With sunny skies and modest winds, anglers are taking advantage of the typically clear water the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario offer. Definitely helpful in the shallows, but Paul Mueller is banking on the electronic version of sight fishing for the deeper game.
“The new Garmin LVS34 LiveScope Plus transducer that I have on my boat is a tremendous upgrade to the original LiveScope, which is pretty impressive,” Mueller said. “The last time we were here (Clayton, N.Y.), I finished second using it.
“The difference with this new transducer is that the clarity and the range are far greater — I would day 35-40 percent better — than the original LiveScope and I’m using this to sight fish in all depths of the water column.”
Forward-facing sonar, whether it be LiveScope, Humminbird MEGA Live or Lowrance ActiveTarget, provides realtime images of fish, bait and targets. This allows for precision casting and immediate feedback on fish response.
“It could be 10 feet, 20 feet or 30 feet, but I’m actually seeing the fish and keeping my boat away from the fish,” Mueller said. “The closer you get to the fish, the harder they are to catch. More people are using live sonar and these fish are getting exposed and seen, so you have to stay away from them.
“I’m able to see a fish from a long distance and, as long as I’m accurate with my presentation, I can catch that fish easier than if I get right on top of it.”
This week’s tournament is only the second event in which Mueller has used the new Garmin transducer (first was the previous Elite on Pickwick Lake.) He’s hopeful that the strategic benefit will translate into competitive limits.
“I’m excited about putting this technology to use this week,” Mueller said. “This tournament is just about being consistent and having the right weight each day. You have to get off to a good start and then you have to back it up with good bags.
“I have the right tools to do that; now it just comes down to execution.”
