If I had a bass boat, FFS, SpotLock, and a bag chips, do I think I'd catch more?

 

No. Here's why:

 

Sure, I'd hook more bass bass if I were able to stand and use my leg muscles to set the hook and a heavy bass boat would mean the bass couldn't turn my canoe and pull me into cover and I could launch on windy days with SpotLock pinning me in place. Plus, I'd be able to locate off-shore bass, which would be hugely helpful.

 

HOWEVER, I'd have to launch at big lakes with ramps and there'd be other bass boats with FFS and SpotLock and I wouldn't be able to fish my less fished ponds and bogs. Also, standing on the casting deck would scare bass as I've seen bass bolt when my little lures fly overhead. And I would be way noisier than I currently am, with two props churning the water and FFS sending sound in every direction. 

 

So, they wouldn't work for me.*

 

How about you? Do you think you'd catch more bass if you had the full toolbox?

 

 

 

*However, I would like a bag of chips.

I'd love to have SpotLock on Bass Trek...it'd probably help me so much. Right now, I have to work the TM manually to keep an approximate position.

 

FFS - na....IMO it's cheating.

 

Bag of chips? I'd trade that for a container of blueberries, raspberries or watermelon chunks.

SpotLock, probably as the boats not going to drift off target much.

 

FFS, we’ll never know as I won’t have it on my boat.

 

Bag of chips, I agree with @Swamp Girl. Just a small bag though.

Assuming one could understand and run all of the electronics, 100% you could catch more fish.

 

Pros make their living off of catching fish.

 

If a tournament allows it, they are using it.

I consider myself a slow adapter meaning, I don’t need the “latest and greatest “.  For me to upgrade, there has to be a clear measurable advantage.  I felt that when Power Poles came out, that was a must have.  I added them to my boat (gen 1).  When spot lock came out, since I fish a lot of tidal moving water, I upgraded my trolling motor to a Ghost.  As for electronics, I am running early models but I have down scan and side scan along with 2d and mapping.  I’m not at the point where I feel I need FFS.  

You can have my bag….

 

I remember when power poles first came out there were those who questioned the need, there were all kinds of reasons.
Now almost every boat I’ve fished on in the last 10yrs has at least 1, now the vast majority have 2. 

When spot lock first arrived it had its doubters then too but as time goes on they’re getting more and more popular.
 

Boats not having either are unquestioned in the minority. 
Honestly, If I ever buy a boat those are the first things I’m installing before it hits the water. 
 

 

 

 

 

Mike

 

12 minutes ago, HawkeyeSmallie said:

Assuming one could understand and run all of the electronics, 100% you could catch more fish.

 

I think you're right, but I couldn't fish the water I successfully fish now. No one could launch a bass boat on my pond. No one could drag a bass boat across a field and through the woods to launch at one of my bogs. So, I'd have to fish a lake with a parking lot and a concrete ramp and in the end, I don't think I'd catch more than I currently catch. I watch the YouTube bass boaters with FFS fish lakes in Maine with parking lots and concrete ramps and they don't outfish me on my ponds and bogs.

 

2 minutes ago, Mike L said:

I remember when power poles first came out there were those who questioned the need, there were all kinds of reasons.

 

Mike, I think power poles are cool, but I'd worry that they'd scare bass when they hit the bottom. If I bump any part of my canoe, the nearby bass are bolting. 

Katie

Its all relative to where and how you fish. 
if I fished out of a canoe in a pond I don’t see the need either. 
 

You’d be fine no matter where you go. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

5 minutes ago, Mike L said:

Katie

Its all relative to where and how you fish. 
if I fished out of a canoe in a pond I don’t see the need either. 
 

You’d be fine no matter where you go. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

 

You're right, Mike. It's not a one-solution-fits-all situation.

 

However, I don't think I'd be fine wherever I went: I'd be lost at O.H. Ivie in my canoe, utterly overwhelmed by the water, just as one of those FFS bass boaters down there would be lost trying to fish my water, utterly overwhelmed by the woods.

FFS 100% no doubt I could catch more fish. I see what a difference a flasher does with ice fishing. I already have spot lock. I’ll pass on the bag of chips. 

4 minutes ago, Susky River Rat said:

I’ll pass on the bag of chips. 

 

What's wrong with you guys???????? Chips are delish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

^ Sweetie, I'm working on eating healthier to help combat the cancer

19 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

^ Sweetie, I'm working on eating healthier to help combat the cancer

 

Well done.

I do think spot lock would help me. I am the kind of angler that hates the wind. I would much rather fish a lake that looks like glass. I won't even venture out if wind is 15mph or over.  FFS seems like cheating and most of our lakes are so shallow, I don't think it would help much. Someone also mentioned power poles, and that would be great, but not in the budget. It may also be overkill on my 15 ft bassboat.

Most professional anglers have all of the tools of the trade, including cutting-edge technology. Despite this, they frequently experience zero-fish days.

I'm certain I wouldn't fare any better.

A-Jay

I know I wouldn’t, I’ve fished in such boats. It’s way more complicated than regular fishing while standing on a rock haha. I prefer the rock 

2 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

I know I wouldn’t, I’ve fished in such boats. It’s way more complicated than regular fishing while standing on a rock haha. I prefer the rock 

 

I fish on rocks more and more as our drought deepens and I keep running a ground.

I already have all of that except the chips.  I’m not one to eat in the boat.  I never take food with me.

 

The thing that has helped me the most is the trolling motor.  It has lots of useful features like keeping a heading when the prop is turning, cruise control, the ability to follow a contour line, speed adjustments of at least 20, spot lock and self deployment and stowing features.

 

I can control it from any of my sonar units, the foot pedal or a remote.  If I had to give it up I would quit fishing.

Wow, Jig Man. That's a wicked cool motor!

Well I hope it's okay for me to post on this thread because it's not a hypothetical question for me since I already have everything mentioned except for the bag of chips (I already ate them).

 

So do I catch more bass with my high tech bass boat?   Probably not.  I caught more numbers of bass before I got a boat when I was wading creeks that got very little pressure.  I was young and had no problem hiking a mile to an out of the way creek where the bass hadn't learned to avoid lures.  So I agree with you that your approach to using stealth and a canoe to fish out of the way places has clear advantages over a bass boat on busy public waters.

 

As for Spotlock,  I love it.  Makes fishing easier in many ways.  Does it help me catch more bass?  Yes but only because it makes me more efficient. 

 

Now for FFS - I also love it.  Do I catch more fish with it?  I'm convinced that I probably catch less with it.  We have solid data from this year's Bass Pro Tour events and the data shows that for about half the field, FFS does not help and even hurts them catch fish.  If it doesn't help half the pros what does it do for the average angler like me?  Well,  I catch fish with it that I would never have caught without it.  I also know that I don't catch fish when I'm messing with it.  It can definitely be a distraction.  My FFS skills are probably more comparable to Alton Jones or Brent Chapman than to Drew Gill or Jacob Wheeler so it's not increasing my catch by much if any.

 

For me the boat and the technology greatly enhance my enjoyment of the sport.  I enjoy fishing large reservoirs that offer a large variety of stuff to fish.  I can fish off shore structure, creeks, all types of cover on a given day.  I can crank the outboard and go to a place 10 miles away with ease.  I can spotlock exactly where I need to position the boat and forget about it.  The technology does exactly what the critics often say-It takes the mystery out of fishing.  I don't care for the mystery that comes with making random cast.  I like knowing where the structure is and knowing exactly how the fish are set up on it.  I love watching how they react to my lure.  Call it cheating if you like.  For me it just makes the competition between me and fish much more real and less random.  It enhances the narrative.  I know I caught the fish off a stump on the edge of the drop off and he followed the lure for about 5 feet before he hit it.  Before the technology existed,  I just knew I caught the fish over there.

 

I need to buy more chips.

 

 

A hole bag of chips?? fffff yeah!!!

I currently have a new Crestliner Kodiak boat Minnkota spot lock and have FFS. I live in central MN weedy lakes not much structure. Will FFS catch more bass for me not really. I bought it first for ice fishing for me it shines here the most for me. I even took a class for FFS it did help some. For me hit the weed line or start at the banks. When I do find bass deep 20 FOW or deeper won't fish them not going to kill fish just because I saw them on the scope. I do like the pole because you can turn it to tell were the weed edge is better ahead of you etc. FFS learned a lot with it deal breaker no in different structures can see it would be great. I put it down every time go out mostly because paid enough for it and feel obligated to get my money out of it. Spot lock to me first time ever used it it was an ah hah moment. If all I had was a 10 foot jon boat and it had spot lock that would be heaven.

Have fished from 10 horse boats all the way up to my current one. Mostly my wife and I had a scare of me almost falling out my equilibrium is not the best we wanted something a little sturdier and a console not used to that from a tiller but getting better. This was a really good post. Thanks

Catch more...absolutely not.  Catch more on bigger bodies of water that are a pita to access with the kayak and the slow moving drift boat...100%.  It would allow me opportunities to fish new areas, new lakes, etc.

4 minutes ago, Mrpike said:

This was a really good post. Thanks

 

You're welcome and thank you right back!

 

I'd love to try FFS, but I worry that it would hook me and I couldn't throw the hook. I played one video game in my life and I was gut hooked. I'd play the game until four in the morning. I'd be so tired I couldn't quit. The Internet has hooked me and my phone has hooked me and I'd worry FFS would hook me too. I'd love to try it once if I could go immediately into rehab. 

 

@Gera: Hey, I'm scarfing up all the chips the others don't want!

 

@Tennessee Boy: You did a great job explaining why FFS is fun. Thank you.

I don't know how to quote but as Tennessee boy alluded to fully agree the more you mess with FFS the less you fish. After the first trip caught nothing then started to fish. Staring at a screen all day is not fishing. Well said Tennessee boy