Tournaments without electronics

[Jake Coucoules]

I know this might be a little controversial but I’ve been thinking about it a lot recently watching the MLF event on Sturgeon Bay. It seems like almost every fish that is caught is seen by the angler on either his traditional sonar or livescope. These technologies are obviously unbelievable and have changed bass fishing as a whole dramatically. But as a poor individual I can barely even afford the cheapest fish finder lol. Am I the only one who thinks it would be interesting to see them do a tournament without or atleast limited electronics? Maybe just a GPS? Obviously it wouldn’t be on the Great Lakes or on a Ledge lake during the summer where electronics are absolutely necessary but maybe do it on a river system or a shallower lake? Idk it’s just something I’ve been thinking about a lot recently and wanted to see what you guys think.

[Dens228]

I recently added side imaging to my kayak and I'm not giving it up for anything............so no!  LOL

 

[Jake Coucoules]

4 minutes ago, Dens228 said:

I recently added side imaging to my kayak and I'm not giving it up for anything............so no!  LOL

 

That’s so funny because I’ve been looking into getting one a lot recently but they’re just so expensive for the good ones ?. Do you mind saying which fishfinder you got?

[Tennessee Boy]

I think if they were fishing Sturgeon Bay with only GPS,  you would see most of them fishing near the bank.  Don't forget to check the bottom of the ScoreTracker.  The difference between first and last place has been around 100 lbs in most of the rounds this week.  These are the best bass fishermen in the world using the best electronics that money can buy. Some of them make it look very easy and they're the ones on TV.  The ones at the bottom prove it's not always easy even if you have state of the art equipment and you know how to use it.

[Dens228]

1 hour ago, Jake Coucoules said:

That’s so funny because I’ve been looking into getting one a lot recently but they’re just so expensive for the good ones ?. Do you mind saying which fishfinder you got?

I have a Garmin Ehhomap UHD 73sv.  

[Jake Coucoules]

On 7/14/2020 at 5:41 PM, Tennessee Boy said:

I think if they were fishing Sturgeon Bay with only GPS,  you would see most of them fishing near the bank.  Don't forget to check the bottom of the ScoreTracker.  The difference between first and last place has been around 100 lbs in most of the rounds this week.  These are the best bass fishermen in the world using the best electronics that money can buy. Some of them make it look very easy and they're the ones on TV.  The ones at the bottom prove it's not always easy even if you have state of the art equipment and you know how to use it.

Obviously that’s why I said don’t do it on a lake where it’s necessary such as the Great Lakes(Sturgeon Bay) but maybe do it on like the Kissimmee Chain or a river system where electronics wouldn’t be as necessary.

[billmac]

I think it would be cool, or perhaps just give them all flashers.

[GReb]

I fish a river system where electronics are not very useful. They can help at time but most of your success is visually reading the current and visible structure like pads and shallow lay downs. However when you get to the main lake electronics are a must fishing old road beds and stump fields in 10 foot of water. 

[JediAmoeba]

I feel they should absolutely use them for practice but come tournament day can not.  Everyone I see fishing anymore has their eyes firmly planted on a screen. 

On 7/14/2020 at 5:41 PM, Tennessee Boy said:

I think if they were fishing Sturgeon Bay with only GPS,  you would see most of them fishing near the bank.  Don't forget to check the bottom of the ScoreTracker.  The difference between first and last place has been around 100 lbs in most of the rounds this week.  These are the best bass fishermen in the world using the best electronics that money can buy. Some of them make it look very easy and they're the ones on TV.  The ones at the bottom prove it's not always easy even if you have state of the art equipment and you know how to use it.

A lot of that is people that give way to other bigger names I think.  Also, some people have to fish for sponsorships and don't prefish it at all.  The biggest waters there is almost no way you will do well without marking some spots with bigger fish - especially when they are suspended offshore. 

 

Kayak tournaments are the absolute dumbest thing I have ever seen - those are the tournaments that should allow no electronics, no motors of any sorts and keep it "authentically simple".  Dudes out there running 10k+ outfits should be competing against bass boats.  

[Captain Phil]

On 7/16/2020 at 11:13 AM, Jake Coucoules said:

Obviously that’s why I said don’t do it on a lake where it’s necessary such as the Great Lakes(Sturgeon Bay) but maybe do it on like the Kissimmee Chain or a river system where electronics wouldn’t be as necessary.

Here in Florida, very few tournaments are won because of electronics.  In Okeechobee for example, the average depth of the lake is 6 feet.   The majority of the time you can touch bottom with your rod tip.  Visibility isn't good and the fish you can see aren't always bass.  Outlawing sonar wouldn't change much.

 

I remember the first time I fished north of the Florida border without a depth finder.  It didn't take me long to put one on my boat.  GPS is great because it allows you to return to spots you find.  Comes in handy when you are fishing a lake 30 miles wide.

[SC53]

Phil we used to joke the Florida depth-finder was a 7’ rod??

It still is in most places here. Don’t get me wrong, They have their place here but it’s usually for finding the edge of weed beds. 
Now a gps is very useful especially marking offshore spots. 

[Dennis Yardley]

I'm with you Jay.  I recently stopped fishing bass tournaments because of the use of electronics.  Especially side-scan or side imaging.  I can't afford the expensive electronics and found myself competing with anglers who use every imaginable electronic device they could get their hands on. Even though they still had to "catch" the fish,  they had an extreme advantage over me by using electronics to locate fish, especially in hot weather.  I might as well just give them my entry fee and go home.  I would love to see someone start a club and/or tournaments where NO electronics are allowed.  Now, that would be a challenge !!  And, I have no doubt the anglers that rely on electronics would not be weighing in as many fish.  This situation is unfortunately what happens when too much money is involved.  It takes away the joy and fun from almost every type of sport (football, baseball, basketball, etc.)   I know plenty of guys who would love to enter a tournament with a good payout and no electronics.  

[Teal]

On 7/16/2020 at 5:55 PM, billmac said:

I think it would be cool, or perhaps just give them all flashers.

My javelin still has a factory installed flasher in the dash 

[BassNJake]

On 7/14/2020 at 5:41 PM, Tennessee Boy said:

I think if they were fishing Sturgeon Bay with only GPS,  you would see most of them fishing near the bank.  Don't forget to check the bottom of the ScoreTracker.  The difference between first and last place has been around 100 lbs in most of the rounds this week.  These are the best bass fishermen in the world using the best electronics that money can buy. Some of them make it look very easy and they're the ones on TV.  The ones at the bottom prove it's not always easy even if you have state of the art equipment and you know how to use it.

This ^^^

Some people are better at their jobs than others

Sure 2 people may put in the same 8 hours but their production can be worlds apart

Take the electronics away and give a guy the same equipment as Greg Hackney and have them both go flip bushes

Guess whats gonna happen?

 

Many people discount the skills that are developed over time

Dont have side imaging or 360 view?

Then you better become one of the best guys using traditional sonar

 

I have spent upwards of 40 hours using google earth to locate different structure on a new lake

Come tourney time, it almost feels like I was cheating when boat after boat drives right over the sunken bridge or the road bed sitting in 20 feet of water.  Then I think anybody can use it but do they?

[TnRiver46]

Tournaments without electronics? As many have mentioned, they already have those. It’s called Florida 

[Logan S]

In the long run, I'd put money on the same people being successful in a no-electronics trail....From Pro level down to local level.  

 

And you don't need four Solix 15's or HDS 16's in order to use electronics successfully.  Even very basic units have Side Imaging now for affordable prices (relative to the tournament world, where we're assuming the person already has boat/truck/tackle/etc).  The top of the line units are nice, but a person that devotes time to learning electronics can be deadly effective with the budget models too.  

 

Using electronics is a developed skill like any other.  If you did take them away it probably wouldn't be long before the same people start to complain about shallow water anchors or mapping or boat/motor size or practice time or or or or....

[BassNJake]

Here is an example of how using Google Earth can find spots that other people will miss

This gives you a head start before you ever hit the lake

 

Some of the spots Edwin finds are little gold mines

 

 

[Bankc]

I remember when I was younger, all of the older anglers would get mad at people who used electronics for fishing.  They'd call it cheating and say it takes all of the fun out of the sport.  Much like what people today say about people who use live bait or go trolling.  Oddly enough, they didn't mind the live bait or trolling as much back then.  

 

I don't know if it would be any more exciting to watch on TV.  I mean current televised tournaments are just a bunch of hooksets, reeling in fish, and weighing fish, then cut to the next guy doing the same (yawn).  It's a bit like watching golf where the only shots you see are shots of the ball falling into the hole.  I don't think any of that would change if you took out the fish finders, unfortunately.  And you'd lose out on a bunch of potential sponsors.  But maybe a bank fishing tournament, or wading, or unpowered kayak/canoe tournament would be interesting to compete in.  

[zell_pop1]

I've been saying this for years. If the pros are so good they should be able to fish tournaments with a basic 2D FF and GPS with no waypoints saved. Then we can see who really is good and who is not.

[gim]

I don't think I'll ever get in my boat again without at least some 2D sonar.  Its a safety thing for me.  I need to know how deep it is below me so I don't plow through a reef that's 2 feet deep and blow off my lower unit.

 

I would be ok with trying a tournament without HD GPS and livescope and 360 sonar, etc.  But the necessity for knowing how deep it is below the boat is a safety requirement.

[zell_pop1]

9 hours ago, gimruis said:

I don't think I'll ever get in my boat again without at least some 2D sonar.  Its a safety thing for me.  I need to know how deep it is below me so I don't plow through a reef that's 2 feet deep and blow off my lower unit.

 

I would be ok with trying a tournament without HD GPS and livescope and 360 sonar, etc.  But the necessity for knowing how deep it is below the boat is a safety requirement.

That is basically what I am saying, they can have the basics like a depth finder, temp, GPS maps...but let's see if they can pattern fish and figure a lake out, instead of seeing bass on a screen, using sound equipment to turn them on etc. It is getting more like catching than fishing. Rick Clunn, one of the all time greats has had similar comments at times.

 

[WRB]

I remember clearly when the 1st fresh water sonar portable fish finders hit the market, Lawrance Lo-K-Tor. The red box in 1959 followed the next year with the green box that could read the bottom depth and flashes of suspended fish or bait. For the first time we actually knew instantly the depth we were fishing. Amazing technology.

I also remember I had to smuggle my paper graph into Minnesota and Canada in the 70's hidden in a tackle box because fish finders were not legal or considered unsporting devices.

We managed to catch bass before sonar and GPS using radio direction, maps, compass and visual aids to determine where we were over the horizon. The Loran C came along and was helpful if a tower was near enough. 

I think old school learning to read topo maps and local terrian gives you a better sense of defination using our brain in lieu of relying on electric displays. 

 You can't turn back time.

Tom

[rdj735]

Yep, the technology is already out, and it's hard to go back. I think the bigger discrepancies are at the club/local level, where not everyone can afford the same equipment. That being said, a pro-level "charts-only" tournament, or something similar, could be fun. Even better, if you put together a tournament like that, and put the new pros against the old legends of bass fishing, to see who could really use intuition to find fish.

[ww2farmer]

On 10/29/2020 at 10:01 PM, rdj735 said:

Yep, the technology is already out, and it's hard to go back. I think the bigger discrepancies are at the club/local level, where not everyone can afford the same equipment. 

 

Maybe, but...

 

I fish a local OPEN  trail against guys with the latest and greatest. I have a 16' foot aluminum boat, with basic 2d sonar/ GPS. no power poles, no spot lock, etc...

 

Guess who was the only person to win more than one event this year, and cash multiple times on every lake we go to? It wasn't one of the 20 guys who show up regularly with their 21 foot pro-grade rigs.

 

 

 

[TnRiver46]

I bet the same people would win if you took away electronics