Monthly Archives: November 2023

Is Forward Facing Sonar Unfair?

A meme on social media shows a fisherman with his head hinged opened and his brain on the floor. The caption reads “I don’t need you anymore, I have Forward Facing Sonar (FFS).”

    Every time something new comes out many fishermen condemn it as something that gives the fisherman an unfair advantage. Of course they mean it gives “other” fisherman an unfair advantage.  It’s fine when they learn to use it.

    Forward facing sonar is amazing. It will show you everything within its range under the water, much like having a video camera under the water. It is directional, sending out a “wedge” of sonar blips covering about one foot wide for every three feet of distance, so at 30 feet the wedge is about 10 feet wide.

It takes a little time and effort to learn what the sonar returns look like on the screen.  The screen looks much like an ultrasound screen at the doctors office.  Fish look like little dots moving around but you can see the limbs of a tree or brush pile and even individual fish in a school of crappie.

A muskie tournament trail has banned FFS in their tournaments and some other tournament trails like BASS are actually discussing what to do. It does give an angler that studies and learns how to use it an advantage, but it does not make the fish bite.  I have had one for three years and it has helped me catch some fish, but many more times I have wasted too much time watching fish follow my bait and not hit it.

I can only hope every fisherman I compete with that has FFS quits using their brain.

St Croix BLACK FRIDAY SALE IS COMING This Friday With Great Deals On St Croix Rods

St Croix BLACK FRIDAY SALE IS COMING!

Starts Friday at 7:00 AM Central Time
WHILE SUPPLIES LAST… Retired BassX Spinning & Casting Rods
Over 50% Off Retail Pricing! Just $60-$75!
FOUR DAYS ONLY, the St. Croix Factory Store Black Friday Sales Event starts at 7:00 AM CT this Friday, November 24th and runs through midnight CT on Monday, November 27th.

During this time, online shoppers at stcroixrodfactorystore.com can set the hook on our biggest discounts ever on a limited quantity of retired St. Croix Bass X Series spinning and casting rods. All in-stock retired Bass X rods will be available for purchase at the special price of just $60 to $75 per rod – that’s over 50% off regular retail pricing! 16 different models are available for every bass presentation from finesse to 8-ounce swimbaits.Limited Quantity of Stormy Kromer Leaf Pile Flannels
Just $69.99! Save $30!
We’re also offering a limited quantity of our cozy and stylish St. Croix-branded Stormy Kromer Leaf Pile Flannel Shirts at a special price of just $69.99 – a $30 savings off regular retail pricing.

SHIPPING IS FREE inside the Continental U.S. for all Black Friday Sale orders that contain one or more of the above items.

The St. Croix Factory Store Black Friday Sale is limited to available stock, so be prepared to strike fast beginning this Friday morning at stcroixrodfactorystore.com. When our available inventory of retired Bass X rods and Stormy Kromer flannels are gone, so are the deals!

DISCLAIMER: I get a discount on St. Croix rods
Copyright © 2023 St. Croix Rod, All rights reserved.

A Good Example Of Why I Have Problems With High School Tournaments

I was told “90 percent of our boat captains are safe.” In a 200 boat tournament that means that diretor knows there are about 20 dangerous boats out there!!

At Lanier the second weekend in November, on Saturday when a clerk at Hammonds told me there was an 80-boat high school tournament the next day I instantly wondered what dangerous, stupid and inconsiderate actions I would witness.


On Sunday I didn’t see many boats, I guess most stayed up the river due to the cold wind.

BUT – I had gone back to Balus Creek to finish up the day. I was fishing the bluff bank past the ramp at 1:00, about 3/4 way out to the point. I had been fishing there for about 15 minutes, slowly working out toward the point fishing a jig.

A bass boat came out of the cove on the other side of the ramp with one kid riding illegally in the butt seat up on the front deck and the other illegally in the chair on the back deck.

The “captain” was at that speed where the front of the boat stays way up, half on plane and making the biggest possible wake. And no way he could see ahead of the boat with the kid up there, too.

If I had been tournament director, they would have been disqualified for illegal and dangerous boating.

They came by me about 100 feet away, rode past me halfway into the cove, made a U turn without slowing down, passed me a second time and stopped on the point ahead of me and started casting. I guess I was fishing where they wanted to fish.

I had to hang on to the butt seat to not get thrown out of my boat from their wake.

I don’t know what they caught, but when I got to the point where they stopped and started casting ahead of me, I caught my third keeper and two 13.5-inch throwbacks.

    I try to support youth and high school fishing teams, but things like this are all too common and make it difficult.  I don’t blame the kids, the adult boat captains drive the boat and make the decisions where to fish so safety and courtesy are up to them. But too many of them are teaching the kids bad habits.

I fear it is “when” not “if” there is a serious problem.