Rarely am I using it to fish off of structure. I've pulled some nice fish off brush piles with it but mainly use it for scouting around the boat efficiently. Now crappie fishing on the other hand, don't leave home without it

@Lance Burris this. I used to hate fishing a jerkbait cus I never knew if I was fishing it right or not. One day with a scope in the water and I know exactly what a jerkbait is doing in the water and whether or not I'm fishing it right or the fish are responding. Same with any other bait. Understanding rate of fall etc is much easier to get dialed in with scope in the water. Counting down my a rig to suspended fish. Great cold water tool

as others have stated, it is all important but i think lake breakdown is the right spot to start for sure. I don't always get on the water practice or go into new lakes relatively blind. I think understanding how to break down a lake using maps, charts, etc. is super important. I can always make time to get on Google Earth and chart viewers ahead of tournaments.... sometimes this leads to reasonable success (catching fish), sometimes it doesn't (skunkfest). It is really about having the right mindset when you launch on tournament day. If you've broken the lake down, with or without practice, and are comfortable about where you're launching and have a plan of spots you want to hit, it makes a huge difference in how enjoyable your time on the water is when money is on the line. I think from lake breakdown to me it probably goes to adjusting to changing conditions. When to leave a bit to find a better bite, when to put down something that is producing a small bite to find a bigger bite, etc. All of these topics are equally important so looking forward to your take on each.

Always prefer a little stain personally

I've depressingly not broke 20 inches this year but also probably one of my lightest years of fishing over the last 5 years of kayak fishing.