Live Scope Depression

Leave it to Blaukat

around the 4:30 mark

What a crybaby wuss.

I’m not depressed and I don’t have Livescope.

maybe Randy needs to go back to fishing Bass Clubs, since he can’t hang with the young’s.

Randy could run circles around most of us, don't be a keyboard warrior. He is the real deal, and Has allot of experience. I do have LS, but I also think it's something that is very helpful putting together a pattern. But, head to head fishing without electronics is when the rubber meats the road.
It's not a level of playing field in HS tournaments when some have it and others don't. But you cannot go out and have it understand fully in a couple trips. There are some really strange settings that make it shine.


Kudos to those who are "mad at 'em" and just go out and fish...

Blaukat has a ton of experience and knowledge, but he's not really competitive anymore. He takes stabs at issues on social media to drive clicks and to produce revenue.

He hasn't had a top 10 in a BASS event since '02 and he's had 2 top 10's in FLW/MLF since 2011.

Compared to this fishing community yes he's probably head and shoulders above most.

Compared to the community in which he has chosen to compete against as his vocation, his better days are behind him considerably.


In the past, yes he was very good. Currently, he is not really competitive in the top levels of pro fishing.

He has to be the most miserably depressed person on all of YouTube

I wonder why that is. I think he handicaps himself ALOT by beating the bank in every single tournament.

I watch some of his videos, but I get a little tired of his preaching about how important the environment is and that we all need to vote in environmentalists, yet his method of income requires him to burn God knows how many gallons of gas in his boat and truck all over the country. Seems a little hypocritical if you ask me.

Bank beaters can’t compete with the scopers! If you can’t beat em, join em.

LS is the best thing to ever happen to Randy, he’d have no video content without it.

Better not tell him about the new active target coming out

I would love to chew the fat with Randy. I am like many people out there, if someone thinks about you the first thing to come to mind is fishing. Been practicing my casting for a while now, and it's part of my life. I wouldn't knock anyone down for doing something they are passionate about. It's just an opinion, and placing in a tourney isn't what makes a good bass fisherman. I'd fish with anyone who has a true love of chasing the green fish. Like I said before, I think someone who can teach you something is the way it should be done. Kudos to him, and anyone who shares info that helps others. He is"good people" in my mind.

It's not the arrow, it's the Indian.

Buffalo Indians? Or elephant Indians?

I think he posts regurgitated information for clicks.

What's depressing is reading some of these negative comments from guys who have no clue. Just don't click on his channel if you don't like his content. I think he helps a lot of anglers with seasonal patterns, unique techniques, fishing lines, bait colors, etc.

Randy said in his own video, his own words, that nobody will ever win a tournament without LS again. That’s not a very positive attitude from himself. I said before, he has 1 good video, for every 5 whining.

Randy said "millions of bass anglers" are depressed because of livescope.

It's not about what he says in other videos that may help people, it's about the fact in THIS VIDEO he said livescope is responsible for people being depressed.

Probably the most negative bad attitude professional fisherman out there… if the noise he spews is how he actually feels and not just made up for clicks.

he needs a tube of vagisil to ease his discomfort!

Livescope has changed the game in a way a lot of the oldschool cannot come to grips with. I get it. Spending your whole life learning tactics and patterns and all of a sudden everything turns to video game fishing. What they need to understand however is the playing field remains equal.

I remember when side imaging came out. Humminbird stole the show for awhile... the whole fishing world was gonna change! outlaw it! lol. Ol Blockhead should just stick to shallow water power fishing if he's scared of technology!

I agree its the newest thing since sliced bread in fishing in general, but its a single tool. Yes at times its the right tool for the job, but once you get dependent on it you loose focus on the big picture.

Yes its changed the way I approach things, but its not the cure all answer to every situation in fishing.

I have never once showed up to a ramp and said "oh man, they have LS, I think I will bow out". It has been my experience that guys who were good before, are still good, and the ones who weren't, still aren't. I don't feel like I am missing out on anything not having LS on my boat. 360 benefits me way more than LS ever would. Some people will get dependent on it, and that is sad. Part of the reason to fish is the enjoyment of our surroundings, unfortunately we are losing that aspect with the "look at me" ego that has inhabited the sport. I think it is a shame our youth are being taught less about the enjoyment of the sport and outdoors, and more about the business side of fishing, but I guess that is just the way it is going to be.

The only reason he posts videos like that is that he knows it gets everybody all jacked up. And the more clicks, the more money he puts in his pocket. Money, its all about the money. And he's laughing his butt off when he cashes a check! I think it's called 'click bait'.

I wasn't very depressed when I used it to catch a 10lber on Saturday.

Randy needs to just find him a hole to live in since everything is all doom and gloom with him. I wouldn't watch his videos if someone gave me $100 bill. So annoying.

Nice!!

He'd have to order it by the 5 gallon pail - and I'm not sure that would enough to ease his discomfort...

One has to remember Randy is a Liberal and his thinking follows that way. Meaning, Randy thinks everything is bad unless he likes it.
He is a tree hugger, climate environmentalists, a Zin guru who find harmony in nature and pretty sure an atheist or something close to that.
Randy was good at one time, if you don’t believe me, just ask him…he has an air about him that he still thinks he is 30 years old and could whip on any angler that has ever lived. KVD, Roland Martin, Rick Clunn , they all could not carry his rods for him back in the day.
But Randy is Randy, I find him rather amusing on some of his rants. I cannot believe he puts out so much in such a short time. He has to live in front of that camera ever day…well a lot of his stuff is when he is driving down the road….that doesn’t look so safe doing that and driving.

good thing he doesnt have to earn the money he spends on the tournament trail he would really be pissed.

I thought this was going to be about all the people that bought FFS only to learn there really are fish all around them and they simply can't catch them.

That's why I'm holding off. I'd rather believer there were no fish around.

Exactly. Randy complains all the time in his videos because he can't compete. One of his videos I watched he said he was going to use something different than what everyone else was fishing. Well, he did not do that good in the tournament with what he chose to use. The reason so many anglers in the tournament were throwing the same bait is because it was working. Randy seems to miss that information.

+1
I used to watch his videos until I realized that he thinks fishing is all about his way or the highway and he complains and cries about something all the time. He just can't keep up.

Yep, that is Randy.

I wonder how many Classics all these sad sacks have qualified for. I don't agree with all he says but he has the track record to back it up.

I'm with Randy😎

Whatever.

Ditto.. Never heard him preach politics, just fishing and all related.

I don't think he is wrong.

I just don't think there is any reasonable way to draw a line regarding which technology is acceptable and which is not, AND who gets to decide where the line is drawn.

At the end of the day, everyone has the same access to the same tools. If its that important to success, seems like it would be a wise investment.

If there is a tool that I feel is necessary to succeed at my career, I'm certainly going to make that investment.


I haven't spent the money yet, because when I do, i'm upgrading my trolling motor and all of my electronics and its not going to be cheap. But I don't fault any of the guys out there using FFS. If you are fishing for money, its almost silly not to have it at this point if you can afford it.

If the tournament organizations ever plan to ban something, they better do it right now; because it’s obvious that the technology will only keep advancing!

You won't see any of it get banned (and I am not advocating for it to be banned). Fishing is absolutely a rich man's sport. It is becoming more about who is willing to max out the credit cards (and that goes for all levels from club tournaments all the way up to the highest level). Aside from lack of talent, this is why I do not have the desire to ever be a pro anything in the fishing industry, whether it be a guide or a tournament angler. The people inhabiting this sport are spiraling out of control to the point they are willing to stuff fish in baskets or pound egg weights down a fish's gullet. The desire to win is a strong one that will continue to push the industry into wherever it is we are headed (which isn't good IMO).

I have a simple solution for Randy and the "millions of anglers that don't like live scope fishing" as he puts it, they can start their own pro circuit. They can go back to the days of the past. Get a 17.5 bass boat with a 150hp motor, and a trolling motor. No spot lock, no power poles, and no graphs. Just go out and use your skills to fish. Randy can make his own rules as he likes. That should make those "millions" of anglers happy.

And always whining about something fishing related. Always.

You mock the idea. But I can see this happening. Maybe not to the extreme your saying, but weren’t under water cameras banned in most fishing tournaments?

Im not mocking the idea, just providing a solution to their hate of technology. Just keep it off the boat, and go fish. Simple as that.

Yep his YouTube channel is growing fast he’s found his niche in the YouTube game and it’s paying off big time

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Not a level playing field? What’s next? Participation trophies? Level playing fields don’t exist. Somebody ALWAYS has an advantage. 10 years ago when I was in HS I showed $250-400 pigs against kids showing $15,000+ show pigs that they raised in $75,000+ climate controlled buildings. I played golf against kids who had 3 $150 golf lessons every week since they were 9 years old. I played football with and against guys who had high dollar personal trainers and went to every expensive summer football camp in the country it seemed like. Such is life. There will ALWAYS be something to cry about if you’re sitting on the sidelines looking for something to cry about. But the energy spent crying about a level playing field could instead be used learning to fish with what you’ve got.

And you will quickly end up with no tour sponsors to help pay the bills of that organization.

I rarely comment on here....But this gets me. The anglers that can semi consistently catch fish exclusively using livescope are limited. To think that you can pay $5,000 plus for a unit dial it in and roll the the lake and catch them is foolish. Anglers that are good at FFS have not spent hundreds of hours learning their craft..... They've spent thousands of hours. Years and years. Watching them on YouTube makes it seem easy. It's not! I liken it to someone who has spent a lifetime locating and catching fish offshore, a flipper that can make pinpoint casts and doesn't switch hands because he's going to make 100 more flips than you that day, a jig skipper that can fish for bass under docks that others cant reach, or perhaps a savvy old veteran that can make bait modifications to give themself an edge. I believe FFS for the masses (myself included) is the best way to zero in a tournament. I've been in the boat with one of the best several times and the subtle things he does as far as boat position, bait presentation and understanding the fishes mood is what separates "the men from the boys".

Yeah, he said professional bass anglers can't make a living unless they have a side gig. One was a presence on social media and clicks. That's why he produces content most every day and sometime twice a day. When I listen to his tournament practice videos and the tournament results I almost feel sorry for him as his results are mostly dismal. And that's always after a long drive away from Missouri. When he went to Lake Hartwell and complained that the tournament would be won by LiveScopers finding fish and brush on points, I suggested he go out on the points with down imaging and find and mark some brush piles. I guess he didn't do it.

He is big on government intervention about climate change. That's pretty political.

I think everyone should have the freedom to do what they want, that is what it's all about. I don't see or hear him ranting about politice, but I only watch the videos that look interesting. I think with what I hear from him on his videos, it's interesting and informative to a new angler. Heck, even I have learned some things from him. "You don't know, what you don't know." Anyone who shares a passion for Bass, is honest, and genuine is good in my book. I have several friends that "We agree to disagree". But they are dear friends, and it doesn't come between us. When we fish it's seamless, and I certainly do not have to think about what I say. I could care less if someone has a passion for climate change, or whatever it may be. Let's put all that on the plate and have a good chew while we fish. I am not someone who likes to debate, and I do not talk politics. I love to fish, and enjoy spending time with my son out there. There is a reason they call it the land of the free.. Kudos to him, and I hope he and his family are blessed doing whatever they want to do.. I have said it many times, there are many people out there that could really benefit from some time on the water wetting a line. Too much drama, life is too short. Let's go fishing... But don't long arm the fish , don't be the long arm bandit..

That's my cause for the next few years, then I might go for "Save the Fire ants to see how much fun I can have".. Laughter is so good for the heart.....

To me, Randy is old school. He is not willing to adjust to the latest technology, it has hurt him competition-wise, so now everything that comes out that he will not adjust to is bad. It is one thing to not want to use FFS, but to say it is bad for everything and everybody because he is inflexible just makes him sound like a whiner.

Well said, and this is very common. Seen it, and experienced it. But I will say this, It sure does feel good when you beat them. Many of the silver spoon/trust fund babies don't have the heart or passion than many others do. And they seem to just shrug it off and go do something else like it's no big deal. But the person who really dedicated his time and available finances into will really surprise you. I used to fish tourneys heavily in the 90's in and around Austin/and the hill country. There was a young man about my same age that had a 13ft aluminum boat, and maybe a 10 horse power motor. He had a igloo cooler setup with an aerator for fish. That guy could fish, and he did well. He couldn't run anywhere, but he also had a line in the water more than most. He was forced to launch near the weigh in, and still would typically be in the top 25% of any tourney. It's not the arrow, it's the Indian. Confidence within is an amazing thing. Anyhoo, FXfromTX is very correct in his observation.

Sounds like a case of FOMO!

If he believes in climate change being a problem he's a moron

Climate change is .......Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer, Wet, Dry, Windy, including its direction, or No Wind.. Pretty simple. The only problem with that is when it is too bad to go fish. LOL

IMHO, Randy puts out great content on his podcast. He has one of the few bassfishing channels on YouTube that shares detailed information on lure presentations, techniques, lure tweeks and places to find bass when it's tough.
I don't agree with everything that the guy says but when you've put in the time on the water and fished on the top levels of the sport for over 20yrs winning or not, he has the right to express his opinion on issues that affect the sport that he loves and has been involved in without getting roasted on social media just because his opinions are not the status quo. He had livescope on his boat and took it off,and he expresses his displeasure with certain aspects of professional bassfishing and environmental issues. I don't see it as whining, he's just sharing his opinion on some of the things that he's observed over the years just like alot of other professional anglers do on their channels. I even heard someone here mentioning something about his political stances and religion, wtf does any of that have to do with bassfishing or the man's character? Seems in this day and time, people get slammed/slashed canceled not for what they do but simply for what they say. I guess free speech in this country has gone the way of common sense,a thing of the past.

Seems like this “free speech” works both ways. I suppose we can free speech about his hypocrisy.

True, I guess you guys can pile on me now seems to be the way these days. Whether you agree or disagree with FFS, anyone especially a seasoned pro should be able to voice his opinion without being roasted. Just my opinion and we all know what they say about opinions, everybody has one and ..........you know the rest.

Why would anyone pile on you? You aren’t crying about the cost of baits and then promoting the most expensive brand made with $25 jerkbaits & $10 rubber skirted jigs with your name on them. You weren’t crying about the cost of boats and how unnecessary a fiberglass boat was and the second Skeeter threw a deal to them, they took it and never talked about the high cost of boats again. You weren’t the one crying about livescope and then went out and bought one, couldn’t understand it, then sold it and made 100 videos on how it’s “unfair”. Unless you’re really Randy, then we can pile on you!

No grout-scout I'm definitely not Randy, but in this day and time when you don't run with the popular narrative, people love to attack .Great points you made above ,can't argue with those. You win

Depression and fishing are two words I don’t associate with each other, kind of a oxymoron imo

Well, if you're always catching them with FFS like the pros state, wouldn't it get boring and mundane to be looking down all the time instead of experiencing nature at it's finest?

Hasn't it been out for a while or are there new features they have added?

supposedly coming out with newer and better in December........

Totally agree couldn’t have said it better.

Well I’ll say one thing for Randy he just got a new skeeter what did you get?

I saw one of Randys video's where he was driving to a tournament and was complaining about too many people on the water during a pro tournament. He thinks that no one should be allowed to fish on a lake that has a pro tournament on it unless you are a pro fishing the tournament. He complains about everything. I quit watching all his videos after that.

I think he's just an old grumpy man now LOL

Dudes a joke. Always a b about something. We had a name for those people in the military

I have and use the Humminbird 360 and I have a Garmin Panoptics LS. The LS is not my deal its so frustrating to use so I rarely turn it on. After 2 hours of looking at the screen I just turn it off and go fish. I've seen it work a few times but just a few. The real deal is the 360 its the best electronic tool I have on the boat besides my phone.

I beg to differ on bank beaters not being able to compete anyone, actually the bank should be getting better because of the decrease in fishing pressure but only time will tell. If I was a lot younger and fished more tournaments I might get one but hell I don't even have Power Poles. Like John Cox said LS shows you all the fish you aren't catching. lol

I agree with the subject line "Livescope Depression" only because i have livescope and have had it for a good while and still have a hard time catching them. Has it made me a better fisherman... not how i fish. Has it helped me eliminate water during a tournament. 100%. Thats more of how i use it where i fish. I can almost bet i have caught myself going down the rabbit hole of trying to catch fish under a dock and spending way too much time mostly because of livescope. Its kind of a double edge sword but i sure like THINKING im about to catch one because of livescope than the pre livescope days. Just because you have livescope, doesnt mean you will catch them. You still have to put in the time on water. Randy reminds me of the employees that have worked for a company for so long and when new technology comes out software, or system for their job, they get all pissed off and complain. Instead of embracing technology, he tries to fight it.

I'm depressed because I don't have spot lock.

Randy, is that you? Santa's coming soon so be nice

I just wonder what else Randy would blame for him not being competitive anymore if there wasn't any livescope.

That is pretty depressing!

I'm blessed with a boat that floats, a motor that runs, and a truck to pull it with. God is good.

You forgot to mention, and (good health) to operate that boat that floats, with a motor that runs and the truck that pulls it .

Yes, that too!!

I live on Lake of the Ozarks, if you aint scoppin, you aint winnin.

That being said, I dont want to be on the water staring at a screen all day

“…as long as this continues I will bitch and whine so YA’LL better get used to it……”

Well that's believable 100%!!

It's on my bucket list before I hit 70.