[Wicked_Stix]

All excellent observations. I would like to add the following:

- I have had several fish touching my bait and following it for sometimes over a minute. But they just would not commit. I tried speeding up, slowing down, turning left and right, and stripping a couple feet of line, but could not trigger the bite.

- The ones that bite usually approach the bait pretty fast. I have had a couple of fish that I called "torpedoes" because they would swim fast and straight to the bait. As soon as I saw these fish, I knew the bite was going to happen.

- LiveScope has contributed to a few unsuccessful hookups as I got too excited and lifted the rod from the rod holder as soon as I saw the fish take the bait on the LiveScope. I have learned that being patient and revving up my kicker for a few seconds after the bite leads to a higher chance of hookup. I also learned that revving up my kicker then putting it in neutral results in a higher chance of getting doubles, especially when there is a small pod of 2-5 fish following my bait.

- How important are scent, color, and/or type of bait used? For those fish that followed my bait, I often wondered if I would get these fish to bite if I had a different scent, color or using a different type of bait.

- LiveScope is just another tool in your arsenal. You don't need it to successfully catch fish. Having a LiveScope has enhanced my fishing experience. It also tells me if I am fishing in an area with fish and where my bait are in the water column. I can also tell how big/small the fish are based on the size on the LiveScope screen.

 

[Wicked_Stix]

I read a comment online not too long ago that goes something like this: The guys without LiveScope can justify not needing it, but the guys with LiveScope swear they cannot fish without it. I agree with this statement as I know fishing is not the same without one for me. Case in point: My lithium "house battery" completely drained after a couple days of fishing, accidentally leaving my electronics on, and not plugging in the charging extension cord. I had to rely on my experience of the fishing area just to keep my gear close to the river bottom. I felt blind not having my LiveScope to keep my gear in the strike zone and letting me know if there are fish in the area. It was a boring and unpleasant outing for me.

My only complaint with LiveScope is I wish they would make the viewing angle wider than 20 degrees so I can see all of my gear.

 

[Wicked_Stix]

Teaching point for me: Were the bent hooks from fighting fish or were they from snags? Also, were they bent before then straightened back?

I am a Gamakatsu guy just to keep things simple and because I have had great success with them. I have only had a Gamakatsu Big River Bait 3/0 hook bent on me when I tried to free a snag with 65lb braid main and 50lb Maxima Ultragreen monofilament. I was surprised that my line and/or knot didn't break as I applied easily more than 65lb of pressure.

I also learned that when a hook is bent, I discard it instead of trying to bend it back. My time on the water is too precious to have the bent hook fail on me again.

I notice that you guys are still using a treble with a single hook stinger. I was fishing with a treble and single hook stinger. I then switched to two single Gamakatsu Big River Bait 3/0 hooks. I noticed that I didn't get as many bites with the two singles as with the treble w/ single stinger. But my landing ratio was higher with the two singles compared the the treble w/ single stinger. Contemplating about whether I should go back to a treble w/ single stinger or not.

....and now back to LiveScope