Adding electronics to your fish-finding-and-catching routine not only enhances the experience, but it makes you more productive no matter the species. But consider what’s best for you.
May 29, 2025
By Thomas Allen
Throughout our 50 wonderful years, our original ambition hasn’t changed: We want you to catch more fish. Naturally, that pathway occasionally veers side-to-side or jumps over hurdles along the road to success. But ultimately, and unavoidably so, things change. One way or another, electronics technology has impacted our fishing, and it’s here to stay.
I’m going to preach at you for a little bit. Not because I come from a place of authority, or to browbeat anyone into doing things my way, nor to condescend—not at all. I have a tremendous amount to learn and a deep respect for the purity of the sport.
My goal is to encourage you and your growth as an angler to consider embracing modern electronics simply as a tool in your arsenal to become a better angler.
I have a growing concern about the increasing controversy in opposition to forward-facing sonar (FFS) and other modern fishing technologies. There are a number of social-media platforms from which these folks are spreading their message, and they don’t hold back. I find most to be inept and incorrect.
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Before I go any further, it’s important to understand that a fishing foundation is critical to success. It takes ample time on the water to establish that baseline, and no technology ever magically forces fish to jump into your boat. Likewise, it takes a substantial time investment to become familiar with and master modern fishing technology and its various applications. Employing the In-Fisherman formula to fishing success—F (Fish) + L (Location) + P (Presentation) = S (Success) —continues to be the best way to get there.
Do It Your Way Find fulfillment in your style of fishing—what makes you get out of bed at 4 a.m. to launch on a cold boat ramp. That’s what’s important, not necessarily what someone else’s version of that same pursuit is. First and foremost, the beauty of our modern era of fishing is you can still fish to whatever extent provides you with the most fulfillment. Nobody is telling you that you need to use modern electronics such as mapping, side-scanning, 360 imaging, FFS, and so on. As history shows, success can be obtained without any of today’s technology, but it’s important to understand how we got here in the first place.
The natural order of fishing, supported by fishing media entities, is to find and catch fish quickly and consistently, precisely where In-Fisherman teachings were born. Technology offers a shortcut of sorts, but not without a fishing foundation. If the school of hard knocks is your preferred method, you’re in good company.
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Implementing electronics is a form of simplification. In other words, it takes some of the guesswork out of the Location + Presentation parts of the equation and points you toward willing fish. Indeed, it takes commitment and time on the water, but it’s rewarding. Without the chops to locate and catch fish to begin with, the technology won’t be much help to you.
Identify where you are as an angler, where you want to be, and then look for ways to improve and determine what type of technology will help you get there faster. And get to work. That’s when you continue to move onward and upward—with increased success along the way.
The fascination is in the realization that no one ever fully grasps all there is to know about fishing. That’s where the beauty is, as far as I’m concerned. It’s not just a cliché, but there’s always something to learn.
That said, if simplicity is your jam, there’s nothing wrong with that. You just can’t expect everyone around to you to stay the same.
Beware of Trolls Social media is a blessing and a curse. If you spend too much time reading comments, it’s easy to get irritated. Maybe stay away from over-zealous and emotion-driven posts from commentators who indulge in spreading negativity, claiming that FFS is cheating. I strongly believe it is not. Generally, those Internet trolls can’t or aren’t willing to embrace FFS, and I think many are envious of those who have invested the time and figured it out. I suggest experiencing it for yourself before forming an opinion.
In America, we enjoy the freedom of speech that allows us to stand on our bully pulpit and beat our chest to whatever tune we want. Being entitled to an opinion doesn’t necessarily make that opinion correct. You can choose to be wrong if you want to—just don’t jam your agenda down my throat.
Like I said above, if you find fulfillment in your current method of fishing, more power to you—you do you, boo—as they say.
Don’t be swayed by the masses, chances are high they aren’t the experts they claim to be. Challenge yourself to learn new things; there’s greater satisfaction in that.
To the Naysayers I don’t intend to hurt any feelings here, but this next part needs to be said. I think most vocal anglers who take a stand against FFS cannot or have not ever used it correctly or effectively. A solid fishing foundation is critical, even for the younger generation of anglers who are more adept at learning and embracing technology—a foundation we all helped create through teaching youngsters how to fish and the development of junior fishing, high school, and college fishing teams.
Generally, those voicing opinions against FFS fit into one of three groups. Two of these groups are: 1) anglers who decide they are unwilling or otherwise unable to adapt with the technology; and 2) anglers who say they are “priced out” of purchasing it. The third group I discuss later in this column.
Again, everyone has the choice to decide what technology they use, and that’s great. Just don’t sell yourself short by saying you can’t or won’t try it for reasons that might be manageable. There’s satisfaction within the commitment to stay up with electronics. You can do it if you want to.
If you feel “priced out” of buying a certain piece of fishing electronics and want to get into the game, consider there may be affordable choices for you to integrate into your fishing. You might have a couple items buried in your basement or garage that you could sell on Facebook Marketplace to raise enough money to buy a graph and transducer. However, because someone uses FFS doesn’t mean they should be discredited as an angler. They made the personal investment. Once acquired, FFS takes a ton of work to make it effective—even then it takes work to maintain it.
Personal Responsibility Thanks to a solid foundation and years of tournament experience, the author’s son, pictured here, caught an impressive limit of smallmouth bass when the conditions rendered all the technology basically useless. A foundation in bass fishing led him to making the right cast. The other argument I’ve often heard from those against FFS and modern technology is it will ruin fisheries and irreparably damage fish populations, especially crappies as an example. Yet fishing electronics were introduced decades ago and have continued to improve ever since, with FFS just another step in the technology advancement. We can’t think of a situation where fishing electronics were banned by a state fishery agency because it made recreational anglers too effective at catching and harvesting fish.
Forward-facing sonar, however, can help anglers become more effective at catching fish, and thus might lead to those anglers catching limits more often. But if technology is indeed leading to higher angler success rates, does that demand the technology be restricted or limited? So far we haven’t see any science that indicates FFS is causing overharvest. In fact, a couple studies we’re aware of even showed no statistically significant difference in harvest or catch rates between anglers using FFS and those not using FFS. Indeed, the science is young on this front.
The bottom line is that overfishing is a matter of excess fishing mortality (overharvest and potentially other forms of fishing mortality like delayed mortality of fish caught and released, if rates of mortality are high enough). Fishery agencies monitor fish populations and set safe levels of harvest—commonly through creel and length limits—to prevent overfishing. If overharvest is indicated, more restrictive harvest regulations are put into place, such reduced creel limits and length limits. I don’t believe banning modern electronics is the answer, just as it wasn’t the answer decades ago.
While we don’t yet have enough information as to how angler skill level has been affected by FFS, we’ll keep an eye on study results as they unfold. For now, it’s up to anglers to practice catch-and-release, or selective harvest if a few fish for a meal is the goal. Or at times, anglers might choose to pursue another species if conditions warrant, such as with crappies under the ice if they are in deep water and susceptible to barotrauma. Anglers need to remain in compliance with fishing regulations.
Focus on Foundation Focusing on the fish is the best way to build an understanding about how introducing electronics technology into your fishing could, or should or should not, affect your fishing efforts. Some may decide to go full Monty on boat rigging with numbers of graphs and transducers. Ultimately, what you do is all up to you, and there’s no wrong answer, as long as it’s within the scope of the law and it fulfills your fishing desires.
Build a foundation, master your craft, and let the technology complement your abilities. I think you’ll find the right balance therein.
