Cracking Kerchal's Code

For only the second time in history, an amateur has won the Bassmaster Classic. By taking the crown, Dylan Nutt joins Bryan Kerchal in the record books, instantly catapulting him to the top of the bass fishing pyramid.

The win was the result of Nutt’s pre-fishing strategy. Prior to off limits, Nutt spent hundreds of hours on Tellico and Ft. Loudoun lakes, resulting in him feeling “like I know this place better than my home lake.”

Nutt is the third-youngest Classic winner and the first true amateur to take the title in 32 years. 

Unfortunately for him, many are claiming the win should be accompanied by an asterisk, thanks to Nutt’s use of forward-facing sonar. The technology has completely up-ended our sport and brought with it strong opinions from fans and followers. Without question, most public forums show opposition from the fanbase.

It’s certainly not Nutt’s fault. Like every Classic champ before him, Nutt combined his talent and skill set with the latest and greatest technology to take Bassmaster’s biggest prize. Sometimes that technology comes in a form we can all live with, like an extra-sensitive rod or a rattle chamber on a flippin’ jig.

Other times, though, it exceeds what many believe is within the boundaries of fair play.

In any case, every bass fisherman in America, given the chance, would have competed in the 2026 Bassmaster Classic using forward-facing sonar. To do otherwise would be to admit defeat. The technique is simply unbeatable. 

So don’t blame Nutt. He just won the Classic doing what he does best, same as Denny Brauer or Jordan Lee did. Nutt should receive nothing but praise for a job well done and a victory well-deserved.

Blame, then, should be focused on the system that empowers the technology. Since the beginning of the FFS era – we're more than four years in now – I’ve warned of the dangers of this nonsense. What will it take, I wonder, for this to go away?

Proponents of FFS will say that the technology is simply the next step, no different than the inception of side-imaging, spot-lock or the first LCD depth finder, for that matter. But that argument is not accurate.

When professional golfers began using metal drivers, there was a bit of backlash about changing the game and talk of possibly outlawing them. But logic prevailed when traditionalists remembered that, although they didn’t like the idea of “metal woods”, they were all using metal clubs once they got off the tee anyway and had been for ages. 

What we have in our sport, however, is a driver that points itself down the fairway. Yes, the athlete must still swing the club but, if he does and he’s talented at swinging clubs, the ball will travel to an ideal location. Someone will prevail as the best club swinger and that person will likely be a person with natural talent. He’ll be better than I ever could be, smarter, faster and younger. He’ll make a great living as a professional golf club swinger. 

But a golfer, he is not. 

I have no doubt that Nutt is probably an excellent bass fisherman, capable of catching fish using a variety of methods. I also have no doubt that many of the anglers in the Classic field are the best in the world at catching bass under the organization’s guidelines. 

Furthermore, I’m absolutely certain that, if TaylorMade introduced a laser-driven golf club that automatically hit a ball to a predetermined position, the PGA would outlaw use of that club immediately. If they didn’t, of course, every golfer on tour would use one. 

Why can’t the bass tournament organizations get this through their heads?

It’s up to the major organizations to set limitations on our sport. It’s not a suppression of our rights or an unfair restraint on the marketplace. Some anglers will always have over-the-top equipment, just like some have 300 horsepower outboards.

But the reason most don’t, the reason most guys have 250 horsepower outboards, is because that’s the limit that has been established in the competitive arena. 

I can’t say this loud enough: The only way forward in the sport of competitive bass fishing is the complete elimination of forward-facing sonar. 

Sure, we can avoid the subject, groom social media posts and belittle fans that oppose FFS. Ignore the obvious while approval of the sport continues to plunge. Fans will still pack the house for weigh-in after attending the expo, the real reason they made the drive to town.

Young anglers will continue to steal the show, bringing new fans and followers and the illusion that things will eventually settle out, that this new world order we’ve created will replace the old one, like automobiles replacing the horse and buggy.

But that’s not what’s really happening. If we want organized bass fishing to continue, we’ll need to do a better job of critiquing our faults. 

No, there’s no asterisk next to Nutt’s name. But a Wikipedia page linked to the Bassmaster Classic now devotes a major portion to “Live Scope” and the controversy surrounding it.

Perhaps nobody will notice. 

It’s always best to ignore these things. 

Joe Balog is the Executive Director of Mighty River Recovery, a nonprofit organization working to restore Florida’s St. Johns River. A former national tournament angler, product designer, seminar speaker and guide, Balog has worn just about every hat available to a professional angler. Today, he enjoys rehashing his experiences and adding veteran insight through his weekly Bass Wars column.

---