In 2021, several anglers arrived at the Bassmaster Classic with a technology that most of the field had either not used or had used minimally: forward-facing sonar. The anglers who used it would go on to consistently be top performers at the event. Bassmaster angler Jason Christie said, "It was the easiest fishing I'd ever had in my life."
That statement is remarkable coming from a professional angler with 20+ years of tournament experience. It also explains why forward-facing sonar adoption spread from zero to near-universal among top tournament anglers within 18 months of its practical introduction. This is not a gadget. It is a fundamental change in how bass are located and caught.
What Forward-Facing Sonar Actually Does
Traditional sonar (depthfinder / fish finder) produces a downward-facing image of the bottom and anything between the surface and the bottom directly below the boat. It is essentially a historical record — showing you what was under the boat 2–3 seconds ago as you move forward.
Forward-facing sonar transmits a beam horizontally — ahead of the boat or at an angle — and returns a real-time image of structure and fish in front of you before you arrive. The update rate is fast enough that you can watch individual fish move in real time. You can see a bass sitting at 18 feet on a ledge 40 feet ahead of your boat, select a bait, and put it in front of that specific fish.
The critical difference: traditional sonar shows you what was. Forward-facing sonar shows you what is. This distinction is the entire reason the technology changed tournament fishing so profoundly.
How It Changed Tournament Fishing: 2021–2025
Forward-facing sonar was also vital to some at REDCREST 2022 and significantly impacted the catch totals that week. The second stop on the 2022 Bass Pro Tour at Lake Fork was heavily dominated by forward-facing sonar, which anglers employed both shallow and deep, with a variety of baits.
The changes were specific and measurable. Before FFS, tournament anglers covering water with moving baits — spinnerbaits, crankbaits, swimbaits — were the consistent volume producers. After FFS, the jighead minnow presentation — previously a niche technique — became the dominant tournament pattern on clear water fisheries because you could see the fish, put the bait on them, and watch them eat it.
The MLF Restriction: What It Means
In 2025, the Bass Pro Tour restricted anglers to using forward-facing or 360-degree sonar for only one of the three periods that comprise each competition day. Gill thinks finesse techniques will still play a larger role than they did five to ten years ago, as fish have gotten more educated. "We're not fishing for the fish of 2010 or 2004, we're fishing against the fish of 2024 without scope," he said.
Justin Lucas noted that the limitation is going to change things dramatically, but believes Major League Fishing did a good job by taking the middle of the road. The compromise caters to both sides of the forward-facing sonar argument, and now everyone is playing by the same rules.
Do You Need It? The Honest Answer
Forward-facing sonar units range from $800 to $2,400. For recreational anglers, the honest answer to "do you need it" depends entirely on how you fish.
The most important insight from the FFS era: the patterns that FFS revealed — jighead minnow fishing for suspended fish, precise depth targeting, watching fish behavior before presenting a bait — work without the technology in the right conditions. A 3.5-inch Z-Man Jerk ShadZ on a 1/4 oz jig head, cast to visible fish in clear water and retrieved at eye level, catches fish whether or not you watched it happen on a screen.
The most valuable thing FFS revealed for all anglers: bass relate to baitfish more precisely than traditional fishing approaches assumed. The jighead minnow, presented at the exact depth where bait is suspended, produces in conditions where bottom-contact presentations fail — regardless of whether you have FFS to show you why.
| Scenario | With FFS | Without FFS | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clear water, suspended fish | See fish, present at exact depth | Blind cast to likely depth | FFS significant |
| Stained water, active bite | Limited visibility advantage | Traditional patterns work | Minimal FFS advantage |
| Heavy cover flipping | FFS rarely used — can't see through cover | Traditional approach | None |
| Night fishing | FFS less effective in darkness | Traditional night patterns | None |
| Pre-spawn shallow fish | Sight fishing approach similar | Same effectiveness | Minimal |