COLUMN : BALOG ON BASS FISHING
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
For more than 20 years , Joe Balog has made his living in the fishing industry on and off the water . A successful tournament angler from the Great Lakes region , Balog now lives in Florida , where he continues to work in product design , marketing and outdoor media when he ' s not chasing trophy largemouth . when not to use forward-facing sonar
How ( and why ) three Top 20 Bass Pro Tour pros have continued to succeed with limited live sonar usage
F orward-facing sonar has quickly become a crucial tool for tournament bass-fishing success . It ’ s now ubiquitous on the toplevel tours , with seemingly every recent champion crediting the technology for helping bring about their wins . Just as quickly , it ’ s become a lightning rod for controversy . Plenty of fans and viewers have voiced the complaint that pros spend entire tournaments with their eyes glued to their depth finders , endlessly scanning .
I was relatively surprised to learn that , for at least a few anglers , that ’ s not entirely the actual reality .
I questioned three longtime veterans , all of whom placed in the Top 20 of the Bass Pro Tour standings in 2023 , on their use of forward-facing sonar ( FFS ). Specifically , how much of their season did they devote to watching fish react to lures on screens ?
Three-time FLW Tour Angler of the Year Andy Morgan came in at around 20 % by his estimation ; Forrest Wood Cup champion Brent Ehrler about the same . Three-time BPT winner Ott DeFoe claims 10 %, at most . Turns out , while it might seem like everyone these days fishes with their heads down and eyes locked on a screen , these bass-fishing icons just aren ’ t that into it .
It ’ s worth noting that this sample of pros likely falls on the low end of FFS use among BPT anglers . Each has been touring nationally far longer than the technology has been around . Then again , their success , even in the ‘ Scope era , is inarguable . The panel of experts explains why they haven ’ t gone all-in on FFS and when it does have a place in their tournament arsenals .
24 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | DECEMBER-JANUARY 2024