john smith wrote:

How often do you spot traffic without guidance from ATC when you are out
flying"

It does happen but not even 50% of the time. Yesterday I saw one
below me and 1-2 miles away before ATC told me about him. That is not
the norm.

How often do you spot traffic called out to you by ATC?

Maybe 50-75% of the time. Just this morning there was an aircraft on
final to a parallel runway ( I was behind him) but I never saw him
until he was airborne after his T&G.

Ron Lee