Livescope Lessons

[Bearetta]

I have been out twice with new garmin on a cove full of crappie.
I have been wearing myself out watching that screen and only catching a few.
First day they were spread out all at 20 feet and not really chasing or eating anything.
Grandson and I caught 12 but only 4 keepers.
2 days later it was a whole different picture show. Stacked schools of crappie, chasing, schools of baitfish, lots of movement to the fish and screen was full. But only caught 4 dinks. Once, I got 8 good size fish to rise to my bait, surround it, look or smell the niblet on there and 7 of them scrambled as if a bomb had went off. One stayed and stayed and stayed but never bit, then boogied.

Lesson learned-boy do I suk at crappie fishing.
Without livescope I would think I just wasn’t near them.
Now I know better.

[SOONER*REDNECK]

Fat Slabs guide service on Grand Lake is highly recommended to teach everything there is to know about the LIVESCOPE. Look him up if you are interested. I know him personally, not super well but I know he is a great guy with a wealth of knowledge about anything garmin!

[TDobb]

Sounds like you need to change your presentation. I would go with a 1/32 ounce jig with a minnow profile plastic bait, or a small creature style bait. A lot of times if you see schooling crappie, if you can get your bait to slowly sink down to them the most aggressive fish will rocket up and smash the bait so hard it will knock slack in your line. Fall rate is absolutely critical, a bait moving too fast will not get bit. I pitch jigs and plastics to crappies all spring and if I am on fish, I am getting bit. Hi vis 4lb line, 6 to 7 foot rod, 1/32 ounce jig, GAME OVER. If they are deeper than 15 feet, I will switch to a 1/24th or 1/16th jig as the line will slow the rate of fall enough to get those deeper fish to activate.

[Bearetta]

Sounds like you need to change your presentation. I would go with a 1/32 ounce jig with a minnow profile plastic bait, or a small creature style bait. A lot of times if you see schooling crappie, if you can get your bait to slowly sink down to them the most aggressive fish will rocket up and smash the bait so hard it will knock slack in your line. Fall rate is absolutely critical, a bait moving too fast will not get bit. I pitch jigs and plastics to crappies all spring and if I am on fish, I am getting bit. Hi vis 4lb line, 6 to 7 foot rod, 1/32 ounce jig, GAME OVER. If they are deeper than 15 feet, I will switch to a 1/24th or 1/16th jig as the line will slow the rate of fall enough to get those deeper fish to activate.

That is great advice. I went to a 1/8 jig head to get it down to 20’. I fell fast as I saw it on the screen. Faster than a crippled minnow for sure. I held it still above them as I have seen before but it wasn’t working at least that day. I am headed back to try them again this Saturday and will change it up.
I appreciate the advice.
Tom

[Bearetta]

Fat Slabs guide service on Grand Lake is highly recommended to teach everything there is to know about the LIVESCOPE. Look him up if you are interested. I know him personally, not super well but I know he is a great guy with a wealth of knowledge about anything garmin!

Thanks.
They all know how to catch them up at Grand. I have taken the grandsons with Hayden once and Den once. Smacked them both times.
Hayden relied on the Livescope. He would tell my grandson he had a fish before Grandson knew it. He was good.
Tom

[PMantle]

I fished the same piles all late summer last year learning to use livescope. There were days when the fish would not hit anything fished any way. Other days i would get bit well before even reaching the pile.

[RFeyoMN]

That livescope is really a game changer for open water crappies! It's amazing tech!!

I know it's tough to get them to bite sometimes. When they're like that, I just go smaller. I'll fish down to 100th of an ounce and 2lb line. A lot of times I gotta use a float. It can be painfully slow! As mentioned above, the fall rate can be everything with finicky crappies. Slower is better. Also, if they are deeper and you can get your boat about them...you can try a fast presentation like a Rippin Rap, or a Jiggin Rap to try to get reaction bites. It works at times.