Thread: Livescope Destroyed Your Grandfathers Teachings and Tradition Lost

So I've been hearing about Livescope for a while and finally went with some friends to see this thing in action and to decide if I want to invest in it for my boat. We had 3 boats in our group, all with Livescope and headed to the lake. My friend is showing me all about it and how you can see this and that. I thought it was cool at first and amazed at the technology. Fast forward 3 hours later and I have now decided to never install it on my boat. Why you ask? Well, let me tell you what I found out.

I observed over several hours that my friend basically stared at his Livescope the entire time, as did the other 2 boats with us. They would get on a pocket of fish and YES, we did catch some fish, so it does work, that part is undeniable! The problem is that I would say hey that spot over there looks amazing, let's go try it out. Nah, we just gonna follow the Livescope or try to catch the fish it's showing us. Sometimes it would show you fish that would not bite at all, even with a bait in front of them. After 15 minutes of that, I was ready to try another spot but they were so fixated on the Livescope and the fish it was showing, that they didn't want to move. Then when we did move to some great looking spots, they would say, no, not enough fish there so we didn't stop. Spots we'd have normally fished with anticipation.

Second, I LOVE catching fish as much as the next guy/gal but what I experienced was not your usual getting away from the job or home fishing trip. It didn't feel rewarding in a way that I usually feel after having been on the water for an afternoon or evening. It was like ok, we are gonna use this high dollar tool to go out and pinpoint fish and bring home a mess. We didn't watch the birds above us, the deer on the bank, the snake on the log or the gator sunning himself. We were hyper focused on watching a screen and targeting the fish it showed us. All our talk was not of how we were doing in our lives. It was all centered around watching groups of fish and fixated on the brush and underwater structure.

I don't know, for me it's a great tool if all you care about it putting the maximum amount of fish in your freezer and not getting much else out of the experience. I just enjoy a totally different approach to fishing. I enjoy going out with my friends or wife or kids and never knowing if we are gonna catch a mess or come home empty handed. I enjoy the adventure of looking around the lake and saying, that looks like a great spot, let's try over there. Or watching the wildlife, talking about life and not having to watch a screen the whole time, etc. I like seeing a stump in the water and easing up to jig around it, not knowing if there is a slab hanging around or not. With the Livescope, you just scan and say nah, nothing there, let's keep moving. No mystery, no intrigue, no excitement at the possibilities. It just sucks the life and fun of what fishing has always meant to me.

Some of my greatest memories growing up with my Dad, Grandfather and Uncles, was fishing and the adventures we had. One day your a bust and the next your filling the ice chest. It was the journey, the things we saw on the water, the one that got away. We didn't have any electronics and we enjoyed every minute of it. We were NOT obsessed with watching screens because we didn't have any. Our biggest decisions were what color to try next or which spot we thought they were hanging around today. Sometimes it was what did mom pack for our lunch on the boat, lol. We had some amazing conversations and memories. Not sure if that would happen now, if grandpa just fiddles with his Livescope all day

I may not always fill my freezer but I still enjoy the mystery. I feel relaxed at the end of the trip and my neck doesn't hurt from staring at a screen all day long. Nothing against Livescope, it's a great tool, I admit that. Used properly, you will go home with fish. It's just not for me right now.

God bless and good fishing!

I agree with everything you said….sucks the life out of fishing. Half of fishing is being in the beautiful outdoors and livescope is a huge distraction to that. If I were to use livescope I would use it exactly like old school fish finders work. I would find the fish and start fishing and not look at the dang thing. Just use it to find them that’s all. What people will do is find the fish then proceed to stare at the screen the ENTIRE time watching their bait fall in the water and how close it is to the fish, then watch the fish swim up and eat it. Talk about zapping the anticipation and excitement out of fishing! That’s it! I want to fish, not play the latest version of a fishing video game. Which is exactly what your doing fishing like that.

Also….I’m not sure the “rules and regulations” of crappie and bass tournaments but livescope should no question be completely banned in my opinion.