where they’re very aggressive. So, just because you have this new technology, it doesn’t mean you’re going to catch a lot every time out.


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Originally Posted by footballcoach

you going to see them little fishes swimming around your boat and they won't bite. You gonna be mad!

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That’s very probable. However I will get to see them, bite or not. I also won’t waste time fishing where they aren’t. I don’t expect the Livescope to make me the next Ronnie Capps but I know it will help me catch fish. Just another tool in the toolbox. I don’t mean to wish time by but I really can’t wait til summer to see what the big cats look like in tbe deep holes below the dam.

This is a crappie fishing forum but I just fish. I like to catch crappie but honestly I just like to catch fish, regardless of what they are. I figure that Livescope is gonna see some bream bed action about May.

here in Texas they say Mother Nature deals the death blow to the crappie and not anglers
I don’t know for sure but I see a few small lakes that take beatings and still hang in there .
Will a graph put fish in the boat ? Not likely in some cases , but it will for sure give a decided advantage on finding them.
I don’t even have a boat anymore so I don’t get to graph much of anything these days but I do know this much for pretty sure .
If I dangle a jig for very long and don’t get bit there ain’t likely many fish where I am dangling it ....:Rofl

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Originally Posted by wicklundrh

One thing to think about:

The majority of people on public forums (or the internet in general) are not reporting their normal catch. You might see 20 people that post pictures of "limits" of fish. Coolers full of fish. Livewells full of fish. Stringers full of fish. The reality however is that the other 400 people didn't catch anything! In other words, nobody seems to report when they catch 2 fish. Or six fish. But have zero problems thumping their chest to be the "Internet Rockstar" when they do finally catch a large amount. If you see someone with a photograph of a ton of fish, do a little research back and see when the last time they posted catching that many. Was it a month, two months previous. Does that mean that they didn't fish for the last month or two? No, it simply means they only feel it necessary to thump their chest when they do good!

I see forums all the time where people are posting limit catches of fish. A week later they are complaning because there isn't anyplace to park, there isn't anyplace to launch their boat, and there isn't any access. Did they ever stop to think about the consequences of their "chest thumping" posts?

In the days of old, people didn't share information. One might wonder if it had to do with the fact that they wanted to keep the fish to themselves. OR, one might think that they didn't want the word to get out and their "special place" to be overrun. Back then you also didn't seem to have the braggert type of people. Today, a large majority of people always want to one up someone. Their bragging (in the form of a photograph) has consequences.

My point in all of this is simple. For every post someone is making with their rockstar pose, they probably went to the lake 20 times and didn't catch much. These people are hard wired to only report the good and not the bad! Local areas are starting to see the dangers of these types of posts. As a whole, I don't think that one particular fish is being fished out (as a whole) HOWEVER: when people start seeing limit catches on the internet from "Rockstars" in one particular location, it brings in the masses which results in more fishing pressure on that particular area than it might have had if they would have kept quiet about it!

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This is 100%

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