Is Forward Facing Sonar Cheating

OK, I am going to face this topic head-on on but keep in mind, to each his own. Forward-facing sonar isn’t just the latest in fishing technology; it is, good or bad, creating a buzz around fishing like no technology before it. Now, I happen to believe much of the buzz is because there are more anglers for one, but more than that, there are avenues in which to voice your opinion with social media. Even those without social media get their voices heard through others who do.

The first flasher unit that hit the market created as much awe and debate, I am sure of it, but those praises and criticisms rarely made it further than the boat ramps or bait store gatherings over a cup of coffee or cold drink. It was probably a 10-minute conversation one way or the other and then forgotten aside from maybe a jab or two about so and so, only caught that many because he bought that flashy contraption for his boat, and a laugh would ensue, and a see you in the morning, Bob, would end it.

Today, with all of the social media platforms, you have a continuous debate. If you follow fishing-related pages and groups or a fishing forum, you will inevitably encounter forward-facing sonar banter on the regular. One side for it, one side against it, and another group couldn’t care less either way, but they still interject their thoughts here and there. Why not? It’s easy with a keyboard. I am convinced there are about as many stirring the pot more than agreeing or disagreeing. Oh, the power of the keyboard in the privacy of your own home.

The negative comments that are presented by so many are convincing, making it seem like the end of fishing as we know it. One being that forward-facing sonar will devastate fish populations within a few years. Or “you’re a loser and a cheater for buying that thing”, a man once told me at the boat ramp. He had a brand-new boat with every gadget and fish finder on his boat except, of course, forward-facing sonar. I just laughed and said, “well, sir, you caught 9 fish, and I didn’t get a bite.”

As for myself, I was never going to purchase forward-facing sonar. Not because it was cheating, but because of how much they cost. Then one day, I was fortunate enough to fish with forward-facing sonar for the first time with Ron Bilbrey. Ron competed professionally in crappie tournaments for many years. Ron had two separate setups for forward-facing sonar and I had my own to use. We were working on content for an article that would eventually make it into Midwest Outdoors, and Ron was on the cover. I fished with FFS for maybe 10 minutes and knew I had to have one. 

The reason I decided to purchase the out of this world technology wasn’t because it made it easier to catch crappie, but because, as a writer, I am always curious as to the why. Why do fish do this when you do that? Does color make that big of a difference, or did the size or profile of the bait make the difference? I saw forward-facing sonar as a learning tool and had to have one. Does FFS make it easier to catch fish? I would say if you learn the technology well, then yes, it looks easier because you can get your bait in the strike zone and get that fish to bite. The word easier is where I get hung up. I can say that the fishing became much harder in a physical way, as so much more focus is needed. Finding fish and making precision casts in the wind when the fish is 25 feet deep can be challenging. No, easy isn’t the word I would put on that.

Most of the people I know that is good with FFS were also good without it. A couple says they just would rather fish without it, not wanting to take the time to learn the technology, but not mad about it. Others seem to really be upset about the technology and voice it every chance they get. The way I see it FFS is no more an advancement than any other in the fishing industry. Are there other technologies that would have created as much divisiveness as FFS has? I say yes, if there were social media. 

With social media comes conversations that would have never taken place before. There is hardly a time when I get on social media and don't see some mention of forward-facing sonar being some sort of magic fish machine, and anyone who uses it doesn’t know how to fish. I only know a couple of people who can say they didn’t start catching fish until forward-facing sonar came out, and they only started fishing because of FFS. This is true of many anglers I have spoken to. Forward-facing sonar is responsible for new anglers and since when is recruitment into fishing a bad thing?

Young anglers today started out using FFS and never fished old school. You might say they would struggle to catch any fish without the technology, but I beg to differ. What you learn about fish behavior using forward-facing sonar is straightening out the learning curve for young anglers. Take away the technology, and I think it wouldn’t take them long to figure out how to catch some fish, given their knowledge of fish movement and tendencies during specific weather patterns and seasons.  This is all lessons learned the hard way for those anglers before FFS, but hasn’t everything gotten a little easier with modern technology?

My view will remain the same no matter how much ridicule is slung my way; I love forward-facing sonar just like I loved that old flasher unit my grandfather kept in a Styrofoam minnow bucket with a transducer attached to the end of a broom handle. Oh, and he didn’t set it straight over the side of the boat, he pointed that transducer in all directions to find creek channels and brush. I wonder if that was cheating? Joking aside, I only wish all anglers could come together without the division that only hurts our cause to keep our traditions alive and to be able to come together and enjoy a fish fry. No matter how the fish were caught.