ABOUT THE AUTHOR
As a freelance writer and photographer , Rob Newell has been reporting on fishing tournaments for 20 years , finding the stories between fish and angler to be a stretched line of heroes , heartache , triumph , torture , inspiration and exasperation . forward-facing sonar syndrome
If you ’ re experiencing any of these symptoms , consult your local tackle shop owner
L ove it or hate it , forward-facing sonar is here to stay . No matter what you think of it , the fact is , this technology allows anglers to see fish in the underwater world in a way never before observed in the history of sport fishing .
As the old saying goes , nothing beats live testimony , and watching fish behave in their natural environment in real time is as close to live testimony as it gets . To see how fish relate to cover , how they react to lures , how they feed , how they exhibit competitiveness and curiosity is extremely educational . The sheer amount of information revealed from a forward-facing sonar signal on a screen is a genie that ’ s never going back in the bottle .
However , using forward-facing sonar does have some side effects that I feel compelled to point out . After fooling with the technology myself , observing the best anglers use it and having hours of conversation about it with pros , I ’ ve identified a condition called Forward-Facing Sonar Syndrome ( FFSS ), which occurs in several stages .
euphoria
The initial stage starts with euphoria . The feeling of installing a new forward-facing machine on your boat comes with elation that rivals any thrill you had when adding other “ game-changing ” equipment to your boat . It ’ s reminiscent of my first Power-Pole or GPS-lock trolling motor . After installing both of
18 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2022