FIRST CAST : JOEL SHANGLE
fishing tech ’ s latest quantum leap : seeing is believing
Ithink it ’ s safe to say that we ’ re living in the most bullish technology boom that the world has ever seen . Proof is all around you : home-automation systems that control appliances , door locks , thermostats and lights with a simple spoken command ; robots that play basketball ; cars that drive themselves ; smartphones with 24mp cameras and laser autofocus ; artificial-intelligence applications that can do everything from detect diseases to paint pictures in the blink of an eye . We are , as they say , living in wonderous times . The same can be said of the tournament bass-fishing world . In 1996 , Mercury introduced us to the first direct-fuel-injected , two-stroke outboard and dramatically changed how we power our bass boats . In 2000 , John Oliviera bestowed the wonder of the Power-Pole shallow-water anchor upon the fishing world , a modification of which now exists on virtually every tournament bass boat from your local Wednesday-nighter to the Bass Pro Tour . Humminbird introduced side-imaging technology to the masses in 2005 , and Lowrance blessed us all with Structure Scan in 2009 , the progeny of which you ’ ve all undoubtedly embraced over the past 15 to 20 years .
Ditto high-modulus graphite rods , tungsten weights , lithium batteries , cable-steer trolling motors , hyper-accurate GPS mapping and bait scents created in a laboratory . All of the above help us catch more fish ( ergo , make our pursuits of these little green and brown creatures more fruitful and enjoyable ). Which leads to my confusion about the recent uproar of debate about forward-facing sonar . This most recent advancement in fishing technology arrived in retail form in 2018 with Garmin LiveScope , a tech leap that was soon adopted by other major electronics manufacturers and embraced by a hearty percentage of anglers who recognized a powerful new tool in their fishing toolboxes . I happened to be looking over future Hall-of-Famer Edwin Evers ’ shoulder when he first activated his Lowrance ActiveTarget at a product demo on Table Rock Lake and will never forget his reaction : sheer astonishment at what he was seeing on his screen , followed by the gears in his angler brain starting to turn as he instantly began to process how he could best use FFS to catch more fish .
As is the case with almost any new technology , a percentage of tournament anglers went “ all in ” on forwardfacing sonar . They invested time in learning how to use it , folded it straightaway into their everyday tournament processes and began to expand upon the technology ’ s capabilities to locate and catch fish . Another percentage of anglers chose not to adopt FFS as lustily , for various , valid-to-them reasons .
The impact of this latest advancement in fishing technology – and the benefit to those anglers who went from “ early adopter ” to “ expert ” – has been irrefutable , as pros like Jacob Wheeler , Dustin Connell , Michael Neal , Justin Lucas , Matt Becker , Dakota Ebare , etc ., rack up tour-level wins and Top 10s at a supersonic rate while using forward-facing sonar .
A kerfuffle of social media debate erupted in late summer about FFS ’ efficacy in tournaments , with nonadopters challenging that the technology is “ too good ” ( their words , not mine ). But whether you enjoy the act of “ video gaming ” or would prefer instead to Power-Pole down and punch mats all day , the GOAT himself – Kevin VanDam – sums up best the true potential of live sonar as a fish-catching tool .
“( Live sonar ) is here to stay , and it ’ s only going to get better ,” VanDam said . “ It is , by far , the most potent learning tool in fishing I ’ ve ever experienced . For the first time ever , we have live testimony of how fish really behave . There ’ s no more guessing or wondering what they ’ re doing , you can see it in real time . Seeing [ all the dots ] doesn ’ t mean catching all the dots . Seeing is believing . And believing is what leads to change to become a better angler .”
Thoughts ? I ’ d love to hear them : Joel . Shangle @ MajorLeagueFishing . com .
joel shangle , editor-in-chief
6 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2023