dead sticking and livescope

Don't see a lot of post on using live scope for striped fish. I realize its not that essential for locating and catching. But recently I've gone with someone that has one, and its a trip watching the fish come to the baits.


Start thumping and groups of fish race to the bait. Its amazing the amount of fish that don't hit, for some reason. Its also amazing finding a hill of sandbars and observe how many will look at a slab, jigged up and down before one would get it. I'm sure I'll hear all the pros saying you don't need it. Which I'm one, but I had always wondered what it might look like underneath catching hundreds. Now I know.

Live scope is a game changer for deadsticking for Hybrids and Whites. After using it and seeing what I see it amazes me how many fish are in the lake and how they react to different baits and techniques to get them to bite. Good topic!

well tell me more

1st, you can always have the bait at proper depth. Usually in deep water you can get everyone's bait on screen.
2nd, you can tell tell when to move lure, Getting results with slowly raising bait as one approaches. Also observed moving the bait and they scatter like it exploded. I've slowly raised where I cant Lift riod no higher and they follow.
3rd, after seeing 100's looking at it and not commit, change colors or rig set up..

By far no expert, the manual thumping was a must. I won't be buying a LS or a thumper. But closer to get a thumper. A bottle of Ben gay, for right wrist (thumpin) and for crick in my neck (looking at screen).

But it is fun if you get in right area with those tools..

By the way I think I only get invited is because I a very good thumper and the boat owner ain't got the rythem. He just ordered a thumper and my days are numbered.

Yep, took some video today and with literally hundreds of fish below the boat it was challenging. I changed to a blade bait, and when I lifted the bait up slowly off the bottom I would have to spoon feed them. I put some video in the Grapevine 2022 thread. It is absolutely amazing how many fish look at your bait but don't bite. But it is heavily overcast, and I am pretty sure it's pitch black at 22-25ft. So I am working on some baits which will be painted in glow in the dark paint, and also possiblity a cheating jig which has a white led surface mount ic. Still working on this.

I found that going right by their face pretty fast spurs reaction bites where just a slow retrieve gets nothing. I never thought about it being dark that deep.

I was crappie fishing this weekend , the hybrids started busting up on bait. I eased the boat to the spot . Lots of fish in the livescope , they show up
a lot better than crappie. I only had my crappie rigs in the boat. Drop a slab bandit on a 1/4 oz jig head and hooked up immediately . Cool to watch the
jig get eaten. I caught 3 then went back to crappie fishing. There was a time , I would stay out all day and chase the hybrids. Now I crappie fish 99% of the time.

good luck

MO

Our last few trips we've had more success keeping baits 10-12 feet in 30+ row. Even at the shallower depth, fish would still come and get and seemed more aggressive. Been a weird year. Still finding fish in 12-14 and 21-25. Plus 30-40. Bait still in most depths.

Mo PM me the coordinates of that BP, so I can find those schoolers on cedar creek,😃

LOL

I was fishing for crappie under the two mile bridge last year and a school of hybrids came thru. I was cool to see all of the 5 boats under that section of the bridge hook up with a hybrid. I caught three before they moved on. It was awesome on 6lb test and a light action rod.

Used a Hook 5 yesterday dead sticking, after 50+ fish using a Hazy Eye Slab and White rooster tail......we'd see the slab/lures drop down into the fish in 40 FOW and hook up every-time....fish stayed at 40-50 FOW for 3 hours!....

I agree that live scope is a game changer in that you can know when your lure is at the depth where the fish are. My suggestion, if you can afford it, is to get at least one additional live cope monitor (one live scope with two monitors) and position it where anglers at the other end of the boat can see it.