Do you use livescope when you move shallow?

[clemsondds]

Ok I’m new to livescope and still learning!  The other day I went to a local small lake and road around for about an hour looking for baitfish. Never saw anything…water was really murky-12” visibility.   Found a couple brush piles but didn’t see any active fish on livescope or DI. So figured most were up shallow getting ready to spawn.  So my question is: when you decide to shift and go fish shallow…do you use your fffs (livescope) to scan in front of you as you run down the bank?  If there’s a dead tree fallen in the water, should you be able to see bass in there with livescope?  
just trying to figure out how to use this livescope to the best of my ability. Thanks 

[TOXIC]

You can use it shallow but there are some issues.  We tried using it in Florida on Okeechobee but the shallow water coupled with the thick grass made it useless as well as the transducer catching loads of grass on the trolling motor.   We ended up taking it off and storing it in the boat.  My opinion is that for the best results, it needs some separation and that is best achieved in a little deeper water with isolated structure or totally open water. 

[clemsondds]

Ok thank you!  any other thoughts?  I'm curious about secondary points as well...when you are running a pattern and just hitting secondary points in the backs of creeks...do you run back there and then put your scope down and just scan the point?   

[InfantryMP]

I have used Active Target in 4ft of water. It worked well, and I could see fish. Depending on what the bank looks like, you may not need it. Skip docks, hit those laydowns, there could be fish there that you may not see on FFS. 

[clemsondds]

On 4/11/2022 at 11:20 AM, InfantryMP said:

I have used Active Target in 4ft of water. It worked well, and I could see fish. Depending on what the bank looks like, you may not need it. Skip docks, hit those laydowns, there could be fish there that you may not see on FFS. 

Ok cool thanks!  Yeh, it's really hard to know when to use it and not.  when I have it on, it's really hard to ignore...so it's hard to even fish shallow without watching it. And if I don't see anyting...just feel like  I'm casting for no reason.   I'm just trying to find a good system to use where I feel confident.  I don't mind using the livescope everywhere...but I'm getting tired of second guessing myself all the time. Would love some more advice on what you all do. Thanks

[InfantryMP]

My philosophy is this:

 

1. Find structure- Side Scan, 360 helps the most with this in my opinion. Mark em on the graph. 

2. Once I find the structure I want to fish, I will look at it with Active Target. If there are fish on it, I will fish it immediately to see how they react, and what they are doing. 

3. If it doesn't work, I move on to other structure that may be productive

 

I also hit high percentage spots, like points or docks in between where I am idling or what not getting from one waypoint to another. 

[clemsondds]

2 hours ago, InfantryMP said:

My philosophy is this:

 

1. Find structure- Side Scan, 360 helps the most with this in my opinion. Mark em on the graph. 

2. Once I find the structure I want to fish, I will look at it with Active Target. If there are fish on it, I will fish it immediately to see how they react, and what they are doing. 

3. If it doesn't work, I move on to other structure that may be productive

 

I also hit high percentage spots, like points or docks in between where I am idling or what not getting from one waypoint to another. 

Do you ever get to a point where you go fish shallow laydowns/fish down the bank?  Or do  you just go look for another spot with your active target? Is there a point where you just give up on forward facing and go fish shallow? 

[Sprocket]

I have one transducer on forward view and the other on perspective mode.  I run them both at the same time off the trolling motor.  In shallow water I'll see something off to the side on perspective and then point the forward transducer toward it.  The combination is deadly in shallow water.  If I'm in deeper water where the perspective mode doesn't help, I'll change that unit to sidevu.

 

Retired grass grower

[BayouSlide]

Shallow is nearly all I fish, 4 feet or less. I live by Mega Live in horizontal perspective mode. After a while you can tell the fish from the trash by their movement.

[clemsondds]

On 4/16/2022 at 9:39 AM, BayouSlide said:

Shallow is nearly all I fish, 4 feet or less. I live by Mega Live in horizontal perspective mode. After a while you can tell the fish from the trash by their movement.

Cool thanks. Still looking to figure out a good system.