For those with Mega 360 or Livescope, fishing techniques changed??

[clemsondds]

How do you use them to catch fish?  With livescope, is it mostly fishing for suspended fish?  It sounds like as for strictly numbers, sounds like livescope is the way to go.  But from what I can tell, you go around looking for baitfish, then search for the bass around and go after those bass.  Do you just not use the other techniques much anymore...ie squarebill (crankbaits in general other than deep diving) , spinnerbait, bottom contact (jig, TR...) ?  I know it's a different style and i'm not bashing it...just trying to figure out how it works. I want to pick up a livescope...but I just don't know if I want to give up all the techniques of fishing and just chasing bass on my graph. 
Then for 360, have you found that you have definitely been putting more fish in the boat after you got the 360?   Do you fish mainly the same way as you always have but now are more accurate/efficient due to knowing exactly where the laydowns/stumps are?  Do you feel this has led to more bass in the boat? 
If you have both...I know I know...that's the best option...lol but not sinking that much money in it just yet.  
Thank you all for your thoughts and advice! 

[Smokinal]

In for answers as well.  Thinking of adding mega360 as I already have 2 mega graphs now and don't want to add another platform.

[Jig Man]

I’ll let you know in a few weeks as mine gets installed on Thursday.

[Catt]

What I'm hearing it's like bed fishing, see a lot, catch a few, leave a few.

[clemsondds]

I'm really more curious about mega360...I think it would fit more into still fishing but better idea of where they are.  Or is it great information but doesn't actually translate to fish in the boat. I just wonder if you end up fishing to a lot more cover that you didn't know was there...but not converting to more fish per cast. thoughts?

[Team9nine]

It will change you if you let it, and will certainly modify your approach at least somewhat, but it's not necessarily a total screen game unless you either let it become that, or are on certain types of fisheries that set up that way. Every person and lake will be different. 

 

On a clear water smallmouth or spotted bass fishery, it could be a lot of suspended fish and screen time, especially in summer and winter when those fish are most likely to suspend. Some largemouth lakes will also set up that way, but a lot won't, especially the murky ones with lots of shoreline cover.

 

This year I spent most of my time getting comfortable with LS by chasing crappie all year, along with some summer white bass fishing. They are great to learn with because of their schooling nature, as well as their propensity to suspend. You get good quick with bait presentation and control, and catch a boat load of fish in the process, building confidence in the units. I believe my crappie total for the year is now approaching 5500 fish landed. Next year, I'll switch and focus primarily on bass since I now have everything pretty well dialed in for how I fish. I also plan to hit a larger variety of lakes than normal to try and catch one or two that have more suspended or schooling fish - most of our reservoirs don't seem to. That's not terrible though, as one of the strong suits of LS is seeing and finding cover - and, of course, then being able to specifically target said cover. That's why I think if you only had one unit, LS is the more versatile overall, especially if you're multi-species.

[Craig P]

I can’t comment on 360 but I just installed Livescope today, it is not my first go around with it though.  I’ll try to be brief…

 

I had LS on my last boat, a Deep V and I had the LS mounted on a separate pole so I could sit in place spot locked and point the pole wherever I wanted over crappie and whipers. It worked very good for this.  My fishing passion however has made a full swing to Bass and I did not find LS to help me much casting at shorelines, I actually found it to be an inconvenience controlling a pole to point at things, cast, control a foot pedal, etc., just too much going on. 

 

To satisfy my passion, I sold the Deep V and bought a bass boat this spring, I am home! but I didn’t bother to install LS this go around, remember that inconvenience term I used. My bass fishing style however is increasing. I’ve become proficient fishing both on and off shore but suspended offshore is still a challenge so it got me thinking, an LS mounted to my trolling motor would be a nice tool for offshore fishing and with the rebate and a good discount from a dealer I’ve used before, now was the time to pull the trigger, so I did.

 

Going forward, it will be a great tool to sweep an area I’m fishing with the foot controls I am already using and give me a little more confidence in figuring out presentations for suspended fish as well as make me more efficient in my time on the lake. 

[WRB]

With all sonar units they can’t display the difference between carp and bass as look the same. You could get fooled chasing phantom bass that are carp, you see more of them.

I have only fished 1 time using Forward scanning sonar with Live Scope and it was an eye opener.

Tom

[clemsondds]

18 hours ago, Craig P said:

I can’t comment on 360 but I just installed Livescope today, it is not my first go around with it though.  I’ll try to be brief…

 

I had LS on my last boat, a Deep V and I had the LS mounted on a separate pole so I could sit in place spot locked and point the pole wherever I wanted over crappie and whipers. It worked very good for this.  My fishing passion however has made a full swing to Bass and I did not find LS to help me much casting at shorelines, I actually found it to be an inconvenience controlling a pole to point at things, cast, control a foot pedal, etc., just too much going on. 

 

To satisfy my passion, I sold the Deep V and bought a bass boat this spring, I am home! but I didn’t bother to install LS this go around, remember that inconvenience term I used. My bass fishing style however is increasing. I’ve become proficient fishing both on and off shore but suspended offshore is still a challenge so it got me thinking, an LS mounted to my trolling motor would be a nice tool for offshore fishing and with the rebate and a good discount from a dealer I’ve used before, now was the time to pull the trigger, so I did.

 

Going forward, it will be a great tool to sweep an area I’m fishing with the foot controls I am already using and give me a little more confidence in figuring out presentations for suspended fish as well as make me more efficient in my time on the lake. 

Great thanks!  Do you have the spot lock option?  Have any of you who have spot lock, had any issues with the cable getting wrapped around the tm and causing issues?  

[Team9nine]

1 hour ago, clemsondds said:

Great thanks!  Do you have the spot lock option?  Have any of you who have spot lock, had any issues with the cable getting wrapped around the tm and causing issues?  

 

No spotlock here, but have heard of it happening. Guess that cable doesn't take abuse well, including being stretched hard. Messed up a buddies resolution when some version of that happened to him. Also have had a friend or two accidentally drop the troll motor on the LS cable and slice it, which basically ruins the transducer - an expensive "oops."

[Craig P]

2 hours ago, clemsondds said:

Great thanks!  Do you have the spot lock option?  Have any of you who have spot lock, had any issues with the cable getting wrapped around the tm and causing issues?  

I do have spotlock. You just need to make sure you allow for some twisting in your cable length.