This ol' crappie angler learned new tricks (and you can too at Crappie U)
Leon Mears, 74, says LiveScope shows him things about crappie he never knew
Leon Mears has a lifetime’s experience fishing Keystone Lake near Tulsa. He was a high school kid when they built the reservoir and, as all the folks who were around in those times say, “they closed the gates.”
He still lives just about 5 miles outside Mannford and knows well the countryside of his youth. He knew the landscape before it was a substrate and he has hooked thousands of crappies over the years thanks to that knowledge.
The lakes are not what they once were, however, and Mears, at age 74, is an old dog who is learning a lot of new tricks courtesy of Garmin LiveScope technology. Lots of other folks are too, it should be noted. So many are into this new fishing mode that Crappie University on its annual winter swing through the Tulsa area in coming days is devoting sessions to versions of the electronics now sold by Lowrance, Humminbird and Garmin. More on that later.
“The LiveScope, it’s an amazing piece of equipment,” said Mears, who has about a year’s worth of experience with the gadget. “It’s a game-changing piece of equipment as far as crappie fishing goes.”
Crappie are his passion but Mears said the electronics have helped him catch more striped bass as well..
“The crappie, you can see them on the scope and watch your bait and feel them. Sometimes you can see even them bite when you’re not feeling it,” he said.
He has known for some time his favorite lakes changed.
“They’ve filled in a whole lot,” he said. “There are a lot places I used to fish that were 20 feet deep that are 10 feet deep now.”
The new electronics are putting him back in the driver’s seat with a new perspective of the lakes and of the fish that inhabit them.
It wasn’t a cheap transition. Mears sold a four-wheeler and found a good deal to get his unit. None of the new tech sells for less than $1,000 and some full set-ups with tax will go closer to $2,000. But Mears said it’s worth it.
“Last week we found crappie in 10 feet of water, dirty water. They were scattered out on trees, stumps really more than anything, and every fish was up against a tree, one here, one there. Every one was up against a tree that was maybe 6, 8 feet tall,” he said. “Now you tell me why in 38-degree water, dirty water, crappie are going to be up at 6 feet and sitting one here, one there.”
With the LiveScope he could spot every crappie and target it by throwing a jig past it and giving it a slow drag back to the boat. Sometimes it took five or six passes but eventually most of the fish would follow, then come up for a bite.
“We had one follow the jig for 20 feet and it never did bite,” he said.
What the example shows is that Mears not only finds fish where he never thought to look for them but that he can cast to a specific fish and gauge its reaction, all while knowing, not just having an educated guess, that fish is sitting right there.
“It’s a crazy deal. It’s like fishing with a video game, almost is what it is,” he said. “But I’m learning a lot.”
He learned this summer that the crappie on some of his best brush piles were indeed where they were supposed to be they were just being picky. He tried different jigs until he got a reaction and ended up using a smaller jig than he ever would have guessed.
In the spots and times of year where he always did well with a 3-inch Bobby Garland Slab Slay’R now he’s casting 1.5-inch Itty Bit Slab Slay’Rs and catching even more fish than he did before.
We caught a lot of fish in July and August,” he said. “You’d never figure it out without the LiveScope. You could watch the fish swim up to it and turn around and swim off. You could tell it was something they didn’t like. We saw them do it with live minnows too.”
He also learned that he could work a brush pile and, by switching colors, put a few more in the boat even after the bite turned off.
With the front-to-rear view of the scope, he also learned just how quickly on a sunny day a school of crappies will move off a brush pile to gather under your boat.
“They aren’t afraid of that trolling motor. We caught crappie directly under it,” he said. “It’s to the point I wonder how a guy even caught fish back in the old days, just cast enough times and hoped for the best I guess.”
Crappie University offers “Electronics A to Z”
The Crappie University, presented by Bobby Garland Baits is coming to the Tulsa Tech Owasso Campus in February with in-depth looks at fish finders from Garmin, Lowrance and Humminbird.
Titled “Electronics A to Z” the course consists of three weeknight classes, with each being specific to one sonar brand. Humminbird night is Tuesday, Feb. 2; Garmin night is Thursday, Feb. 9; and Lowrance is Tuesday, Feb. 11. Class times are 6 – 9 p.m.
The online enrollment fee for any one class is $69, or a registrant can sign up to attend all three sessions at the discounted rate of $149.
Instructors include Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks crappie guide and Humminbird product expert Terry Blankenship, The Bass Tank’s Zeke Anderson and affiliated pro crappie angler Joey Johnson on Garmin, and Lowrance angler Jason Gilstrap with Lowrance product expert Jacob Scott.
All instructors are avid crappie anglers with extensive experience that encompasses installation, settings, operation, interpretation and troubleshooting, and will include a look into the newest introductions from each brand. They will use audio-video and hands-on demonstrations in their presentations. Each class night will conclude with a Q&A session.
“Aside from their technical expertise in sonar and GPS use, each instructor is also personally knowledgeable of the great crappie fishing opportunities in and around Tulsa, and Oklahoma. Local anglers will recognize a lot of familiar surroundings in the teachings,” said Gary Dollahon, Crappie University President.
For enrollment with a link directly to Tulsa Tech classes, and more details about the classes and the instructors go to Crappie University.com.
Tulsa Tech instills safe social distancing in its classroom settings and requires face mask/cover for all attendees in compliance with the school’s COVID-19 protocol.
All “Electronics A to Z” attendees will receive a registration packet that includes crappie baits and accessories, plus an entry into door prize drawings at each class. Crappie University is presented by Bobby Garland Crappie Baits.