when and where to unleash the beam
A true student of the game , DeFoe always has a way to explain the “ why ” behind the bite .
“ When it comes to looking at actual fish , I ’ m only using FFS where and when bass suspend ,” he explains . That primarily occurs in highland reservoirs , clear water and “ anywhere there ’ s smallmouth .”
He also leans on it more at certain times of year — fall through prespawn . Or , to be more specific , the season that sees more fish leave the bank and venture into open water in pursuit of baitfish .
Ehrler agrees with the smallmouth angle but sprinkles some FFS into his offshore summertime largemouth program as well .
“ For me , it ’ s about seeing targets ,” Ehrler says . “ Being more effective with my casts and making sure my bait is in the strike zone is ( paramount ) in the summer . I know where the fish live , and I want my bait there .”
Morgan stays old-school for a reason that ’ s hard to argue with : success . The majority of his nearly $ 2.8 million in career earnings has come in the shallows .
“ If I can make a shallow game work , that ’ s my program ,” he says . “ It ’ s hard to turn your back on what ’ s worked in the past .”
However , FFS occasionally plays an important role in Morgan ’ s bank-beater approach , too .
“ I call it ‘ fine-tune scanning ,’” he says . “ An example is dock fishing . I ’ ll scan docks and look for fish reacting to my casts in places that other guys miss .”
Morgan points out that “ everybody has the same technology and finds the best stuff ,” and a key is often discovering a hidden hotspot that doesn ’ t look good when quickly side-scanned . Docks void of brush in lakes that feature an abundance of planted cover represent one example .
Using FFS , Morgan can sometimes out hustle the rest of the field and unearth a hidden gem .
dialing in lure choices
It doesn ’ t take firsthand experience with FFS to understand its efficacy for selecting the best lure . Live shots of pros with 20 rods on deck have become the norm , confirming that high-level tournament bass fishing is a game of fine tuning . But does it really take that much gear to trigger a bite ? Ehrler doesn ’ t think so . “ There are three bait options in my offshore program ,” says Ehrler . “ A soft bait like a drop-shot or Neko , or like the shad bait on a jighead that ’ s so popular right now . Then there ’ s a jerkbait and a crankbait . Those are the three categories that I ’ m going to try on any offshore spot .”
If one of Ehrler ’ s core lure groups doesn ’ t trigger a response , he ’ s most often on to the next spot . However , FFS can help him dial in which rod to pick up first . Take Douglas Lake , for example , where Ehrler finished 14th last season . He discovered his primary bait thanks to FFS .
“ Those fish wanted nothing but a jerkbait ,” Ehrler says . “ So even in places where they would simply follow a jerkbait ( and not strike ) in practice , I marked those fish .”
During the tournament , Ehrler cycled through all his waypoints until he located a biting group . Sometimes , three stops on the same location were necessary before triggering a strike . Live sonar put him ahead of the curve by giving him confidence in his bait selection , allowing him to tinker with variables like casting angle , cadence and timing .
separating biters from non-biters
DeFoe further expounded on the mysterious subject of timing . Catching bass isn ’ t just about finding them . Fish have to be in the right position , ready to feed .
That ’ s always been true . But in the FFS age , when DeFoe can see that he ’ s fishing in locations where fish live , it ’ s become important for him to stick to his traditional run-and-gun approach . (“ More places , more fish ,” he says .) When bass are actively feeding , he ’ s able to trip their trigger quickly , without much adaptation to his techniques . When they aren ’ t , it ’ s time to move .
“ Forward-facing sonar showed me how many fish won ’ t bite ,” DeFoe says . Ehrler wholeheartedly agrees . “ When I first put ( FFS ) on my boat , I spent a lot of time trying to catch fish I was seeing ,” he says . “ I learned pretty quickly that you ’ ll go crazy looking at fish that don ’ t bite . Now , I move on pretty quick ( when I ’ m seeing fish that won ’ t bite ). A times , I just have to admit that what I ’ m viewing are non-biting bass , and I need to ignore them and fish .”
Morgan will take it a step further , turning his electronics off if he finds himself spending too much time trying to coax the same stubborn bass into biting . Since the start of his tournament career , Morgan has run his business based on numbers , and sometimes the numbers just don ’ t add up with FFS .
“ It ’ s all about efficiency : Productive water , productive lures , keep moving , eventually you get the numbers right ,” Morgan says . “ You get caught looking and looking on forward-facing sonar , then , next thing you know , it ’ s like , ‘ God , I ’ ve wasted five hours !’ In that same five hours ( without FFS ), more than likely , I would have found something . Seeing none and catching five is better than seeing a thousand and catching three .”
tournament strategies in the ffs age
Can it still be done , winning a multiday event without the use of FFS ?
“ Boy , it ’ s mighty hard to ,” Morgan admits . “ Now a one-day event , like a BFL ? Heck yes you can win without it .”
Ultimately , DeFoe weighs personal efficiency when deciding how much ( or whether at all ) to incorporate FFS into his gameplan for a given tournament . He ’ d much rather run up a river or find some other scenario where he doesn ’ t need to lean on the beam . But that doesn ’ t mean he ’ s ignoring FFS .
“ I fish through an area so much slower ( with FFS ),” he says . “ Right now , I ’ m just not efficient with it . It ’ s not fast enough . I ’ ve found that I catch fewer fish in the long run ( with FFS ). The percentage of biters is irrelevant . But I remember how it was with Humminbird 360 . I started slowly , and then adapted .”
More than likely , the FFS revolution is just getting started . Manufacturers are already building clearer units with the ability to separate targets in nearly any depth of water , and anglers will continue to push the envelope by finding new applications for the technology .
But for the time being , the biggest key in using forward-facing sonar – at least for successful veterans like DeFoe , Morgan and Ehrler – may be knowing when to turn it off .
DECEMBER-JANUARY 2024 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 25