Seth

Water patrol has been using side imaging to find bodies ever since it came out, which was 17 years ago. I've had buddies who work in water patrol send me screen shots of bodies on their side imaging screens. Just like when you graph a paddlefish, there is no mistaking what it is. They are pushing to get forward facing sonar units on the bow to aid with snagging the bodies instead of just dragging for them.

This is how I feel as well. Sure you have guys with more money than brains out there pretending to be a fishermen but those types have been around for years. They have all the gadgets but never learned how to effectively use them especially when it came to side imaging. It still baffles me that guys who have had that stuff for years still say they can't understand what they are seeing on the screen with all of the tutorials available on YouTube. I cram YouTube videos about new fishing tech when it comes out to try and understand how it would benefit me and then decide whether it's worth the investment. So far, side imaging and my Ultrex are the only two things that I truly felt would enhance my fishability enough to drop the coin on. Heck I just now upgraded from a Huminbird 998 to a G2N mega si unit and that was only because of hardware issues on the 998 and the fact that I found a great deal on the G2N. The image quality is quite a bit better but I still don't think it really finds more fish or cover than I did on the 998. Forward facing sonar would be an asset in certain situations but not enough so for me to drop the coin on. I'll just enjoy it when we fish out of my buddies boats that do have it.

I guarantee that side imaing has increased catch rates of crappie FAR more than forward facing sonar ever will. Gaining the ability to see suspended fish and brush piles 100'+ off to the side was a legit game changer. Livescope lets you put it in their face with a bit more precision, but when you are around hundreds or even thousands of fish that you saw off to the side with your side imaging, you're odds of getting your lure in front of one is still pretty darn high.

I tried out Livescope for the first time yesterday and still brought home the same number of crappie that I always did with just side imaging....🤷‍♂️ Daily and possession limits are there for a reason....

I like those mobile deer hangers with hydraulic height adjustment

Awesome! I'm jealous!

Sounds like they have been catching best out in the mouths of coves. Last time I was there it was the condo docks that were producing the best, but that has been several weeks ago. We may go give it a try on Monday.

You're a natural when it comes to catching bait! 😁

I know the Prince show gets touted as the best half time show ever, but I just don't see what the big deal is. Everybody is like "OMG it started raining when he started to sing Purple Rain". I guess it's not my cup of tea from a music perspective, which is odd because I really do like about every genre there out there. I'll listen to gangsta rap, 90s country, EDM and bluegrass all in one sitting and enjoy every bit of it. Lady Gaga and the Bruno Mars/Red Hot Chili Peppers shows are up at the top for me personally. There are plenty I've not watched though so that could change if I actually watched them all.

I just rewatched the half time show on YouTube with my ear buds in and it sounded a lot better than it did last night. Eminem and 50 cent audio was the worst IMO. Snoop and Dre were definitely my favorite part. MJB and Kendrick performances grew on me. My issue with Kendrick was that I was really hoping he'd come out singing DNA or Humble, but those are just my personal favorites of his.

Agreed. I could barely make out what 50 cent was saying. His slurring style is hard enough to understand and washed out vocals made it really bad. IMO they should limit the show to no more than three artists. There were several songs I wanted to hear from each but there just wasn't enough time.

If Thrift hadn't lost that giant early on, he'd be blowing everybody away at this point.

Wheeler is the full package for sure, but there are other little things he pulls out of his hat as well. In one of those tourneys last year, he and several were bagging up some smallies. He realized he could still get bit using heavier line which allowed him to land the fish much quicker. I'm not positive which event that was or whether he won it, but I do know that it made a huge difference in his final placement.

He's on another level. Doesn't seem to matter what species, where or what time of year they are fishing, he just gets it done time and time again! It's no surprise that Thrift and Jordan Lee are right there in the mix as well.

My misunderstanding. The snow had everything so jammed up that there wasn't really any where to park a trailer. I think everybody dumped in and brought trailers back to the resorts and shoved them wherever they could. I've only used downtown a couple of times in the winter when Cooper was iced up so I don't have a lot of experience with the downtown ramp to be honest.

They must have gone downstream because the traffic up near Fall Creek was fairly light after the first hour or so. Last year was the same way. Here are the results.

Plenty of us were using Cooper to take out and put in yesterday after the sun popped out. Friday evening it was a no go though so we used the down town ramp. That 15 degree boat ride in the dark to the dock was "brisk".

You're a sculpin catching fool for sure! Next year instead of fishing the tourney, just sell sculpins for $2/piece and then go fun fish. You'll come out ahead. Everybody is going to be wanting to use them after the past few years anyways. Business should be good. 😁

I fell one spot short of goal #1 and 3/4 of an inch short on goal #2. I'll still have several opportunities to try for #2 though. Haven't really had the chance to work on the other three yet.

Small ones are pretty easy to catch from Fall Creek down to Cooper Creek due to some recent stockings. Drag jerkbaits on bottom when they are generating and it shouldn't take long.

Just a layer of sleet so far here in Gasconade County. The snow is supposed to hit us the hardest later on and in to tomorrow. The ice was always my biggest concern.

Being able to hold the boat in current while you rerig, deal with fish, help others, etc is worth the $$$ for spotlock. Trolling for trout with multiple rods and shooting wind blown docks for crappie by yourself are SO much easier with a GPS trolling motor and the remote.

Very little. On the rivers I use my GPS quite a bit to mark spots on where I need to run when things are low. Taneycomo has some big trees in deeper water that aren't always visible so I have a few of those marked just so we're aware of them when drifting.

Same here. I’m definitely not opposed to having FFS but it just doesn’t seem like it would be worth the investment for me personally. Side imaging and spot lock trolling motors were two things I had no issue dropping $$$ on though. Upgrading to both opened up SO many possibilities!

Be tricky with the boat constantly moving from flow IMO. It looks hard enough to stay on fish while fishing calm water. SI would give you a better “xray” view of what is there. The newer units are extremely detailed.