When the 2026 Elite Series rolls out its “tech-off” events — up to five venues where forward-facing sonar (FFS) is outright banned — longtime pros who’ve either resisted the allure of live sonar or who have failed to master it will applaud. Their patience has paid off: their beloved traditional techniques get a second wind. But beneath the relief lies a formidable challenge: will they rise, or will they struggle under the weight of raised expectations?
Bassmaster stalwarts who’ve competed in the Elites for two decades know the terrain. Anglers like Bill Lowen, Mike Iaconelli and others who’ve made their names before FFS upended the game, built success on instinct, structure and a finely tuned sense of water — not a transducer. And that’s why this rule change is both validation and inflection point.
But let’s be honest: the Elite Series has changed. As Elite veteran Keith Combs observed, “anyone who has made a living doing this can catch them with or without it,” pointing out that even rookies have skyrocketed by mastering both feel and screen-based techniques. The field looks different now — and so do the stakes.
Opportunities to revisit purist fishing — up to five of nine events will exclude FFS — don’t just level the playing field, they raise the bar. In the “tech-off” weeks, the camera won’t catch anglers staring at a screen — it’ll catch who can crank rocks, skip docks, or deep crank ledges. Critics will be watching, old-school fans will be rooting for the traditionalists, and the scoreboard will settle the debate.
For veterans, the pressure is two-fold: Show you’re still relevant … and that you were right all along. If Lowen pushes for another top finish where screens are banned, he’ll be proving the skeptics wrong — again. If Iaconelli, the charismatic legend of our sport, can adapt and thrive without LiveScope, he’ll validate years of instinct-based excellence.
And make no mistake — this isn’t just a win-for-us return to roots. It’s a test. A stunning shift in tournament design that says: “Show us your craft. There is no hiding behind technology.”
The younger generation gets labeled “tech-dependent.” Veteran anglers, many of whom questioned the sport’s path toward over-reliance on FFS, now face their own version of that skepticism — this time demanding proof in stripped-down competition.
Will the results change? Therein lies the question. The excuses for the old guard are gone. The margin for slack has evaporated. The pros who laid the foundation of bass fishing are being handed a rare gift — and a gauntlet. They’ve played the game longer, fished more water and lived through turbulence, but now they must prove their approach still delivers.
In 2026, it won’t just be a return to basics — it’ll be a demand for mastery. And for veteran pros who have been lobbying for a ban on technology, this is their moment of reckoning.
