Video... Using Mega Live in Down Mode Like an Enhanced SI Transducer

[SLYDoggie]

I am using the Mega Live like an enhanced SI transducer when fishing for Stripers. I have it in Down Mode perpendicular to the boat and adjust the Down Mode depth to around 100 feet. That gives me about 70 feet of coverage on each side of the boat... The deeper you set it, the more range you have on each side.

The cool part is that I not only can see exactly where the fish are on each side, along with the depth, but I can then touch the Apex screen where the fish are and select "Go To Cursor " and my Ulterra Quest will take me to that exact spot and SpotLock. I then, adjust the depth to about 5 feet deeper than the actual bottom depth, start my Thumper, watch the fish gather under the boat, and start Jigging.

I have condensed (sped up) a 16 minute video of this process and catching 6 fish into a 2 minute video. It's really cool to see the fish movements sped up. At one point two different schools come together from opposite directions. The fish were a combination of Stripers, Hybrids, and native Yellow Bass. The jig doesn't always show up well on this sped up version but it did show up well at real time.

My Apex 19 screen is the left half of the video and my Apex 13 is the right half of the video... in sync with one another.

[Tone357]

Mega Live looks way better than my LiveScope.

[aero320]

I am using the Mega Live like an enhanced SI transducer when fishing for Stripers. I have it in Down Mode perpendicular to the boat and adjust the Down Mode depth to around 100 feet. That gives me about 70 feet of coverage on each side of the boat... The deeper you set it, the more range you have on each side.

The cool part is that I not only can see exactly where the fish are on each side, along with the depth, but I can then touch the Apex screen where the fish are and select "Go To Cursor " and my Ulterra Quest will take me to that exact spot and SpotLock. I then, adjust the depth to about 5 feet deeper than the actual bottom depth, start my Thumper, watch the fish gather under the boat, and start Jigging.

I have condensed (sped up) a 16 minute video of this process and catching 6 fish into a 2 minute video. It's really cool to see the fish movements sped up. At one point two different schools come together from opposite directions. The fish were a combination of Stripers, Hybrids, and native Yellow Bass. The jig doesn't always show up well on this sped up version but it did show up well at real time.

My Apex 19 screen is the left half of the video and my Apex 13 is the right half of the video... in sync with one another.

Using a Thumper with Mega Live is cheating!

[Real L]

Pardon my ignorance: What's a thumper ?

[SLYDoggie]

Pardon my ignorance: What's a thumper ?

The Thumper is a device which was developed in Texas to fish for Stripers. It makes a thumping noise and the number of thumps per minute can be changed. The stripers think it is a feeding frenzy and fish breaking the surface. They come around the boat to see what is going on. The one I have is the Thumponator and you can pause, start, and change the thumping speed via WiFi.

[SLYDoggie]

Using a Thumper with Mega Live is cheating!

You would think, but you still have to find them, which can be a real challenge in the winter and early spring.

[Wayne P.]

Some use a Splasher to do the attracting.

[Wayne P.]

Pardon my ignorance: What's a thumper ?

BOBO'STHUMPER.COM (bobosthumper.com)

[SLYDoggie]

Some use a Splasher to do the attracting.

Yeah, I have a really old small transom mount trolling motor that I would love to set up for "splashing", but I can't figure out a place on my pontoon to mount it that it would be easily accessible. Splasher works better than Thumper in the summer but Thumper works great in the late fall, winter, and early spring.

I use the Thumponator. I like it because it uses WiFi to start, pause, and change the thumping speed. That allows me to put it under one of my pontoon seats and I can start/stop it without having to raise the seat. It's a pretty ingenious design with mostly 3D printed parts.

https://thumponator.com/

[Real L]

Thank you
Wonder if this would work ????
Clonk.jpg

[SLYDoggie]

Thank you
Wonder if this would work ????
Clonk.jpg

Actually, before the Thumper, there were freshwater Striper guides who would use a variety of things to "thump" on the floor of the boat. It does the same thing as long as it makes a noise in a similar frequency range.

[Real L]

This is actually used to thump on the water. It's used to '' wake up'' Wels Catfish in Europe.

[SLYDoggie]

This is actually used to thump on the water. It's used to '' wake up'' Wels Catfish in Europe.

Interesting. Don't know why it wouldn't also work for Striped Bass, if you have any lakes where they are stocked.

[Real L]

Yes, we have strippers, not in lakes but in the St Lawrence river (stocked fish also) . In the section of the river I fish, they are protected still. We are not allowed to catch any excxept accidental catches.

[Les Young]

SLYDoggie, what baits are you using to jig for striper? I was telling my buddy that i wanted us to go to our local lake & either jig or spoon fish striper at night this spring with livescope.

[SLYDoggie]

I use the Rapala Jigging Rap, but only in the late fall through early spring. In the summertime, I troll for Stripers.