Understanding fish behaviour is no longer such a challenge with the new Garmin Livescope.
After getting the unit several months ago, I was finally able to get out into the field and put it through its paces.
Garmin Livescope adds a whole new dimension to your fishing. Watch fish respond to your lures in real-time!
Part of the delay was the Townsville floods and months of rubbish weather. And secondly, I needed to have a bracket built to attach the unit to my boat.
Unlike a normal transducer that is screwed and fixed in position, Garmin Livescope needs to be able to move as you scan the environment around you.
You can purchase mounting brackets, however, I opted to have one made that is a little more robust.
It also allows me to lower the unit under the boat for 360-degree scanning and retract it for travelling at speed.
Garmin Livescope: Pros and Cons
- Learn fish movements by watching them in real time – even in dirty water
- See if they have spooked and moved off – so you know when to stay or leave
- Watch your lures and see if you’re getting a follow (this is really fun)
- Use while stationary or moving very slowly
- Garmin Livescope is more of an observation tool only
- Must be used in conjunction with traditional and side scan sonar to locate fish and structure
- Size of target fish not distorted by scroll speed, boat speed or other such variables
- Adds a new dimension to fishing enjoyment as you can see what is happening in real-time.
How it works?
Garmin Livescope runs a range of frequencies in a spread from 530 to 1100 kHz. This allows both penetration and clarity to a beam that sweeps several times a second.
Objects to become constantly track-able due to the movement of the beam, allowing us to see a target’s every move from second to second.
To understand frequencies and beam angles and how they are critical to your fishing, check out our Sounder Skills 2 online course.
Garmin Livescope in the field
To best demonstrate the functionality of the unit, we took it onto the field and recorded some the action.
Take a look at the video below.
Is Garmin Livescope just a gimmick?
The reason why I’m so successful at catching big fish consistently comes down to knowledge of fish behaviour.
It’s a big ocean out there, and it pays to know where the fish will be before you start your search.
Find out how I worked out barramundi movements in my free (3 videos) barra strategies workshop.
Sounder knowledge has been critical in building such a comprehensive picture of fish movements.
Garmin Livescope probably won’t help you find new ground but it will help assess what techniques work best and build on your existing knowledge.
Many years ago I had to rely only on 2D sonar to work out movements and patterns of fish. This took considerable time and days on the water to nut out the techniques and methods that we preach in our fish smarter online courses today.
With the advent of recreational side scan, that job of working things out became easier again.
But Garmin Livescope technology allows you to see the traits and movements of fish like never before. This means that your learning curve and future fishing ability has basically been sped up.
Is Livescope the only transducer I need?
Livescope will never replace the 2D, or Down and Side imaging as they have their roles in the Sonar world. Livescope is purely an observational tool which should only be used at anchor on the fish or moving around slowly.
In the short time that I have been using this technology, I have confirmed many of my hunches on how some of our species react to each other. As well as feeding patterns and behaviour.
I’m so glad to have this running full time on the boat now as I can take even my fishing knowledge further again.
To buy Livescope, click the button below to connect with our sounder expert Paul from Budekin Communications and make sure it’s the best option for you. We can also look into compatibility with your existing setup. Unlike sales assistants in big chain stores, as fishing guides using these units every day, we can also teach you how to best set it up and use it.
Do you struggle to find fish on your fish finding equipment?
For just $20 check out our Sounder Skills 1 online course. You’ll be amazed at the simple actions you can take to improve your picture and interpret it correctly.
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