Lake Fork

[TnRiver46]

@Texas Flood, Hank Cherry won a classic or two utilizing FFS but hes not 19, it could go either way! My lake fork prediction was someone would hit a stump, not sure what to predict for grand. I’ll go with the camera will still be behind the angler instead of in front 

[detroit1]

Trey would not have won with a snoopy rod and barbless hooks. Crazytalk. 

[casts_by_fly]

5 hours ago, alonerankin2 said:

FFS isn’t a be all win all gadget. As an aside, when Rick Clunn won the tournament on the Harris chain , he was in contention on the final day. He was behind and he knew he was going to need bigger fish, he reviewed his mental notes (not FFS) and realized that his biggest bites had come on his 3/4 ounce spinner bait.. he committed to it all day, the final day and won the tournament again! (2016&2019) FFS will never supplant this way of fishing. 

 

as a direct corollary, trey McKinney recognized after practice that the fish he found in practice were probably going to pull back to a little deeper water with the cold front which let him stay on them. Through the tournament he recognized that the bigger fish were going to ease back up and he moved with them accordingly. None of that had to do with FFS.  That’s just understanding bass behavior and changes with the days. Aka knowledge and skill.

[Susky River Rat]

[Team9nine]

55 minutes ago, Susky River Rat said:

Big bass, big screens, big dreams!

 

[Susky River Rat]

@Team9nine you ain’t kidding 

[Logan S]

7 hours ago, JediAmoeba said:

But what restrictions should be placed without disrupting the money flow from sponsors? 

I mean, anglers will still need and buy the units and everything else from Garmin/Lowrance/HB....NBT stands to lose the most since they are aftermarket, but the big 3 will be fine.  

 

Also, call me crazy but I don't really care about the sponsor companies...I'd hope whatever decision might be made is based on what the organization believes is best for the competition, the sport, and the anglers....Not what the sponsoring companies might want.  

 

No one cares what I think, but if I were the king of BASS I'd say 1 FFS transducer mounted on the TM shaft (no extra poles) and some generous screen/unit limitation...All other "standard" tech is not restricted.

[TnRiver46]

[Team9nine]

1 hour ago, casts_by_fly said:

 

as a direct corollary, trey McKinney recognized after practice that the fish he found in practice were probably going to pull back to a little deeper water with the cold front which let him stay on them. Through the tournament he recognized that the bigger fish were going to ease back up and he moved with them accordingly. None of that had to do with FFS.  That’s just understanding bass behavior and changes with the days. Aka knowledge and skill.

 

Also Trey McKinney on his win: "The Lowrance ActiveTarget was essential to finding these fish up on the shallow flats, too. I started the tournament fishing in 20 to 30 feet of water and then today, I was in 4 feet … They were moving off the timber toward the bank. I had to follow them.”

[F14A-B]

1 hour ago, casts_by_fly said:

 

as a direct corollary, trey McKinney recognized after practice that the fish he found in practice were probably going to pull back to a little deeper water with the cold front which let him stay on them. Through the tournament he recognized that the bigger fish were going to ease back up and he moved with them accordingly. None of that had to do with FFS.  That’s just understanding bass behavior and changes with the days. Aka knowledge and skill.

I watched all of that tournament excepting 4 hours.. I saw him at least once follow a big fish with FFS.. some of those guys were chasing/following fish in. Trey was watching his screen throughout the tournament and if he says otherwise?? 

1 minute ago, Team9nine said:

 

Also Trey McKinney on his win: "The Lowrance ActiveTarget was essential to finding these fish up on the shallow flats, too. I started the tournament fishing in 20 to 30 feet of water and then today, I was in 4 feet … They were moving off the timber toward the bank. I had to follow them.”

Yup, thank you . 

[Team9nine]

Since this is a boy doll by the name on his nametag, I'd say if you weren't using FFS, this is where you were hurt - like a swift kick to the -&8t# - or so I heard according to the "whiners" this weekend - lol

 

 

 

[Stratocat_Joe]

1 hour ago, casts_by_fly said:

 

as a direct corollary, trey McKinney recognized after practice that the fish he found in practice were probably going to pull back to a little deeper water with the cold front which let him stay on them. Through the tournament he recognized that the bigger fish were going to ease back up and he moved with them accordingly. None of that had to do with FFS.  That’s just understanding bass behavior and changes with the days. Aka knowledge and skill.

I only watched a little bit of the Live Mix on Sunday morning, while Hackney and Mosely were commentating.  But, from what I saw, McKinney wasn't following fish as they moved due to fronts.  He was just trolling around areas "scoping" for fish to cast at.  Listening to Hackney during the broadcast, I kind of understand his frustration with this new type of fishing.  He stated that for 25 years, he studied bass to understand their behaviors and how they react to various conditions, structure, cover, etc. so that he could put himself in the best position to catch the biggest 5 he can catch.  Now, all they have to do is put the scope in the water and look for them...they don't really need to know and understand the animal's behaviors. 

 

To me, instead of the aluminum/wooden bat argument, a better baseball analogy would be if MLB replaced pitchers with pitching machines.  Sure, the hitter still has to make contact (i.e. the angler still has to catch the fish) but it's a lot easier when you know where the pitch will be (i.e. know where the fish is at).  Even if it led to more home runs (i.e. bigger bags of fish), something tells me a lot of traditional baseball fans wouldn't be happy with that change...much like a lot of traditional BASS fans aren't happy with the FFS change.  Perhaps it's a good thing some pitching machine company hasn't decided to sponsor MLB!

[king fisher]

Is there any possible middle ground?  Would it be possible to let the anglers find bass with the FFS units, but require them to turn the unit off before any casts are made?  This would allow the anglers to still take advantage of the technology, but it would limit how effective the technology would be.  This is just an example, and may be the worst idea ever, but surely there is a solution, that won't loose sponsorship dollars, and still be considered by the majority of bass fisherman to live up to a high standard of sportsmanship. 

      Right now the only thing that makes using these units, not considered an unfair advantage to the angler is the high degree of difficulty learning how to use them, and the challenge of casting to such a narrow target while on the move all the while maintaining boat control, and direction.  The technology may change to where after one day of practice an average angler can read the screen as well as a seasoned pro.  The software may eventually improve to the point the FFS will be able to instantly mark a bass, tell you how big it is, what direction it is going, run the trolling motor, for the angler, and tell the angler when where and how far to cast.  This would not be Star Wars technology, and could happen in my life time.

      Obviously when the Tech. gets to this point something would have to be changed in order to maintain a basic attitude of fair chase.  Sometimes kicking the can down the road isn't the answer,

but in this case it may be.  I believe patience with a wait and see attitude, is the right thing to do.   In the meantime, I congratulate all the young successful, anglers on tour, as well as maintain great respect for those that have been bass fishing for decades.

     Some sports such as baseball have always been steeped in tradition, Pro bass fishing has been the opposite.  Ever since the first tournament's, the angler, fans, and sponsors have always been looking for the next great advancement.  Everything from new lures, scents, boat, motors, rods, reels, oxygen meters, sun glasses, to color selectors, solunar tables, and yes electronics have made professional bass fishing an ever changing sport, with the only long time tradition being respect for the resource, and the love of bass fishing.

[gim]

9 minutes ago, king fisher said:

Is there any possible middle ground?  Would it be possible to let the anglers find bass with the FFS units, but require them to turn the unit off before any casts are made?  This would allow the anglers to still take advantage of the technology, but it would limit how effective the technology would be.

The pro muskie tour did something similar to this. They allowed live sonar in practice but prohibit it during competition. It allows them to utilize the technology in advance while pre fishing, but to simply cast without the aide of it during tournament hours. The transducers must be removed during tournament hours.

 

Not saying that’s the solution here but they have not lost any participants since the rule was in place.

[GReb]

Just limit them to one live or 360 transducer per event and no more than 25” of screen at bow and console. Seems reasonable and would put strategy in play. There are tournaments in recent years where 360 won over FFS

 

I also would be for limiting amounts of rods an angler can pack each day to 12 or 15. Most guys have that on their deck and in the box. These decisions would make it more interesting for the tv product IMO

[rangerjockey]

There will be some restrictions coming. Either the number of transducers or total inches of screens etc.. 

I hope BASS does something soon ,although it will probably be next year. I have to wonder where all of this supposed sponsorship money from Garmin, Lowrance and Humminbird is going.

It certainly isn't adding to the payouts.

[DogBone_384]

On 2/29/2024 at 9:56 AM, hokiehunter373 said:

Gore: 3 fish for 26 pounds

26 pounds might be higher than my running total for 2024!

[Johnbt]

I just turned on a rerun of Bassmaster Fishing Elite Series #2: Lake Fork.

 

It's a good thing we have a 65" tv because the angler was in about 20% of the picture and the other 80% was all fish finder screen. Then he caught a 3-pounder and grabbed it across the back while he sat down and took the trebles out with needlenose. At least he released it in the water and didn't toss it overboard like they were doing in the last tournament I tried to watch.

 

It's 8 a.m. I turned it off and took the dog for a walk.  I don't think watching a man watch a fishfinder is very entertaining when the fishfinder is getting all the attention.

 

 

[gim]

39 minutes ago, Johnbt said:

I don't think watching a man watch a fishfinder is very entertaining when the fishfinder is getting all the attention.

I would advise not tuning into the smallmouth events later this season.

[rangerjockey]

1 minute ago, gimruis said:

I would advise not tuning into the smallmouth events later this season.

No Doubt. The northern swing is the worst.

[gim]

10 minutes ago, rangerjockey said:

No Doubt. The northern swing is the worst.

Part of that is the time of year they schedule it.  If they had them another time of year other than in midsummer when smallmouth are out deeper on offshore structure, other presentations would definitely come into play.  This is why I primarily target brown bass in the spring or fall on bigger lakes instead of the middle of summer.  Vertical finesse fishing with a drop shot is the worst.

[JediAmoeba]

9 hours ago, gimruis said:

Part of that is the time of year they schedule it.  If they had them another time of year other than in midsummer when smallmouth are out deeper on offshore structure, other presentations would definitely come into play.  This is why I primarily target brown bass in the spring or fall on bigger lakes instead of the middle of summer.  Vertical finesse fishing with a drop shot is the worst.

They should make a swing up north before the fish are on beds. I want to see the elites battle some freezing guides and lethargic fish! Lol

 

Seriously, I hate the elite series when they are targeting big females on beds. That's worse than any other part of the sport.

[PhishLI]

This was a good convo on Luke Dunkin's Traveling Circus following the Fork derb about youth in the sport and FFS.

 

Begin at the 12 minute mark if the link doesn't automatically start there. Picture added so you're able to search for it if *something* happens to the link.

[Susky River Rat]

@PhishLI I don’t care about the daddies money thing. I raced motocross I know all about that. Does it put you behind the 8 ball? yes. You shut up and work harder.  For me the FFS issue is the whole sporting aspect of it. These guys are flipping docks and fishing shallow with it too.
 

It’s not simply a fishing in the abyss tool. It is taking away from the sport. In different aspects then we know right now. I don’t fault the anglers either. They are doing what they need to do to cash checks legally. Do it! I fault the organizations government and tournament ones.