In this day and age of professional bass fishing, the overwhelming topic is how forward-facing sonar (FFS) has transformed our sport. Many fans rail against FFS on social media, while others champion it.
One point of contention is how young anglers who rely on FFS are consistently besting esteemed veterans. The older pros rely on instincts, knowledge and a wide variety of fishing techniques to find and catch bass. Many younger pros rely mainly on FFS to do so.
I believe the Elite Series anglers who are directly impacted by FFS have the most credibility when it comes to commenting on this controversial topic. Since I’m fortunate to be one of the Elites, I’ll give you my two cents.
At age 23, I’m one of the younger guys on the Elite Series. But I grew up fishing with my dad, Stephen, who has been a prominent professional angler for decades. He taught me how to fish instinctively without FFS, just as he has done throughout his career.
Given my background, I understand why many veterans aren’t happy with FFS. When they go to a body of water to fish a tournament, they look for bass based on what they’re gut tells them from years of hard-earned experience. Even when they’re fishing waters where FFS is sure to reign, it’s hard for them to turn away from everything they’ve learned and go in a different direction.
As I went through college and now to the professional level, I’ve had to adopt FFS to stay competitive. No question about it, this technology gives us the greatest advantage anglers have ever had.
I’m not going down the rabbit hole and debate whether FFS should be banned from tournament fishing or that it’s the way to go forward. I truly don’t believe in either position.
What I do believe in is having a balance. That’s what will happen next year on the Elite Series schedule. Five of the events will allow FFS and four will not. You can never make everyone happy, but this format gives instinctive and FFS anglers opportunities to shine.
I’m curious to see how this plays out, and I believe many more fans will be tuning into Bassmaster LIVE for the same reason. I’ve read many comments on social media from fans who claim they can’t stand watching tournament anglers fish with their heads down and eyes glued to an FFS display. Now, fans on both sides of the FFS dispute will get what they want.
At the end of the day, no fan is required to tune into Elite Series tournaments on LIVE. But I think the 2026 Elite Series events will be much more intriguing.
It will be eye-opening to see what happens at the events where FFS is not allowed on waters where this technology would normally prevail. Lake Champlain in mid-August is one example. Without FFS, loading up on Champlain’s footloose, heavyweight smallmouth will be much more difficult.
FFS also will not be permitted when we go to Guntersville in February, a lake where this technology produces huge limits that time of year. Next season’s Guntersville event will showcase how tournaments used to be one there with old-school tactics.
I believe some pros who are labeled as “scopers” will shine without FFS. The 2026 Elite Series tour will be a proving ground for anglers on both sides of the FFS spectrum. It’s gonna be really cool to see what happens.
