I assume you are talking fall/winter fishing, so here is the knowledge I can offer. As the water cools from summer temps, fish start to return to the feeder creeks. 60 degrees and lower you will find anywhere from the mouth to the back of creeks tight to standing timber. Smaller fish tend to school in large numbers while larger fish tend to be alone. I fish anywhere between 4 and 20 FOW, 4 to 15 foot down. Really just depends on the pattern and current weather conditions. Minnows and jigs will both produce. When I fish this sort of pattern, I focus on individual fish. Livescope, or comparable, is not required, but definitely makes targetting individual fish easier. I fished for a few seasons with good success without livescope.
The fish will only become more active and likely to chase as the water cools. That being said, once the water cools to 45 degrees or so, that's when I really focus on getting below the thermocline and I like to spider rig. I fish 15+ feet deep in creek channels and on bluffs. I usually only use jigs since I don't like wet hands when the air temp is cold. I fish bluffs first and if they don't produce, I will return to the creeks in search of fish. I will only stop and put all of my gear out once fish start lighting up on my down imaging. Again, I'll put my rods out and run double jig rigs pushed around .5-.7mph. Sometimes faster, sometimes slower. I fish this way until the spring feed picks up and you can find fish beginning to stack shallower in creek channels again, usually around the first of April. For this type of fishing, you definitely don't need livescope or similar. I have it on, but only for depth and to look ahead for trees I don't want to get tangled in.
Short answer to your question, if you aren't finding them on bluffs, I recommend heading to the back of a feeder creek. Jig every stickup you can find. You will very likely get into some fish.