As tournament directors put together their schedules for 2026, I’m curious to see if any have the will to at least partially limit the use of forward-facing sonar (FFS).
If you’re geeked up about the ice fishing season, you’ll want to be at ClearH20 Tackle Dec. 12-13.
When you’ve spent all day catching fish, you don’t want to spend all night cleaning ‘em. This is why Rapala is constantly innovating and improving its lineup of fillet tools.
By Louie Stout
We’re about a month away from the start of the bass tournament season and you can bet there will be a lot more forward facing sonar units deployed by Michiana anglers.
Understandbly so. The new technology is amazing and opens a dimension in bass fishing that has never explored.
But it also has exposed a vulnerable population of bass on our lakes that will require additional protection by anglers.
Tournaments have all required fish be weighed alive so they can be released back into the water.
With FFS, that may not be enough.
That’s especially true on deep lakes where large bass will school and suspend in deep water. Smallmouth are extremely vulnerable, especially on lakes like Gull and Paw Paw and other deep lakes where FFS is so effective.
BFHOF Report
The plaque wall at the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame will see three new additions in 2025, a trio that represents a cross section of industry pillars, including boat building, media, tournament organization and tackle innovation.Â
The Hall of Fame will welcome Randy Hopper, Craig Lamb and William Shakespeare Jr., who were selected from a diverse 20-person ballot by the Hall of Fame’s 30-member Selection Panel and living Hall of Fame inductees. A total of 81 ballots were distributed and 65 were returned, eclipsing last year’s total for most ballots submitted in a single year. The roster of Hall of Famers now stands at 103. Â
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