Forward Sonar

We’ve just finished two Bass Pro Tour events at the time of writing this article: one at Lake Conroe, Texas, and one at the Harris Chain of Lakes in Florida. This season, Major League Fishing implemented a new rule limiting the use of forward-facing sonar, like Garmin LiveScope, to only one-third of the fishing day. Those of us using Garmin electronics have been utilizing forward sonar technology since 2016. So, for nine seasons, it has been a tool we leaned on heavily to locate structure, cover and fish, as well as to determine what the fish prefer in terms of bait selection and presentation. It’s a real-time view of what’s taking place underwater when we could only try to feel and visualize before.

With time, more companies have introduced their forward sonar technology, and more anglers have refined its use to the point of specifically targeting individual fish. As a result, catch rates of both the number and size of fish have exploded on the tournament scene. But the downside is that it became such a dominant technique that traditional approaches weren’t able to compete at times.