I went with the Mega Live from Hummingbird because I have all Hummingbirds units on my boat. They are all linked with the one up front being a G3 so it runs the mega live and the mega 360. So cheaper for me just to buy the mega live. These things are so new and our bass are just coming off off the beds and the bucks are guarding fry. I don't care what you got you're not going to see a bass guarding fry in a patch of lily pads. Now when they move out to the points and the flats and when they're chasing bait I can see where this is going to be a game changer. Now for crappie fisherman it's really going to pay off. You could see if there's fish or not in or around a brush pile.
I also see where psychiatric help is going to be needed with these units. Before we always assumed there was no fish in spots we fished and now we see the fish but can't get them to bite. Trust me it's frustrating. Plus going home and explaining to the wife why you spend so much money on fishing equipment and still can't catch any fish. I'm beginning to agree with her that I'm a total fool.
It's definitely eye opening to see the areas that "must not have fish on them", actually full of life when you point the transducer at them.
Seeing them is one thing, catching them is another. I think this is the biggest misconception from the opposed. I use mine more for validating areas that are in fact holding fish and reading their mannerisms, how they react to particular baits and colors, preference on rate of fall, which is also constantly changing. There are definitely days and areas where you'll always be better off fan casting and not trying to snipe individual fish (your fry guarder scenario above). At least for me, it's not a daily occurrence where I can sit on them and "video game" fish them. Usually make some accurate casts with a few different baits determined by how the fish are positioned, and move on if there doesn't appear to be any interest by their mannerisms. However, I do take full advantage of those video game fishing situations when they present themselves.
There's a steep learning curve. I've watched many people stumble with the technology and hurt their fishing badly by relying on it too heavily, getting hung up on fish and not covering water. I know of a few people that actually removed it from their boats for this reason. Inactive fish are inactive fish. There's a chance you can get them to react or finesse them to bite but by then, your time had likely been better spent searching for new fish than cycling through a dozen baits. I think this is what most people struggle with in the beginning.
It's here to stay and super difficult to compete these days without it on many styles of bodies of water (talking tournaments), but instinct, exposure to different water, adapting to conditions, and overall experience on the water will never be made up for with forward facing sonar. I think if you culminate all of this and dedicate months worth of hours to learning it, you can elevate yourself beyond the others without it but it takes time, and it's certainly not a seamless transition into most people's style of fishing. To me, it's definitely "earned" like the rest of the characteristics that shape a good angler overtime.
This has been a hot button subject since it's arrival and I'm always curious to hear perspectives. Good discussion!
