My take on the Livescope drama.....

[fishinwrench]

Bottom Line: They are not going to ban it. Doing so would just open the door for yet another circuit who allows it.

So rather than wasting time/energy pushing B.A.S.S., MLF, ect. to ban FFS,....and causing all of these hard feelings......Why not introduce a TRADITIONAL LEAGUE circuit with a "traditional" set of rules. (150hp max. & limited crutches) ?    

[snagged in outlet 3]

I don’t tournament fish, never have, never will.   But I watch it.   If it’s on.  Which is getting more rare all the time.  The FFS tournaments suck to watch.  But if they ban it I think they will just schedule more events around the spawn.   That can’t be good.   Honestly there’s so many I can’t keep track of which is which.   Used to just be BASS.  

[Ryan Miloshewski]

Kind of related, but I've talked to a few guys who guide on Table Rock with FFS and they said the bass are getting used to it, which is crazy. I'm assuming the lack of turbidity in the water, but these guys said they put the transducer down and as soon as the sonar waves hits the fish they book it. And they're 30-60 ft down in these instances. Nature adapts..

[trouty mouth]

39 minutes ago, Ryan Miloshewski said:

these guys said they put the transducer down and as soon as the sonar waves hits the fish they book it. And they're 30-60 ft down in these instances. Nature adapts..

Love that. The smart fish don't get caught and swim off to have babies. 

it's easy to forget that sonar isn't just invisible magic. Think about the military sonar and how loud & destructive that can be to wildlife (or secret attacking divers) at certain levels.

[snagged in outlet 3]

2 hours ago, Ryan Miloshewski said:

Kind of related, but I've talked to a few guys who guide on Table Rock with FFS and they said the bass are getting used to it, which is crazy. I'm assuming the lack of turbidity in the water, but these guys said they put the transducer down and as soon as the sonar waves hits the fish they book it. And they're 30-60 ft down in these instances. Nature adapts..

Several pros have talked about that too.   Not just on T Rock.  

[tjm]

It is surprising that the fish haven't always run away from noise generators.

Are there any studies showing that the sonar is not harming the fish nor interfering with their spawning?

[fishinwrench]

Thumpers, tickers, and splashers have been proven to attract fish (or at least pique their curiosity).   Surely over time the fish could become conditioned to avoid things like that.  

During large fishing events like the Big Bass Bash it's amazing how quickly all of the fish throughout the ENTIRE LAKE go into a noticeable funk.   It's as if some kind of warning was broadcast lake-wide, even to areas that have yet to see a single fishing boat.  

When I first started targeting White bass on the flats with the flyrod I would balloon one and it worked great to help keep track of the school...... but that only worked for a season or two.   Safety pin a balloon and 4# line to one NOW and it's like a Scarlet Letter....the other fish avoid that fish like the plague, even 2 Creek arms over where I've never done it before.  All jokes aside, I am pretty much convinced that fish are somewhat telepathic, I think it's possible that they can communicate in ways that we don't understand at all.  

But then again you have things like the hatchery outlets, and the horns at Bennett & Taney.....that just blow that theory out of the water.  But hey, those are hatchery idiots that may not possess the ability to recognize the signals.   Who knows 🤷‍♂️

[Terrierman]

Is livescope sonar that much more powerful in the water or is there magic going on in the unit on the boat?  In other words, why aren't fish put off by more traditional depth finders/graphs?

[fishinwrench]

1 hour ago, Terrierman said:

Is livescope sonar that much more powerful in the water or is there magic going on in the unit on the boat?  In other words, why aren't fish put off by more traditional depth finders/graphs?

Good question....and I dunno.   I certainly can't "feel it".   But the units can zap a battery in short order, so they are definitely drawing a lot of juice.    And the transducer does get quite warm, unlike that of 2D or SS/DI. 

I've heard guys say that their fish moved as soon as the signal bounced off them.....but I'm not sure I buy that.   I have played with FFS a good bit and I haven't personally noticed them being even moderately aware of anything until you get within 20-25' of them.....and at that distance they are more likely reacting to the boat or trolling motor.   

Shad aren't effected by it, and crappie don't seem to be either....even at very close range.   Maybe bass are "special?  WTFever 🙄 White bass are spastic and don't sit still for 3 seconds....but they've been that way a long time before Livescope came along.

[nomolites]

I fish often for hybrids, and with hybrids I have watched many times where once one fish is pulled from the school they get lock jaw….until you turn the FFS off.  You can watch them approach and follow, but they will not commit after that first fish.  What I do now is scan and mark them, pause the unit, and cast/catch.  I will periodically switch back on and pan, but the unit is paused during casts/retrieves.  That approach makes a noticeable difference for me, and I was never really a fan of video games anyway so I’m fine with it 😉.

The tech is definitely a game changer as I can “see” what I had previously only deduced from partial data.  I would agree that in my experience crappie don’t seem to be affected by it at all.

Mike