Top things u have learned abt crappie behavior with live scope

I would like those who have used or observed livescope in action to plz comment on what things u have learned since u got livescope. some of my questions are
1. do crappie spook alot easier than u thought before you fished with livescope
2 are there alot more fish in more areas than u thought before.
3. when u can put the jig more closely to thier face, does size, color, live, ect seem to matter as much?
what percentage of the crappie you find, tend to be actively feeding?
4. are u finding that there are usually some crappie on the bridges year around?
5. will more than one crappie try to attack the offering at the same time?
6. do crappie ever bite at the sinker instead of the jig?
anything else that u found interesting that u now know to be a way the fish behave that u didnt know before or werent sure about.

Leanin, interesting post and I hope you get a lot of responses. I haven't had mine long enough to comment at length.
1. I haven't noticed crappie being spooked but I have read/heard/seen video where comments have been made that larger crappie can be spooked.
2. Definitely there are more, and frustratingly since I got my LS in August - they didn't want to bite. Summer and transition crappie were tough for me. But at the same time, others were clicking 25's, So part was me. I could find them, but not always catch.
3. I was using mostly minnows due to challenges ...see #2. In the last couple of weeks I did catch some on jigs and color, and jig size did matter.
4. can't say as I haven't been on bridges, fishing mostly timber and some brush piles
5. LoL - 9-10' crappie, 4 at a time swarming a minnow - definitely yes on this one, or a couple all over it and another swims in for the steal. I've seen that several times and it is very cool. Never felt it on the rod either. You can sometimes see a crappie take your jig and be swimming off with it. 15 ft down and the sideways movement of your jig - you don't feel it. But set the darn hook and sure enough, fish-on.
6. I haven't noticed this one.
additions
7. Maybe because of the time of year I started with LS, the precision of where you had to put the jig seemed to be essential to getting bites. Occassionally I could coax one from out of the brush. I'm looking forward to better times with more aggressive fish.
8. Related to #2, and this may have been part of the reason I was not clicking 25, was you can see a lot of fish are there so I stayed in one place too long. But you can definitely see when you were going to waste your time.
9. You catch less catfish by staying off the bottom

1. No
2.Yes
3. No, but you can tell if they are interested real quick
And it seems I'm always leaving fish that aren't feeding
4. I don't fish bridges
5. I've seen em chase the crappie I've hooked up close to the boat
6. No
I see a lot of uninterested fish,
I also notice when the shad are schooling near, the crappie do bite better
I also have always figured once you find that spot in the water column where the fish are at - like as in 15' depth there's always a few spots that they will be up above that, like at 10',I've just always assumed they were holding at the thermocline.

Two things LS has shown me is that 1. There are WAAAAY more fish in the lake than I ever imagined and 2. I suck at catching them!

Wayne

the spooking part is interesting because I have watched people fishing right next to bridge pilings with the outboard running, going from piling to piling and catching fish , they actually use the motor to keep them in position on a little flat boat. catching fish right next to the piling they are idling in front of .. and theres been times ive driven over a brushpile with the big motor to mark the pile, I see fish on the sonar, then when I come back over them on the trolling motor they are gone,. Ive also heard of instances where when u pull up over a brushpile, the fish swim underneath the boat and you must back up to catch them.. crappie are strange for sure.

I've been using LS for almost three years and here are my thoughts.I average 4 to 5 days a week fishing, so I have a lot of time behind the screen.

Yes. They are a spooky fish, but certain times of the year. For instance, the post spawn through the early fall, they are not as spooky. But during the winter months I tend to see many more spook from the sound of the TM more that anything.

Many more fish than I thought were there, but at some point that will change in my opinion.

I do not believe color has much to do with it. I think it is much more about the presentation. Bait proximity can have a lot to with getting a bite and not getting a bite. I have seen a crappie come from 15 feet away to smack a jig and I have seen a jig right in front of them and nothing!

Bridges will hold crappie year around, just in different numbers.

Yes, they compete for a bait when you find a fired up school.

I do not jig fish with a sinker, but I have seen many times crappie go after the weight on a drop shot minnow rig.

I will conclude with this. This technology does make them bite. However, in the right hands and the right skill level, it can be the difference in a day fishing versus a day of catching. I have seen many naysayers about the LS and I get it. It is not an end all be all tool. But like I said, in the right hands, I challenge anyone who is against it to come fish a tournament without it and see the results. The tournament guys will welcome your donation! Ha!\

Not that I've learned anything other than it still takes cutting a arm and a leg off to pay for live soap I mean scope
But it has confirmed my long time (even before LS) technique of move fast fish slow, there will always be inactive fish so after not getting bit, a couple changes (action, depth and yes also color) it's time to move on.....
I still say there's a bigger feeling of accomplishment catchn using 2D over LS (IMHO) although both ways are extremely fun.....

G3 - this "it can be the difference in a day fishing versus a day of catching." is why I like mine. I can't fish more than 1 or 2 times a week, at best. Since I don't know what the fish are doing, I'm on here checking what others are doing, and have a starting point. Without a doubt I catch much more often than just fishing and I often have family or friends that don't fish much and it makes their fishing more fun too. Even if the fish aren't cooperating, they see them and don't feel like they will never catch one.

and I forgot to add another thing I've learned about Livescope

10. You will start to talk to fish and become a fish whisperer coaxing them into participating

1 no
2 yes
3 color doesn’t matter till it does
4 don’t fish bridges
5 not often
6 I fish braid with a bead , swivel and leader, Fish check out the bead very often.

Mo

Great thread ... I would ask does the Live Scope mean more fish caught?

I've noticed that crappie do most of the time feed UP but I've seen fish swim 10 ft.+ down after my bait

@karpbuster - for me it is unquestionably YES more fish caught. I only focused on Crappie so far though I can see it very useful for white bass and largemouth/smallmouth under certain conditions.

The oddest thing I have found is a group of crappie will just suspend in open water 10-15ft away from the timber/brushpile.

#1 - That a fish will bite a bait more than two times...




#2 - That the school was always there but just 2' - 5' away from where I was dropping in on them. Now I can see them and use the jog feature on my trolling motor to dial them in for the strike.



All videos were recorded while utilizing our PoleDucer transducer system...Nice steady, stable images.
https://shut-up-and-fish.com/search.php?search_query_adv=poleducer&section=product

Great videos David -- and so very true!

Well then ... I will have to get one.

I just tried mine yesterday for the first time , super cool to look at. I suspect when I have a clue how to use it I will help

3 months in and I'm still trying to figure out where, exactly that stump or tree is, in relation to the transducer. It's more to it I think than a simple left/right to forward/back translation. But I'm much better at it now than when I first started with it. When fishing submerged stuff, it took me a bit to learn where it actually was. To me, aside from seeing the fish, being able to see where your bait in relation to the target is the game changer.

I still have a lot of room to get better and it's dang sure fun tryin'

yes.,,. I have noticed this too, with my 2d, and when it occurs, they seem to be doing it everywhere,, every pile u go to that has fish on it, they are in a group suspended near the pile.

Good questions Leaning Post, and some awesome responses




Great videos, thanks for sharing

Two weeks ago My Grandson and I were at Lavon. We spotted a small object on the bottom in 10-11 FOW that had numerous fish on it. We dropped a jig and caught two or three nice crappie in just a couple of minutes. Then, disaster struck and my Grandson's jig hung up and when he tried to retrieve it, I could see the entire object coming up to the surface. When he got it to the top, it was a single log about 2-3' long and about 12" in dia. Fish scattered as soon as it started coming up.

Here's the neat part: He got his jig unhooked, let go of the log and dropped it straight down and as soon as it hit the bottom, all the fish came running back to it. We caught two or three more after that. Strange that all that commotion didn't scatter them for good.

Wayne

For all the folks that get upset with people fishing “their” piles, here you go. Take them home with you when you’re done for the day, and bring them back out when you want to fish.

you might have wanted to take that log with you,, lol

that's funny Davedave, I have a so called friend who loves to call fishermen "potlickers" because they fish brushtops that were put out by others. I will definitely be using your saying the next time I see/hear him and others crying and complaining of those tops being fished.

not to highjack my own post, but that reminds me of a funny story. ronnie and I were fishing waco one day years ago, and a guy approached us in his boat near the bridge at a brushpile we were fishing,, he says " hey fellas did u put that pile out"? no I said.. so he said well heres the rules on waco.. if u didnt put the pile out, you have to wait until u see AT LEAST 3 different fisherman fishing that pile before u can fish it... At that moment a switch flipped in my head.. either invite him to the bank for an in depth discussion on brushpile fishing education and likely rolling around on the bank with him until we beat the snot out of each other, or laugh it off.. I chose not to let him get my goat,,, we kept fishing and he finally got bored and left,., lol .. im sure ronnie will laugh if he reads this post., with ronnie being a policeman, im sure he was enjoying the whole situation,,, if I had my thinking cap on at the time, instead of a cap of shock, I would have asked him, how can u tell which piles are natural and which are manmade... im sure he could have explained that as well.,. ha

real men don't use LS

This is not about crappie behavior , but I have noticed that at times while my 2d sonar showed a nice return , I could be 5-7 feet off the brushpile.
Of course this is due to the 20 degree cone angle , the deeper the brushpile , the further off you can be and still appear to be " on it "

another thing I have noticed is what I call " curious but not hungry " behavior . When you drop a jig , and see fish rush up to look at it ,
then turn away. Maybe I am doing something wrong , but it seems to happen with all sizes and colors I use.

one last thing, If I have a fish near my jig , If I hop the jig, the fish is more likely to spook way than hit it.

your mileage may vary

Mo

I think I would have said " you mean there is a brushpile here ? someone should mark these . "

MO

One of things I have learned color is for fisherman not crappie.Location-presentation-profile to catch a lot of fish move move move.You can eliminate a lot of spots quickly with LS .Crappie usally Bite quickly if they don't move .Also you can catch them in 5-20' of water year round.Catching big fish is a different game they are usually loners .

do you use any scent, like shad oil. nibbles . ect?

[/quote]

do you use any scent, like shad oil. nibbles . ect?
[/quote]

almost always use nibbles.


MO

The top things I have learned about Crappie from live scope is:

1) They have a middle finger.
2) They have an annoying little laugh that is just downright rude.

But maybe I’m reading a little too much into what I’m seeing on the screen.

You are reading it correctly. Note: they also have a foul mouth as well

I have read that alot of crappie spook due to the trolling motor .. what I have noticed is most trolling motors you buy come with a "weedless wedge " type prop.. this prop, mine anyway has little wings on the end that are supposed to act as choppers when u get into the thick grasses and salads like lily and other aquatic vegetation.. I wonder if a more conventional style prop, without the chopper bends on the end of the blade will cause less noise and commotion...? im thinking the little wings on the end of the prop can likely be heated with a heat gun and straightened,. though it may throw it out of balance.

after everyone goes outside and looks at thier trolling motor props,. and says,., well dang.. I would like to hear your thoughts...

this is the prop I have. back before the weedless wedge, and various other modified props, I cant recall it seeming like there was depth charges under the boat every time u stepped on the pedal? these props make more commotion that the outboard motor I think!

1 sometimes
2 yes
3 I switch color less since Livescope it sometimes helps to change to a different profile bait
4 yes
5 sometimes
6 they look at split shot sometimes
In stained water lakes they love the shade of the boat
Not so much in clear water
Livescope is awesome

That is really interesting.

Move often, yes...bream really, really like splitshot!...we fish heavier jigweight and larger Bait profiles...the black crappie are always 10-15 ft deep in the branches and like a pendulum swing....and the big white crappie hang on the bottom...DW, we catch the big fish...from the hole in the bottom of the pile DW...Ha

Leanin post, as always...you ask too many questions to answer on a posting forum...we should go fish, then maybe I will have time to answer them all!

experienced this on Lavon yesterday!

Well i caught them in the middle of a wild sex act !!!! Looked like two rabbits !!!!