August 20, 2024
For most of the season, starting
with the Bassmaster Elite opener, I have been
observing the conversation around FFS (Forward
Facing Sonar). I've stayed neutral on the issue
and still am, but I have come to the conclusion
that the uproar from some "Pros" has little to
do with FFS itself. The Pros have been using FFS
since 2017, yes, seven years. They have credited wins and AOY (Angler of
the Year) Championships to it. Anglers such as
Jacob Wheeler have been using up to five FFS
transducers on their boats. Classic winners have
also credited FFS as a tool that contributed to
their success.
For seven years, these Pros have used, promoted,
and sold tens of thousands of these units to you, the
angler. As I've said, I have concluded that FFS
is not the issue. The real issue lies with the
new group of anglers who have advanced from
junior high school competition through high
school, college, and the Bassmaster
qualification process into the Elites. Today's
rookies are younger but more seasoned than ever
before. They bought these FFS units, promoted
and sold by the Pros, and have worked hard,
dedicating significant time to mastering them.
These anglers have had a wealth of knowledge at
their fingertips online. They are truly the new
breed.
These young but seasoned anglers
have obviously become more adept at using the
tool sold to them by the pros, than the pros
themselves. It seems clear to me this is the
problem. They are getting beat by these young
anglers, FFS was never a problem until this
started. So now the pros feel threatened, they
want the tens of thousands of units they sold to
everyone banned in competition. They want the
money spent on these units and countless hours that anglers have
invested in understanding the technology to be
rendered useless.
I've tried for quite some time
to get an answer to this question: "Can you not
see the fish, or can you not catch them after
seeing them?" It seems I can't get an answer to
that. I've heard the term "Spotlighting," which
seems to be a ridiculous comparison. Just
because you can see the fish doesn't mean you
can catch them, as evidenced by Bassmaster Elite
results. Bed fishing is a better
comparison—everyone can see the fish, but not
everyone excels at bed fishing. I hear no pro
voices asking for bed fishing to be banned.
Then there's the argument that
"it's boring to watch," even though viewers have
been watching it for years without realizing it.
Fishing offshore is fishing offshore. You're
watching an angler cast at something nobody can
see, whether they're using FFS or not. The only
difference is that you can see how the fish
react on those FFS televised replays.
It's hard not to believe that
Trey McKinney's success hasn't contributed to
this drama. Podcasts and influencers spreading
malicious rumors, seemingly just to get clicks
and views, even at the expense of their own
reputation, have certainly had an impact. Those
clicks must pay well. Trey won Rookie of the
Year, and if he hadn't been late at Smith Lake,
he would have walked away with AOY. It wouldn't
have been close.
The concern many, including
myself have, is the impact on our fisheries.
Biologist Gene Gilliland has stated that there
is no significant impact of FFS on bass
populations.
However, there is no doubt that harvested fish,
such as crappie, bluegill, etc., are impacted.
This is the variable I am watching.
Would I use FFS? I wouldn't;
it's not my style of fishing, but I'm not trying
to compete at the highest levels. Those guys
need to be well-adapted to fish any style.
Complacency and failure to constantly learn and
adapt to new techniques, baits, and technology
will likely result in a shortened career with
the new breed of anglers arriving. Just because
it's not my style of fishing, doesn't give me the
right to try to take away the money spent, rights, and
man-hours from those who do use FFS.
It will be interesting to see
how the large organizations react, but AC will
not be banning FFS at this time. It's equal
opportunity, and as Greg Hackney said,
paraphrasing: "I hope everybody uses it; it
opens up more of my water."
I want to be clear, I am not
lumping all pros together "some" is the key
word. I'll expand on this article as I
hear other reasons to ban FFS as time allows.
Update 1: There are pro's that
claim that FFS makes the sport "easier". The
only way I can look at this is, if it is easier
why can they not compete with the same tool?
With their years of experience it should be
easier for them to win one would think. This
goes back to earlier in this article. "Everyone
can see them but not everyone has the skill to
catch them" similar to bed fishing.
I have looked through all of our
AC divisions and I find no team dominating with
FFS. Equal opportunity.
|