LiveScope – A Personal Choice

Some personal thoughts on Livescope. Yesterday I shot a show with my buddy Tom Hankins on Lake Monroe Indiana. Tom is top notch tournament angler with many wins on different trails. Yesterday, we livescoped the fish. Some were in structure, and those fish were very aggressive, and easy to catch.
Tom also wanted to show me how he “chases” down the single fish in open water. I got to see this one time before as Tommy Ezell did a little of this in a previous show. Before I go any further, let me tell you about some comments I have received from folks on our livescope shows.

When we first aired a few shows using livescope, almost everything I received from viewers was positive, and of course, I thought it was very cool!! However, after the last livescope show aired, we received several comments where viewers were worried that we were going to do almost every show using livescope. Many said this is something that they simply would not be able to afford. Some said they like seeing all of the different techniques and patterns we have covered since the beginning of the show. And some said it seemed to take away from the interaction of the two anglers, and that we rarely even quit looking at the screen. Pros and cons, all good points.

I personally do have livescope and use it when I fish standing timber or brushpiles. I guess however, I mainly use it to see that fish are there. This is just something that works for me, and I enjoy it.

So, yesterday, Tom showed how to chase these fish. And he was awesome at this. If you are a tournament angler, to be honest, you have to learn this to compete on any of today’s national trails. All you have to do is look at some of the weigh in interviews to see this. Kind of sad, because it used to be cool to see which technique would win a tournament. Dock shooting, long lining, spider rigging, and more. But today, it is much more one dementional. But trust me, I have the utmost respect for these tournament anglers. Chasing down these single fish requires skills, and patience. The number of fish caught in a day will also go down, as you are targeting only the fish that can help you win. The other thing is that if you only have one unit on the boat, it can come down to one partner fishing and the other netting. Some anglers like Tom have two units up front, so that both partners can operate their own unit.

One of the things that I talk about during my seminars, is that every time I tape a show with someone, I am still learning new things. Yesterday was a great example of that. Tom was so good at explaining and sharing information. I truly learned a lot from my day on the water with him. And it made me realize something. And I told Tom this yesterday. I, personally, could probably not get back into tournament fishing. I definately know now what it takes to compete. I am too old to chase down those single fish and probably would not have the patience to do it, or the drive, and dedication to do it. 😁😁😁Just being honest! Plus, when I used to fish tournaments, I wanted to win, badly. However, now in my older years, I simply do not have that competitiveness in me. I just enjoy my time on the water!

So, it comes down to this. Is a livesope for you? If you like going out with your buddy and fishing (both of you), then it could be a little tough. If you like fishing different techniques, and you dont always have to catch monsters, then keep doing what you are doing, and ENJOY your time on the water. I mainly shoot docks and shallow cover in my home lake, and the livescope hardly ever comes on for this. BUT,…….If you are wanting to fish on the tournament circuit, especially the national trails, LIVESCOPE IS A MUST!!! And, you must learn to use it in all ways to your advantage.

One last thing. WITHOUT A DOUBT, LIVESCOPE WILL PUT MORE BIG FISH IN YOUR BOAT. PLEASE, PLEASE TURN THOSE BIG ONES BACK. NEED CONSERVATION NOW MORE THAN EVER!!