Left: This image shows most of Clausen’s preferred LiveSight set-
tings. Below: This image shows a typical fishing scenario.
lure sinking
suspended bass and baitfish
real-time, tracking lures and seeing
how fish respond to your bait. The
other three options are “structure style”
and better for seeing structure details.
Generally, however, color palette
adjustments come down to personal
preference and light conditions. It’s
best to experiment with it to find what
works for you.
Clausen feels like the range grid is a
must-have. He’ll add it as an overlay
grid that shows a series of lines and
the corresponding distances. The grid
helps him quickly determine the dis-
tance of fish and structure he sees on
LiveSight.
The target trails setting (see
below), when enabled, creates an
afterglow on moving targets, some-
what like a vapor trail, that reduces in
target trail
intensity with time. It makes it easier
to see the real-time movement of both
bass and your lure.
THE LEARNING CURVE
Like any new technology, there is a
learning curve to begin to understand
precisely what you’re seeing. If you’re
comfortable interpreting what’s shown
on existing Lowrance technologies
such as 2-D, StructureScan and
DownScan, the process of learning
LiveSight will be faster.
One of the steps is learning to
gauge distance in front of the boat to
make targeted presentations to what
you see on the screen. The easiest
way is to make short 10-, 20- and 30-
foot casts and view your lure on the
screen. Or try setting up in front of a
large stationary object such as a
bridge piling and gauging the distance
on the screen. The piling also helps to
get a feel for the direction of the tar-
get, particularly if your trolling motor
head doesn’t have a directional arrow
showing which way the lower unit and
transducer are pointed.
Besides gauging distance and
knowing where the transducer is point-
ing, the process of learning LiveSight is
direct and can be understood in a few
dedicated training trips. But like all
parts of marine electronics, the more
time you put into it, the greater the
potential reward.
And with LiveSight, the ability to
look in front and below the boat in real
time will be a game changer in the way
many anglers fish.
FISHING MOVING BAITS
AND SUSPENDED BASS
When working a reaction bait such as a jerkbait directly in front of the boat, it’s easy
to see the lure in action. A blue trail (the target trail shown left) shows up behind the bait
with each jerk of the rod.
Besides just seeing the lure work through the water, you can also see if fish are mov-
ing up to strike based on their target trail. If they rise toward the bait but do not commit,
that could give you a clue that you need to change lure color, diving depth, the way you
retrieve or shift lure type completely.
FEBRUARY-MARCH 2020 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING.COM | FLWFISHING.COM
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