Fishing has always adopted new technology. We went from paper maps and landmarks to GPS mapping, digital depth finders, spot-lock trolling motors, weather apps and sonar capable of showing nearly everything beneath the boat.
Most of those advancements were welcomed without much argument. Forward-facing sonar has been different.
What Is Forward-Facing Sonar?
Traditional sonar shows anglers what is directly beneath the boat or what they have already passed over. Forward-facing sonar provides a live view of what is happening out in front of the boat.
An angler can see fish, watch how they react to a lure and sometimes follow an individual fish around until it bites—or until it makes it very clear that it wants nothing to do with what is being thrown at it.
There is no denying that the technology is impressive. The question is whether it has become too much.
Photo courtesy of- midwestoutdoors.com
The Biggest Debate in Bass Fishing
The biggest ongoing debate in professional bass fishing now centers on forward-facing sonar.
NASCAR driver and team owner Denny Hamlin recently criticized professional fishing’s heavy reliance on the technology, saying it has gone “a little overboard.” Hamlin acknowledged that forward-facing sonar can help anglers find and catch fish, especially those who are still learning. His concern was how dominant it has become at the professional level. Read Hamlin’s comments.
Critics and traditional anglers argue that live electronics remove part of the art of finding fish. Before forward-facing sonar, successful anglers had to study seasonal movement, water temperature, structure, cover, weather, current and baitfish activity. They still use that knowledge today, but technology can dramatically shorten the search.
Instead of trying to determine whether fish should be holding on a point, suspended over deep water or moving with a baitfish school, an angler can look at a screen and see whether they are there.
That is a major change.
Professional Circuits Are Responding
The debate has become serious enough that the two major professional bass-fishing circuits have placed limits on the technology.
Beginning with the 2026 Bassmaster Elite Series season, forward-facing sonar is allowed during five of the nine regular-season events. It is prohibited during the other four events, including official practice. When sonar is permitted, anglers remain limited to one live-sonar transducer and 55 total inches of screen space. B.A.S.S. explains its 2026 rule.
Major League Fishing has taken a different approach. During Bass Pro Tour competition, anglers may use forward-facing or 360-degree sonar during only one of the day’s three competition periods. They must declare which period they intend to use it before that period begins. See the official MLF rules.
Neither circuit has eliminated the technology completely. Both are trying to keep electronics in the sport without allowing them to control the entire competition.
That seems like a reasonable place to start.
The Argument for Electronics
Electronics are not automatically bad for fishing.
GPS navigation can help anglers return safely in poor weather. Mapping can identify dangerous shallow areas, channels and underwater hazards. Weather apps provide warnings before conditions become dangerous. Traditional sonar helps locate depth changes, structure and baitfish.
Forward-facing sonar can also teach anglers a great deal about fish behavior. You can see fish ignore a lure, follow it, move away from it or react when the speed, depth or presentation changes. That immediate feedback can help someone understand what is happening underwater.
The technology does not cast the lure, choose the right presentation or land the fish. Seeing a fish and catching it are still two very different things.
Used correctly, electronics are tools. And good anglers have always learned how to use the tools available to them.
The Argument Against It
The problem begins when fishing turns into watching a screen.
Part of becoming a good angler is learning how to read water. You notice a current seam, a change in bottom structure, a shaded bank, nervous baitfish or birds working over the surface. You make a decision based on what you see and what experience tells you should be happening beneath the water.
Forward-facing sonar can replace some of that process with a live image.
There is also a legitimate concern about fishing pressure. Fish that once remained suspended in open water or stayed away from obvious structure were difficult to locate. Forward-facing sonar makes those fish much easier to find and repeatedly target.
We do not yet know the full long-term effect that this level of efficiency could have on heavily pressured fisheries. That alone makes reasonable limitations worth discussing.
Cost is another issue. A serious electronics setup can cost thousands of dollars. In tournament fishing, that can create an equipment race in which anglers feel they must continue buying more technology simply to remain competitive.
Fishing has never been completely equal—boats, motors and tackle already make a difference—but there should still be room for ability, experience and time spent learning the water.
So, Are Electronics Good or Bad?
My answer is both.
Electronics are good when they improve safety, help us understand the water and make us better anglers. They become a problem when we stop looking at the lake, river or ocean and spend the entire day staring at a screen.
For everyday anglers, there is nothing wrong with using technology to locate structure, find bait or better understand fish behavior. But turn it off occasionally. Fish a bank because it looks right. Follow the birds. Watch the current. Make a cast based on experience instead of waiting for a glowing shape to appear.
Professional fishing probably does need restrictions. A mixed format that requires competitors to win with and without forward-facing sonar may be the best test of a complete angler. It allows technology to remain part of the sport while making sure traditional fishing skills do not disappear.
Electronics should help us fish. They should not become the entire reason we are out there.
If you spend eight hours watching a screen, you may have found the fish—but you might have missed most of the day.