John Cox has taken a different approach when it comes to live sonar. He’d rather fish on feel, instinct and experience.
May 07, 2025
By Jim Edlund
The 2025 Bassmaster Classic was an exciting one, with a lot of commentary about 25-year-old Easton Fothergill and the tactics – and technology – he employed en route to his record-setting win.
There were other surprises, too. For example, Florida’s John Cox finished sixth with 56 pounds, 13 ounces without the aid of forward-facing sonar amidst a vast field of competitors using the technology.
“The past few Classics have been in similar less than ideal weather conditions,” Cox said. “And FF sonar has dominated through these events, but I’ve chosen not to use it.
“With the wind, I was kind of trapped in one area and it was hard to move. Some guys still moved around and actually did well, but I pretty much stayed put. My whole deal was making more casts than anybody else and be in an area where I felt like any cast I was going to get bit. So that’s what I did.”
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Cox uses Lowrance products, but Cox does not have its Active Target transducer installed on his boat. He instead relies on classic 2D sonar, SideScan, and C-Map mapping along with his good old-fashioned observations about the water and conditions around him.
“I like the waypoint management in the Lowrance units,” he said. “It’s huge to be able to drop a waypoint, type in a description, save it, and even draw a box around that lake and save it for the year. I have like 10 years’ of waypoints saved for some waters. But, more often than not, I just go on memory, because if you upload all that data to your screen it can get overwhelming.”
“Most of the time I like to start fresh on these waters, but there are things that stick with you over time,” he added.
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And on tournament day, that’s usually in areas where Cox can see bottom, while other anglers are typically out deeper using live sonar.
“I like to fish by feel up shallow," Cox said. “It’s what I’ve done since I was a kid fishing from the bank. And I’m feeling everything through the line and reading the water.”
Cox says he’s fished with buddies who use live sonar and it’s “very impressive,” but once you start using it there’s really no turning back from it.
“Once you can see everything 365 days a year, all day, and in any condition, any water color, it’s a whole different thing,” Cox said. “You’re not making all the casts you’d normally make. You’re fishing to what you see on the screen. And I don’t think anybody really realized how well it was going to work shallow, which we’re starting to see now.”
Cox admits he can’t compete with anglers using FF sonar in shallow water.
“If I’m in two or three feet of water and somebody with FF sonar comes close and starts catching them -- no, there’s no way I can compete," he said. “That sucks, but I don’t want to start using it because I feel like I’d lose all those years of learning how to read the water with my eyes over the past 30 years fishing, and 18 years fishing tournaments. So I have my ways to make sure I finish high, like getting away from the pack and grinding it out.
“I still want to throw a frog like I always have, even though FF sonar is deadly. I don’t want to be staring down at a screen not taking in all of the amazing-ness of what’s going on when you’re out fishing.”
He recalled an example from day 2 of this year’s Classic at Lake Ray Roberts in Texas.
Cox has always been known as a shallow-water specialist and that hasn’t changed even with the rise in popularity of live sonar. “I rolled into the spot and the sun was coming up, birds were flying, shad were flickering everywhere, and there was a lot to take in,” Cox said. “That’s why I love fishing. I’m scared with the idea of having to stare at a screen for 12 hours of practice or 8 hours of a tournament. Once you cross that line there’s really no point casting until you see a fish and you give up fishing by feel.”
While Cox utilizes 2D sonar, mapping, and SideScan on his units, he admits that learning the latter was difficult for him, too.
“I had one of my worst seasons trying to fish by really switching over from shallow fishing to more reliance on SideScan,” he said. “For me, I love throwing at places I can see with my naked eye near shore where I think I might get a bite. I could see wood and shells on SideScan, but it was a lot different style of fishing – still is. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a super valuable tool and I use it, but I’m still going to fish shallow, shoreline stuff if I can.”
Even with mapping, Cox says he tries not to rely on it too much, partially because everyone has excellent mapping today and he can “still find areas that maybe the maps don’t show.”
“I guess I’m fishing like all the old-time guys,” he said. “I remember watching Danny Brauer flip a jig knowing he was going to get bit on gut-instinct. I try to do that.”
Fish Where There’s Life One thing Cox recommends anglers fishing without live sonar do is scout for areas teeming with life.
“If you pull up to a spot and there are no birds, bait, or jumping carp – whatever – chances are you aren’t going to find bass there either. Look for areas with life – where there’s bait and birds and other fish species eating bait. The cues can pretty basic, but you’ve gotta look for them.”
Fish Similar Areas Another key to finding successful fishing areas can be as simple as fishing areas that resemble areas where you might have caught fish on other waters.
“Like if you’ve been on a pond a caught them in northwest corner, they that on another lake. Or maybe it’s an area where lily pads transition to grass and laydowns, try that on another lake,” advises Cox.
Fish Overlooked Areas Another key to his success is Cox routinely finds himself fishing areas overlooked by other anglers, to the point of intentionally avoiding areas with other pros.
“I like to fish spots that might not look like really good areas that are passed up by anglers going to A-list stuff. I’ll start fishing them and if it starts feeling good, stick with it.”
For example, there have been a lot of times when he’s settled into passed-up areas that don’t jump off the map or seem all that special, but by grinding it out, he’s caught plenty of fish. Within these areas he looks for spots that seem comfortable or familiar and focuses on that.
Power Fish with a Spinning Rod “Power fishing is my thing,” says Cox. “And I do a lot of it with a spinning rod. I’ll tie a 6-inch Berkley MaxScent General stick worm straight to 8- or 10-pound FireLine, throwing it at every target. The MaxScent General sinks faster because it’s heavier and shimmies through a larger area so I can cast it out, let it hit bottom, then repeat – over and over until I get bit. You don’t have to let it sit long. I fish a lot of techniques like wacky worms that are intended to be fished slow a lot faster.”
Cox would much rather read the conditions with his eyes than rely on a screen to dictate how he should be fishing. Watch Water Temps Finally, Cox says watching water temperature is a big deal.
“I might go into the back of a creek channel and the water temps are in the low 50s, you know that the fish aren’t going to be back there yet. But if it’s like 58 in the back of the creek and 52 in the main lake, you know that the fish will be back there. Watching the water temp can give you a good idea of where the fish are whether its creeks and a main lake or connected lakes – and where on a single lake. It’ll give you a good starting point.”
Epilogue Cox and I laughed at the wisdom of just keeping your bait in the water, making cast after cast until you connect. Like the mistake we’ve all made of spending too much time on the bank or the boat tying on new baits or switching out colors, when sticking with confident baits and grinding it out eventually pays off.
“For me, the key has always been keeping my bait in the water and working spots that look good. Do that with enough efficiency – especially shallow – and you don’t need to worry about spotting fish on a FF sonar screen. At least it’s worked for me.”
With nearly $1 million in career earnings, including a Forrest Wood Cup victory, 75 money finishes on various B.A.S.S. circuits and seven Bassmaster Classic appearances, it’s hard to argue with that. Think you need live sonar to catch bass? Think again.
