Video Game Fishing

[bigspirit]

I see both sides. I understand what those see talking about when they say you still have to get fish to eat, but at the end of the day I can’t imagine more fish being put in the boat simply based on the fact that you are finding many new suspended fish that likely have not been pressured much. 
 

I do think it’s become a game where in many (maybe most) cases, the guy with the best electronics will come out on top. 

[J Francho]

43 minutes ago, bigspirit said:

I do think it’s become a game where in many (maybe most) cases, the guy with the best electronics and knows how to use them will come out on top. 

I know plenty of guys that bought high end gizmos, but have no clue how to operate them.  I loved taking their donations at club contests while relying on my monochrome 2D unit, lol.

[Deephaven]

If it is mounted on your trolling motor good luck watching fish bite.  A separate pole would be helpful.  Either way, I use mine like I use other sonar to see structure and potentially fish. Just like many use side and then map with down, it is just one more tool to look ahead instead of waiting until you are on the spot.  Adds confidence in your casting direction.

[gim]

The issue that I'm a little worried about on this subject is when people start targeting fish that they intend to harvest.  Most people that are using FFS or Livescope in the bass fishing realm do not intend to keep their catch.

 

When the masses up here in the winter convene on the ice to target schools of basin crappies with livescope, its a mass harvest by the thousands.  And of course no one is releasing them.  A similar situation has been unfolding in the walleye realm too but they aren't as easy to catch, plus there is a closed season during the spawn here.  Panfish have higher bag limits and there is no closed season.

[KSanford33]

On 8/15/2022 at 8:18 PM, Kelvin said:

Game changer.  New to bass fishing myself but grew up in the video game era.  Adapt, improvise, Darwin, I ching. 

 

It reminds of snook fishing dock lights where you can see the fish directly but then cycle through baits and lures until the right combination hits and slay them. 

This sounds like a reference to the movie Collateral. 

On 8/15/2022 at 8:18 PM, Kelvin said:

Game changer.  New to bass fishing myself but grew up in the video game era.  Adapt, improvise, Darwin, I ching. 

 

It reminds of snook fishing dock lights where you can see the fish directly but then cycle through baits and lures until the right combination hits and slay them. 

This sounds like a reference to the movie Collateral. 

[Woody B]

I don't have live sonar but I'm considering it.   I don't utilize the electronics I have as much as I should/could(?).   I fish a 13,400 acre lake most of the time.  I know plenty of spots with structure that normally hold bass.    I decided today I was going to look for fish with my electronics before I made casts attempting to catch them.  I hate the thought of getting skunked so I went to a stumpy flat where I've caught a bunch of bass hoping for a quick catch.  I caught a 16 inch Largemouth on my 3rd cast, and a 13 inch spot on my 5th.  (at this point I hadn't looked at my electronics)  I knew with 2 catches that quick it should be a good day to catch some.   

 

So,  I mostly went to "new to me" areas.  I would idle past (~5mph)  looking at my sonar.   (Side view, down imaging, and traditional sonar)  I would mark the areas where I saw fish, turn around and only cast in those areas.   I caught 23, which is a good day for me.   I'd guess that I made ~1/2 the number of casts I would normally make.    

 

Obviously the bass were active today.  I caught 2 quickly without even looking at my electronics.  I may have caught more had I just fished like I always do occasionally glancing at my electronics instead of trying to target fish I saw with them.  

 

 

When I got to the landing this morning there were some guys waiting for a club tournament.   Their blast off was at sunrise.  I went 45 minutes before sunrise.  I asked them about live scope, active target ect.  None of them had it.   One guy had Mega 360.  Mega 360 isn't "live" is it?   

[RDB]

2 hours ago, Woody B said:

One guy had Mega 360.  Mega 360 isn't "live" is it?   

Think of it as 360 degree side imaging.  Side imaging gives you one slice to the side where 360 has a rotating beam that refreshes on each rotation and gives you a visual of everything around your boat.  It doesn’t shoot out as far (125’ v. 200’) but it makes target fishing much easier.

[Koz]

On 8/18/2022 at 7:33 AM, J Francho said:

I know plenty of guys that bought high end gizmos, but have no clue how to operate them.  I loved taking their donations at club contests while relying on my monochrome 2D unit, lol.

 

I would bet that most people have very little idea how to get the most out of their electronics. I know that I don't. But it is something that I try to work on almost every time out. I usually find time to put my gear aside, pedal around, and try different settings and features with my electronics. 

 

That's not always easy, because I think most of us get impatient and we just want to fish.

 

The technology is not going away, so you can either ignore it or embrace it. But I imagine in the next 10 years not only will the clarity of live target acquisition improve, but we'll also see species identification in real time.

[J Francho]

These guys would suddenly get serious when they heard beeps from the fish ID, lol. Thanks for your $100. 

[RDB]

1 hour ago, J Francho said:

These guys would suddenly get serious when they heard beeps from the fish ID, lol. Thanks for your $100. 

Having fish ID turned on tells you all you need to know.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

On 7/21/2022 at 5:10 PM, warefisher said:

Especially in smallmouth fishing.

This is the one thing I've noticed as well.

 

Same goes from Crappie fisherman.