It's a simple fact that the older anglers can't hang with the young guys that are good with it & it's upset their apple cart because they're getting their *sses handed to them because most are to frigging stubborn to really concentrate on learning how to use it to be competitive. Most aren't as competitive as they start to age anyway & this is just another thing for aging hard headed fishermen to cry about just like the a rig.Originally Posted by 188Musky
One thing that I feel makes his opinion relevant to a degree, is he works for Humminbird. He could have easily taken the high road and be a loyal company man, but instead was truthful in his response. Not that it makes it right or wrong, but he's not a tournament fisherman and the only skin he has in the game is on the side of the electronics manufacturer. So Humminbird isn't the FFS player that Garmin and Lowrance are, but you can bet in time they too will have better units that will compete. He said it himself, technology will only get better, at what point is it enough?
Nah.
Older guys are great with electronics; we've been using electronics and sonar for a lot longer than anyone else.
The images you get from turning the sonar beam sideways aren't some kind of fantastic mystery to anyone over 30, and some kind of magic bullet for anyone under 30.
I listened to a group of younger anglers talk about how they found a hole on a lake they hadn't been to. Watched some guy's youtube video that had about 50 views. Guy hammered them on a spot, had run a gopro and was all excited about showing off his day. Viewers saw a water tower in the background. Google Earth. Found water tower. Look for another landmark on video. Find it on Google Earth. Roughly triangulate (like in old days). Go to lake, find spot in 5 minutes using side imaging.
They caught hawgs too.
We're in the information age. You don't have to go grind to find even if you don't have FFS. Just have to know how to use what's available.
Exactly. Some of the older guys could compete better using the normal every day styles they've use since tournament fishing became a thing. They all don't have a problem having & using gps, side or down imaging that they all have on their boats but a new technology comes along that the youngsters smoke their 8sses with & it's the most unethical thing the sport has ever saw & should be banned because old jig, cranker & spinnerbait fisher can't do off shore. I'd say adapt or hang it up because technology will just get better & they sure don't want to get beat by the next big thing that they won't try to learn either.
Recreational anglers and smaller tournament circuits can do whatever they like. Hank's talking about the upper level of tournament and their lower tier competitions. BASS and MLF. Makes a good point with golf/baseball. Technology can keep advancing but, doesn't necessarily get utilized during high level competitions?
Maybe someone could start a senior tour in fishing
You're kind of on the right track, though; I get what you are trying to say by talking about differences in perspective being age related.
Younger guys don't have as many pre-conceived notions about fishing, patterns, and "how it should be", by default.
Older, more experienced anglers are more apt to have pre-conceived notions, but the best anglers are very good at identifying them and considering other possibilities.
I love the way some folks attribute attitudes and motives to folks who disagree with them..."They're just jealous;" "They're old and can't adapt;" etc. There are a much deeper issues that lie behind those who are critical of FFS and Hank stated a primary one his own way, "It's hurting our sport." What does he mean by that? Several things. He mentioned the high school anglers and the playing field not being level. To me, that's a minor issue. However, he did say that FFS technology has made some less than well rounded anglers into successful tournament anglers. That's one of the core issues...Is FFS a substitute for skills and knowledge that was hard earned through experience? Many say that it is. The second core issue has to do with what is usually referred to as "fair chase." Is using FFS and being able to see the fish, plot it's depth, the direction it's swimming, and monitor how it's reacting to your lure a "fair" method of pursuit? Many say that it is not, using the analogy of spotlighting deer. If you were stuck in the wilderness and struggling to survive, using a stick of dynamite to shock a few fish up in order to eat would be viewed as perfectly acceptable. However, in terms of participating in a sport, is the use of FFS "sporting?" Many say that it is not. Keeping B.A.S.S. tournaments "sporting" was the reason that Ray Scott banned the use of landing nets years ago. His view was that it was more manly and more sporting to land the fish by hand, compared to using a net. Hank's analogies with golf and baseball hit the mark...just because a technology is available, should it be adopted or will it change the fundamental nature of the sport? The PGA and MLB said 'No!" to the new technologies in order to avoid changes to the nature of their sports. B.A.S.S. is at a crucial crossroads in deciding the future of tournament bass fishing. Until we start discussing these CORE issues and dispense with the ad hominem comments directed at those with which we disagree, we're not going to get anywhere in resolving the debate and will continue "talking past" each other.
Last edited by Jeff Hahn; 03-21-2024 at 09:40 PM.
"The man of system is apt to be very wise in his own conceit; and is often so enamored with the supposed beauty of his own ideal plan of government that he cannot suffer the smallest deviation from any part of it…He seems to imagine that he can arrange the different members of a great society with as much ease as the hand arranges the different pieces upon a chessboard.” Adam Smith, The Theory of Moral Sentiments
Good cerebal response!
Olds loved technology until it outsmarted them.
I thought no politics in the lounge!!!! JK. You are pretty spot on with this.
One of the obstacles is the tournament angler’s attitude that getting the most weight to the scales any way possible is the very definition and objective of the sport.
Now, suddenly, that mantra is going to have to be examined.
Since many of you are pro-FFS, pro-electronics and hunters also, I say we legalize electronic duck calls so young hunters who don't know how to call get a chance to shoot at more ducks. As long as we're using electronics to take "fair chase" away from fish, might as well use it to take it away from ducks. Just think, there'd be more duck hunters shooting a lot more ducks...that's a good thing....isn't it?
“Ethical behavior is doing the right thing when no one else is watching—even when doing the wrong thing is legal.” —Unknown
Not anyway possible...only within the rules. And, if the rules change...............
"The man of system is apt to be very wise in his own conceit; and is often so enamored with the supposed beauty of his own ideal plan of government that he cannot suffer the smallest deviation from any part of it…He seems to imagine that he can arrange the different members of a great society with as much ease as the hand arranges the different pieces upon a chessboard.” Adam Smith, The Theory of Moral Sentiments
Add thermal scopes for shooting big bucks at night…..
Maybe drones to scout a section before wasting time hunting in the cold….
It’s technology so it should be allowed right?
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This is a strong argument, and the only one that really seems valid to me. That it is fundamentally changing the “sporting” aspect of competitive fishing.
My counter would be that the sport has always embraced and utilized the latest and greatest technology. From electric trolling motors, flashers, 2d, gps, advanced mapping, si and finally ffs. I personally don’t think the latest leap in technology is cause for concern. I think it’s a currently dominating style of fishing, that will slowly revert back to just another “tool”. Just looking at the opens, 2 of the last 3 were won without utilizing ffs. Grand has a shot at being won without it. Of course winter pattern and smallmouth lakes are going to be dominated with it, just like 2d used to.
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That is true.
Yet, FFS is not going to be made illegal. Rather, it just may be against the rules in tournaments.
At present, tournament anglers can do anything legal to bring the most weight to the scale.
Should FFS be banned, for the first time, anglers will be restrained from doing something legal and common that would result in greater weight to the scale.
How has FFS negatively affected bass populations?
