EDITOR’ S NOTE
TOO MUCH TECHNOLOGY?
Nowadays, there’ s a device that’ ll do just about anything. Need to sweep your floors while you’ re at work? Get a Roomba. Are you a bit of a klutz on the ski slopes? You need the Smart Ski Airbag Vest, which is to skiers what an inflatable life jacket is to anglers.
Are you tired of casting all day and not being able to live stream high-resolution underwater action video from your lure to your smartphone? Of course you are, and for that you’ ll need the PowerRay PowerVision underwater drone.
Seriously, drones have gone subsurface, and this one was designed with fishing in mind. The PowerVision features a 12-megapixel still camera, 4K video capabilities and WiFi, plus an optional sonar module and virtual reality headset( because the virtual world of fishing is better than the actual world of fishing?). An arm extending off the top dangles the angler’ s lure in front of the lens, allowing him or her to locate bass on camera in real time and drive the bait straight into the strike zone.
When I saw this product, I was reminded of a conversation I had several years ago with a former FLW Tour pro. I’ d describe this pro as“ old school” in his approach to tournament fishing. An expert on modern sonar he was not.
During our conversation, he complained about how side-viewing sonar, bigscreen GPS units and other technological advances had changed bass fishing for the worse. He believed it wasn’ t fair that new anglers were able to buy devices that helped them find fish so quickly, whereas his generation had to put in hundreds of hours on the water to learn where bass live and forage throughout the season. He actually wanted FLW to outlaw some sonar technology.
I didn’ t feel sorry for him then and don’ t really now, but I do understand his frustration. When technology advances so quickly, keeping up can be a chore, but I’ d argue that it’ s a necessary chore if you want to be a professional angler in the modern era.
That’ s not the end of the conversation, though. Technology-wise, when is enough more than enough? When does using certain devices become unfair to the fish we pursue?
Such questions aren’ t limited to anglers. Hunters and wildlife managers have recently begun debating the legality and ethics of using aerial drones, trail cameras and range-finding scopes to take game. Bowhunting enthusiasts have bickered for years over what types of equipment should be allowed during“ traditional” archery seasons. There’ s no consensus on those issues in the hunting world, and I assume there never will be on the fishing side of the equation either.
It’ s up to state fish and wildlife agencies to oversee the use of new technology and devices for recreational anglers, with their primary purpose being to conserve fisheries. Organizations such as FLW and B. A. S. S. make similar rulings regarding the use of certain equipment in competition based on what they consider to fit fairly within the scope of the modern tournament bass fishing format. In that regard, I think both organizations continue to do a fine job protecting the traditions of the sport, while allowing it to grow and develop.
Personally, I prefer a 12-inch Lowrance unit with StructureScan, but an underwater fishing drone is a step beyond my comfort level. Then again, it’ d be handy to have around the next time I hang my crankbait in a brush pile.
Curtis Niedermier, editor-in-Chief
Publisher Irwin L. Jacobs
editor-in-Chief Curtis Niedermier
Production Manager / Graphic Designer Michelle Dowling
Senior editor Kyle Wood
associate editor Jody White
editor emeritus Colin Moore
Field editors Rob Newell & Matt Williams
Contributors Joe Balog, Tyler Brinks, Dan Johnson, TJ Maglio, Sean Ostruszka, Paul Strege
Graphic Designer D. W. Reed II
Graphic Designer / Illustrator Matt Pace
Director of advertising Al Chapman | 270.252.1628
Senior Web Content Manager Jesse Schultz
Social Media and Communications Specialist Chris Burgan
Letters to the editor FLW Bass Fishing 30 Gamble Lane, Benton, KY 42025 flwfishing @ flwfishing. com
Chairman & CeO Irwin L. Jacobs
President of FLW Marketing Division Trish Blake
President of FLW Operations Division Kathy Fennel
Chief Financial Officer Dave Mahler
Vice President, Controller Tommy Boaz
Vice President of Marketing Patterson Leeth
Vice President of Operations Dave Washburn
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FLWFISHING. COM I February-MarCH 2017