Live units test

[FreshwaterPhil]

Good side by side test of Garmin, Lowrance and Humminbird live systems. Not really in the market for these yet, hoping price will come down as technology gets better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wM9PNOx37Y

[Rebelss]

Great comparison! That Garmin is one slick unit....so spendy though. They sure have come a long ways.

[hawg]

I’m not convinced any are worth the expense yet. I might be wrong but the advancements in this technology will be huge in the next few years. You won’t be able to give away these early units. JMHO

[FreshwaterPhil]

I’m not convinced any are worth the expense yet. I might be wrong but the advancements in this technology will be huge in the next few years. You won’t be able to give away these early units. JMHO

May take a bit. I've been hoping for them to start coming down, they've only gone up so far
The scary thought is the damage that people will be able to inflict on some fisheries with these units.

[hawg]

May take a bit. I've been hoping for them to start coming down, they've only gone up so far
The scary thought is the damage that people will be able to inflict on some fisheries with these units.

I don’t think they’re good enough to be a threat yet.

[FreshwaterPhil]

I don’t think they’re good enough to be a threat yet.

Only takes a couple poachers 1 to 2 seasons to decimate a smaller water body. All the more so with this type of unit. I guess that always going to be a byproduct of progress.

[hnd]

May take a bit. I've been hoping for them to start coming down, they've only gone up so far
The scary thought is the damage that people will be able to inflict on some fisheries with these units.

to be honest, i've watched others on the ice try and use them and while some people have them dialed in, i would say the vast majority of people still have 0 idea how to properly use the tool to be dangerous at all.   same with flashers. 

one guy (completely decked out his clam products) told us he'd had it two seasons and it was "great" yet had no idea that where he thought he was pointing his transducer he was actually pointing it the opposite direction.  we knew where the 3 schools were sitting and he would walk away from them drill a hole and just stare at the screen scratching his head.  it was pretty entertaining until we helped him out. 

[sra61]

This will be my third winter using my Livescope. We catch so many more fish than we used to that it's unreal, but almost all of them get released. I mean how many fish do you want to fillet? I suppose there are some slobs that will keep more than their limits, but that's always been the case. I kind of like the fact that those prices stay as high as they are, it just keeps the competition down! When people say "It's a GAME CHANGER", that's no B.S., but just like any tool you have to take the time to really learn how to use it. I learn something new every time out. We even used it from shore, snagging chinook salmon on perspective mode.   

[Skywagon]

I’m not convinced any are worth the expense yet. I might be wrong but the advancements in this technology will be huge in the next few years. You won’t be able to give away these early units. JMHO

You can say that about anything, technology keeps marching on and never stops.  The choice is to either spend the money now and enjoy it, or not spend the money and give it to the kids when you die so they can enjoy it.  I have never regretted being an early innovator.

[jerryfishing]

Oh man! I love my Livescope! Its a gamechanger for sure. I tripled my catch rates at a popular northern Idaho lake last week. Its cuts down search time and covers an area large enough to see five (or more) baits in the water. Several people came over to see my unit and were amazed at what they saw. There is a learning curve in operating most head units, but there are a lot of YouTube videos on settings and use.  If you can afford it, I recommend buying one. 

[Unclegillhunter]

Wow! I as many of you can remember the weight on the end of the line to determine depth. Count the wraps around the pegs on the handle and then start fishing. No hits in 5 or 10 minutes move to a new hole. Back in the day I scraped together enough to get a Fl8. Then a few years later sold the 8 and bought the fl18. Still have it then I bought a hummingbird helix 5. Bought the open water transducer to go along with it. Still have the stick and weight setup. I myself have no reason to purchase something like this. Sometimes feel guilty using in comparison my low tech stuff.  I belong to a private club with 9 small lakes. They won’t let us use underwater cameras. Need to talk to the board and let them know what is coming down the pike. Y’all have a great season with the video game that ice fishing is turning into.
Keep it safe! JDL

[grizzlyhackle]

Livescope in forward view for locating fish/schools is off the charts, heres a good video:

You can see 70+ feet 360 degrees around you. Locating fish no longer requires drilling a sh*t ton of holes and constant hole-hopping. Set Livescope forward view, locate school, drill hole on top of them, drop flasher and bait...hammer fish.