Live Imaging… Review and Thoughts

I am trying to get myself to believe that the live imaging is worth all the hype.

I was wondering if I could get a list of pro’s and con’s going from people that have now had a chance to use this technology for a while now. I am not looking really at brand specific type of feedback just overall feedback on the use of live imaging as a tool for fishing. I kind of have a short list already but any other things from people that have actually used this for awhile now would be appreciated.

Pro’s:
– Saves time on ice finding fish
– Can be used year round on a boat or on ice
– Multiple fishermen can fish at same time with it

Con’s
– Cumbersome/Bulky to take with you on ice
– Cost is expensive
– Learning curve may take a while to effectively use the technology

I am not saying my ideas are correct but these are things I have thought on.

Look forward to hearing other thoughts thanks in advance.

Not much learning curve with mega live. Not sure on other kind.

I will be following, I too am in the same situation. Our pro vs con list is similar also.

lrott2003 wrote:

I am trying to get myself to believe that the live imaging is worth all the hype.

Me too. I’m on my second season with a Garmin. This thought often goes through my head.

Well, I think it is important to state the obvious….
The greatest benefit of live imaging is that it is LIVE 2D IMAGING.
Traditional sonar offers a 1D (vertical) view, and live imaging offers a 2D (vertical & horizontal) view.

I completely agree with the cons of being bulky and expensive. I would maybe add lag as another con. The learning curve is 1-2 trips at worst (only experienced with Garmin units).

Positive, it allows you to find suspended schools of panfish rather with

Negative, kinda takes some of the magic away from fishing in general. One of the thrills about fishing is catching a fish that you DIDN’T know was there.

For me, the price would have to come down considerably.
When searching for suspended fish, they are incredible. But they are not as great at finding fish in weeds or that are hugging bottom/structure.
To me, that eliminates a great deal of their open-water ability. The price tag is high for a tool that I would really only benefit from for part of the year. That being said, if I owned one, I would use the hell out of it.

I am in the middle of a LiveScope build… haven’t completed it yet.

One thing I would add to the list of Pros is lure/bait affirmation. When you aren’t getting bit, it’s always a mystery. “Is it the fish or what I have on?” With live imaging you can likely tell what species it is and if it checked out your bait. As an example; if you are walleye fishing and you have two come up in the water column and sniff your bait but don’t bite… time to change.

Yes, this is possible to a lesser degree with traditional sonar, but I think live imaging takes it to another level and also makes it possible in open water.

If I lived down south or fished areas of a lot of standing timber I would look really hard at it. As it is I have Mega 360 much faster at finding open water fish and staying on them. Same goes for structure get into a bunch of cribs from one spot in just the time it takes for my 360 to make a complete sweep I can tell you where each crib is and if there are fish on it. Getting setup on the crib is so easy just point the trolling motor in the direction of the crib wait for it to show on 2D hit spot lock. Same goes for any fish, structure, suspended or on the bottom.

Your list is pretty good for pro’s and con’s I might dispute the cost however as decent units are pretty reasonable right now compared to top line flashers. I’ve run Garmin units since it was first introduced as Panoptix and I’m well satisfied. The learning curve is not as difficult as it looks. Fine tuning and failure to read the instructions has been an issue for some folks. Some things I love about it is the ability to see exactly where the fish are instead of just a mark on the screen indicating there is something within your cone. Pretty easy to identify the size of fish and often the species as well as the location in relation to your bait. Searching for fish is also easier even for bottom huggers. You can find the fish even if they are not under you. The more experience you get with it the better it will be for your needs. Lastly if you like a challenge and to be entertained instead of staring at the colored circle or flat line across your screen then live imaging is for you. In the end it’s a decision only you and yours can make.

mojo wrote:

But they are not as great at finding fish in weeds or that are hugging bottom/structure.

And you know this based on your many hours of staring at the screen of the live imaging unit you own? Oh that’s right, you don’t own one.

I agree with what Henpecked wrote;

Henpecked wrote:

The learning curve is not as difficult as it looks. Fine tuning and failure to read the instructions has been an issue for some folks. Some things I love about it is the ability to see exactly where the fish are instead of just a mark on the screen indicating there is something within your cone. Pretty easy to identify the size of fish and often the species as well as the location in relation to your bait. Searching for fish is also easier even for bottom huggers. You can find the fish even if they are not under you.

I will add; just today I identified some structure, a bent over Christmas tree anchored with cement blocks. I could clearly see the fish moving in, out and under the tree. Could also see their reactions to my jigging cadence. (scared the bejeebes out of one fish who then scooted 10 feet away)

I also use mine extensively when trolling. I can watch a bottom bouncer and my crankbait 45-65 feet behind my boat. I am able to accurately know just how deep my bait is running and if and when it passes by fish. Again, can also view how those fish react to my trolled bait.

mojo wrote:

if I owned one, I would use the hell out of it.

I do own one and you are absolutely right. Use the heck out of it!!!

Huntindave wrote:

And you know this based on your many hours of staring at the screen of the live imaging unit you own? Oh that’s right, you don’t own one.

Huntindave, if you are happy with your purchase, I’m happy for you. Where I fish, and the type of fishing I do in open water, it doesn’t work well, so I made the common-sense decision to not spend the money on something I can only use for part of the season.
I have spent hours fishing over a Lowrance ActiveTarget 2 system on a 15 inch screen, and I learned enough to know there are limitations to what these systems can do. I also know they are a tremendous advantage in some situations. Buyers need to know the limitations, or they may be disappointed.
If you are offended by me posting my experience, I am sorry.

I’m very surprised to hear fishing in heavy cover/weeds/bottom hugging fish as a con for live imaging.

I would list it as a pro and big upgrade when compared to traditional sonar or flasher.

I routinely fish in very heavy cover and weeds. With traditional sonar the screen is a complete mess and pretty much useless. With live imaging (Garmin at least) the screen is still a complete mess. But, the big difference is….anything that moves in that mess or on the bottom is a fish.

On my second year with livescope. I love it. Is it worth the money? For me, yes. For 18yr old me, probably not. I mostly walleye fish and to be honest, in the winter time, it’s almost strictly for entertainment in the wheelhouse. I am confident I don’t catch anymore fish than before, but it is a blast to see how many fish are swimming around and how they are reacting. In the boat it is another gadget but definitely CAN help catch more fish. It’s very beneficial in shallow or clear water to see fish out in front of the boat that never appear ontraditional 2d sonar because they scatter when a boat rundls over the top. If you don’t catch a lot of fish now, livescope isn’t going to magically make you a great fisherman, but in the right hands it can definitely increase success

I could see shallow water walleye being a big help. Like you said most all fish will scatter and never seen on 2D sonar. Could quickly eliminate a lot of water that isn’t holding fish.

The worst con about having a Live Scope is seeing all those fish. trying to find the correct baits, cadence of retrieve and still getting beat. Yes it’s depressing Absolutely the best tool I have ever bought. Makes me think every time why are the fish here Is it the structure, weeds etc. If used as a learning tool it’s awesome. If bought for a magical drive up see them catch them well good luck. Only con it is a little heavy and the pole is always in the way especially when it in the back seat of the car.

I use my only open water fishing. Last year on Erie we found the fish were much higher in the water column when the transducer was pointer forward. Once the boat went over the fish they would either dive deeper or dirt out to the side of the boat. So instead of running baits down at 25 feet where they were being marked, we raised them up to 15 feet, where the fish were suspended before the boat went over them.

Another scenario it came in handy, was pulling spinners last summer. We would watch the fish follow the spinner, swing the rod back and set the hook. It drastically improved the catch rate.

Mark Wilson wrote:

Well, I think it is important to state the obvious….
The greatest benefit of live imaging is that it is LIVE 2D IMAGING.
Traditional sonar offers a 1D (vertical) view, and live imaging offers a 2D (vertical & horizontal) view.

I don’t agree,
2D sonar shows images in two dimensions, height and length as they looked when a transducer moves over a target or a target moves under a stationary transducer. Live imaging shows images in three dimensions, height, length and width in real time as they are in the cone of a transducer.

Smellson wrote:

On my second year with livescope. I love it. Is it worth the money? For me, yes. For 18yr old me, probably not. I mostly <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>walleye fish and to be honest, in the winter time, it’s almost strictly for entertainment in the wheelhouse. I am confident I don’t catch anymore fish than before, but it is a blast to see how many fish are swimming around and how they are reacting. In the boat it is another gadget but definitely CAN help catch more fish. It’s very beneficial in shallow or clear water to see fish out in front of the boat that never appear ontraditional 2d sonar because they scatter when a boat rundls over the top. If you don’t catch a lot of fish now, livescope isn’t going to magically make you a great fisherman, but in the right hands it can definitely increase success

Agreed about not catching more fish. I live on a very clear lake and an underwater camera is the best tool (and most fun) until it gets dark. That’s when my Panoptix comes into play. The beauty of a camera though is I can see whether or not a walleye is in a negative mood. If he’s oriented down, with fins down as well, I drop my jigging spoon to the bottom and let it lie motionless. I’m amazed how many walleyes will Hoover up my gear like that. With my Vexlar and Panoptix, I can only guess what I’m seeing on a screen.

Not for me, Although it looks very interesting, its too much . Money, and I believe some species of fish, namely crappies in the winter will take a beating. I spend too much time looking at my 2 screens already

Part of the fun for me ice fishing is breaking down lake structure on a map and trying to figure out the spots to try. It’s like solving a puzzle. I’m sure it’s a nice to tool to have, but I can find other things to spend $2,500+ on where I feel like I’m getting value for the $$$.

In terms of the cost issue, you can get yourself into a used LVS32 setup for around $1,500 if you shop around to put a kit together… that’s about 1/2 of what a Garmin bundle sells for…

I know $1,500 is still slot of money, but the technology is incredible and you can use it year round..

I bought MEGA live last spring, so have a few ice hours on it but not a ton. Only managed a couple days of open water fishing so never bothered to use it in the boat.

The more I use it the more I like it. It certainly makes fishing more interesting, as you have much more information in your face compared to a traditional sonar. My next trip out is going to be focused entirely on learning the forward facing mode to find weed lines, structure, etc.

Is it worth it? Probably not. It’s a glorified (and expensive) toy but whats the point of working if you can’t have a little fun with the income.

I try my best to fish by no one in the winter,and will go out of my way to do so.Often this leaves me with a peacefull spot and fish I have found.That is until the live sonar guy comes along and drills around me and sits there to see if I am on fish and catching anything.Have seen guys go house to house to house doing this.I reel up my lines when this happens and if there are any fish hopefully they leave.These people spent 2,000+grand on electronics but have to chase down the lonesome fishhouses on the ice to find fish,pathetic.

matt wrote:

I try my best ,,,,,, blah blah blah,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,on the ice to find fish,pathetic.

I try not to worry about how others are fishing, it’s out of my control.

Huntindave wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>matt wrote:</div>
I try my best ,,,,,, blah blah blah,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,on the ice to find fish,pathetic.

I try not to worry about how others are fishing, it’s out of my control.

This. It can be tough at times tho. Those guys that matt referenced have always existed. LS or not. At least now they can do it from 40′ away and don’t have to come drill on top of you.

Thanks everyone for a lot of great feedback… I think that I would be using this equipment mainly as a learning tool and for finding fish. I know there are no guarantees in life and that it does not catch me more fish. The time savings I think is what I feel is the best value with this type of unit. I don’t fish every day and I am not retired and I like to fish new water. I think this unit will allow me to break that down immensely faster and allow me to eliminate areas in minutes versus hours thus allowing me to try more new areas.

Secondly I have recently purchased a UTV so now travel will be much easier and I can handle carrying things that don’t pack in a sled as nice. Hopefully I will be ready for ice 2024 with a unit. Will give me time to save and maybe prices will come down or availability will be easier to find.

Tight lines rest of winter!

No cons for me. Been using livescope for 3.5 years now, open water and ice fishing and wouldn’t go anywhere without it. Throw it in the atv/utv/sled and go. I would not go back to any other sonar. My 8 year old son loves it also haha!

Time is money.

A year and half ago I bought a boat with it on and for the first few months my response is “it’s cool but I wouldn’t go out and spend my own money to buy it had it not been on the boat”. Then I learned how to use it and what I was looking at. frustrating as heck to see all of the fish that you cast at(open water) and not catch. But it is a great tool for not only finding structure like weeds, timber and in our part of the world, sunken equipment. But just watching the fish react to your bait is a learning experience. I now have 3 units, one that was on the boat, I just built one for ice fishing and now have a transducer and black box to sell. I am sure it is/was like the depth finder and gps 30 years ago when everyone said it was too expensive and it would ruin fishing, but here we are and for most places the “good old days” are right now for the quality and quantity of fish.

I think they are incredible technologies for sure…but they may force fish limits to be lowered. Days when going out and getting just a few fish, or half a limit are dwindling for people using live scope. When full limits are easily taken the population will certainly decrease, so more fish will need to be stocked and/or limits reduced to keep the fish population healthy. I see guides using them day after day with large groups and all 10 people plus the guides are keeping full crappie limits…and finding fish in areas no one else is even fishing. And I’ve heard walleye guides during interviews talk about how in the past it would take an entire day to do their “milk run” to catch client’s limits, now with livescope it takes less than a half day so they can take 2 groups out per day and get limits for both groups in one day.