Pro Bass Circuits Limit FFS Use

Major upheaval in the professional bass angling tournament world as FFS policy shifts are announced.

September 04, 2024 By Lynn Burkhead

September outdoors news headlines are normally reserved for hunting as big-game seasons crank up out West, whitetail season looms elsewhere, and upland bird and early teal and Canada goose hunters take turns with season openers.

But this week, professional bass fishing news is dominating the post-Labor Day headlines as not one, but two major professional fishing circuits have announced major shifts in their tournament circuit policies regarding the use of Forward Facing Sonar (FFS) in competition.

On Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.) made a huge announcement that sent a tidal wave of sorts through the professional fishing industry, “…the creation of equipment standards related to new technologies that will impact anglers competing on the biggest stage in bass fishing.”

The changes are sweeping, undoubtedly controversial and represent a big shift regarding a topic that has divided professional tournament anglers, weekend warriors, fans and even natural resource agencies over the past several months.

What are those changes for B.A.S.S., home to the Bassmaster Elite Series, the B.A.S.S. Opens, and the Bassmaster Classic?

“First, the number of live sonar transducers will be regulated to one and it must be mounted to the trolling motor at the bow of the boat,” said the B.A.S.S. news release about the sweeping changes. “Until now, Elite Series and Classic competitors could have an unlimited number of live transducers mounted on their boats in any location. B.A.S.S. will also provide a list of acceptable live transducers from all major electronics manufacturers. Equipment not on this list is banned from usage in Elite Series and Classic competition. This equipment list will be vetted and updated annually.

“Secondly, Elite Series and Classic competitors will be limited to a total of 55 inches of screen, including bow and dash head units,” B.A.S.S. continued. “The trend to add more and bigger head units to boats is becoming a safety concern, as the bigger screens may create blind spots impacting the safe piloting of boats.

“Thirdly, Elite Series and Classic competitors may now have only one electric motor mounted to their boats,” the news release continued. “There has been a rise in the use of electric motors mounted to shallow water anchors, which makes the enforcement of current rules (like long-lining and trolling) very difficult.

“Lastly, B.A.S.S. will focus on a more diverse Elite Series schedule, creating a wide variety of fishing styles demanded for success. While live sonar technology will remain a consistent tool used at the very highest level of competitive bass fishing, experience and a deep-seeded understanding of fish behavior, movement and patterns will also be needed for success moving forward on the fisheries scheduled.”

Chase Anderson, the CEO of the Birmingham, Ala.-based organization, said arriving at such change was not without a lot of careful thought and deliberation.

“The use of live sonar at the Elite level has sparked tremendous debate,” said Anderson. “Our technology committee spent a tremendous amount of time reviewing post-event surveys, comparing equipment on Elite boats to success rates and considering both fan engagement and bass community feedback related to the use of new technology."

While the changes announced by B.A.S.S. were indeed significant, they stopped short of the complete ban of FFS technology that some anglers and fans had been hoping for—more on that idea in a moment.

The mid-week B.A.S.S. announcement also comes one day after The National Professional Fishing League announced its own decision, one on the far end of the debate spectrum. That came on Tuesday, September 3, 2024, when the NPFL noted that starting with the 2025 season, it would prohibit the use of real-time imaging units (FFS) altogether.

"After many sleepless nights and countless hours of discussions that touched every corner of the fishing industry, we at the National Professional Fishing League have come to realize several important things about live forward-facing fishing technology," said an NPFL press release.

In light of that, the tournament organization indicated that the "...NPFL will prohibit the use of real-time imaging units—commonly referred to as “live forward-facing sonar”—during official practice and competition. Other sonar (e.g., 2D, side imaging, 360, et al.) will continue to be permitted. The use of future technology will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis."

The organization also noted that the "...2025 NPFL Championship will be conducted using 2024 rules. It’s only fair that the anglers who qualified for the Championship be allowed to compete under the same rules under which they qualified."

The NPFL noted that its decision wasn't easy or made quickly, and that the organization considered intermediate measures that fell short of a complete restriction. But in the end, the tournament group determined that those measures would be "insufficient to protect the sport" and that "Limiting transducers or screens or only allowing the technology on certain days or hours are half measures that may quiet some opponents of the technology but they are unlikely to reduce its impact."

As its tournament organization competitor noted, the NPFL also indicated this isn't a hasty conclusion to a hot-button social media and news topic. In fact, in laying out its case for its decision, the NPFL admitted that the issue is complex and elicits an emotional response from many; that for rational discussion and decision-making, as much of that emotion as possible must be eliminated from the process; that there are certainly serious policy and business ramifications to taking any position on this topic; and that there is no way to make every stakeholder happy when such a policy change is reached.

"Our decision was neither easy nor made quickly," said the NPFL. "It is ultimately a business decision made after much due diligence and unclouded by conflicting business relationships."

"We are committed to upholding the tradition and integrity of competitive bass fishing,” the news release continued.

"This decision will be met with some approval and some criticism, but we’re confident that this is the right decision at the right time for the sport and for the NPFL."

The moves by both bass tournament organizations come after a tumultuous couple of seasons of professional bass angling competition that has seen the competitive landscape shift dramatically while bringing sharp dividing lines between the two sides of the FFS debate.

While this may be an oversimplification of the topic, some older, veteran anglers have decried how FFS has changed the tournament angling game in recent times while newer, younger anglers have typically welcomed the new technology into a game that they have increasingly dominated despite little longtime angling experience.

The moves also come only a few days after veteran Texas bass angling pro Clark Wendlandt shared a lengthy and passionate post-season plea on August 20, 2024, stating his opinion about the need for FFS technology to be banned from professional competitions in the future.

"I am driving home from NY and writing this as a last ditch plea to have forward facing sonar (FFS) banned in B.A.S.S. professional level events," wrote Wendlandt, a potential future Hall of Famer who was the 2020 B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year, a three-time FLW Tour Angler of the Year, a four-time FLW Tour winner, a six-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier, and an 18-time qualifier for the Forrest Wood Cup FLW Championship who has pocked more than $3 million in tournament earnings throughout his career.

Wendlandt, who said in his post that he lost a longtime sponsorship over his FFS stance before the beginning of this most recent season, left no doubt about where he stands when he implored B.A.S.S. officials to do away with FFS in tournament competition.

"There is absolutely no place in professional bass fishing for it,” he indicated.

Wendlandt, one of the more likable figures in pro angling with his easygoing Texas demeanor, is part of a growing chorus of anglers who have publicly come out against the use of FFS in professional tournaments. In the past two seasons, FFS has dominated who wins most professional tournaments now, has upended the money list, and has fundamentally altered the playing field and changed bait selection for many professional anglers.

Wendlandt's letter drew more than 2,000 responses, many for his position and many strongly against his position. It should be noted that other professional anglers share Wendlandt’s concerns, although some have been reluctant to date to come out and say as much for fear of losing a major sponsor as the Texas pro did.

In the end, Wendlandt’s passionate plea may have served as a catalyst to bring about some of this week’s major policy changes by B.A.S.S. and the NPFL, if not sped up the timing of the announcements.

What will the result of this be? That remains to be seen, both in terms of how anglers will respond to and accept these policy shifts, as well as the possibility that even more change could be forthcoming in the days ahead. As of this writing, Major League Fishing’s Bass Pro Tour has not made any major announcements concerning the FFS debate, and it’s unknown if any such announcement or policy shift may be coming.

Though it is only days old, the so-called off-season for professional bass angling this fall has already produced seismic changes, and who knows if more is on the horizon.

As this topic continues to be debated in the weeks ahead, look for reactions from others including professional anglers, as well as a closer look at this ongoing debate here on gameandfishmag.com.