The Bassmaster Elite Series season is just around the corner, and the offseason of hunting and fishing for fun has gone by quickly.
That means it’s time to look forward to another exciting tournament season.
Man, there has been a lot going on in our sport the last few months, especially in terms of changes to our tournaments.
And, of course, the big topic remains forward-facing sonar (FFS).
I don’t want to spend any more time talking about the pros and cons, but I do plan to keep a curious eye on what happens within the three different professional leagues, each of which has taken a different approach.
B.A.S.S., as you probably know, has limited the use to one transducer mounted on the bow, and you can use it throughout the tournament. While that may not seem like much of a restriction, there were several pros who had multiple transducers on their boats last year. They had transducers that helped them find cover and structure while idling around during practice to help them refine locations of schools of bass.
We may see a change in how those anglers locate and look for fish, but it won’t change much since most were using just one, anyway.
Another league, which divides its day into three periods per day, will allow FFS during one of those periods. And a third league will not allow it at all.
My big take – and suggestion to those fans who think FFS is a major issue – is to take a deep breath and see how the three seasons unfold. I think there is a lot to be learned from the three different league approaches, and it will help leaders to decide how to move forward with the technology in the coming years.
B.A.S.S. officials have always said they will monitor how FFS affects our events and make adjustments as needed in future years. I suspect other leagues will do so as well.
We do need to see how the technology affects the big picture of our sport, and that’s more important than how it affects individual anglers.
We’ll be watching to see if it has an impact on the fisheries as well as how the fans receive and support the sport as spectators. Without either of those, we don’t have a sport.
So I encourage everyone to sit back and enjoy the 2025 season and the different fisheries that the Bassmaster Elites will visit. There has always been excitement and drama within the competition, and this year will be no different.
It will also deliver more information about FFS that will guide tournament directors to make better educated decisions for any rule tweaks needed for next season.
