Forward-facing sonar (FFS) is the hot topic. On the Bassmaster Elites Series, in every tackle shop around the country and especially on LIVE Mix this week. LIVE Mix is also referred to as “The Anglers’ Show”, where B.A.S.S. invites Elite anglers that have been eliminated from the previous day’s competition to commentate LIVE as they watch the remaining field compete out on the water. “Scoping” has come up time and time again on this show throughout the season. But it’s becoming more and more the topic that can no longer be tiptoed around.
On yesterday’s segment hosted by Bernie Schultz and Jason Williamson, FFS dominated much of the conversation. The anglers discussed its place in fishing, what it’s done to and for the sport, and what things should look like moving forward. Having five FFS transducers on one boat was a point of contention for Schultz. He acknowledged that doing away with FFS entirely is improbable, but suggested limiting the Elite Pros to only one of these transducers on one graph.
Other anglers have called for an all-out ban of this tech on the Elites. We’ve seen this done with the umbrella rig and the use of nets for landing fish. As big as those decisions were, they didn’t really affect dip net sales and the umbrella rig was basically a piece of terminal tackle. No doubt, its elimination in the Elites and most other tournament trails top to bottom diminished jig head and swimbait sales and cost several companies money they had invested in mold productions and research and development. But there are tens of millions of dollars now tied up in the creation, advancement, and advertising of these units. And there’s been a shift in the entire industry when it comes to developing tackle specifically for use with FFS. So the decision to ban this technology would have a far greater impact on the economy of the sport than anything we’ve ever seen. But what impact would the decision not to ban or limit it have on the sport? This is the spirited debate happening from every boat ramp to the board rooms where these tough decisions will have to be made.
