Electronics are taking over

[BassBailey]

Hi guys,
So ive fished bass all my life and have recently moved more into the rock and surf scene.
How do you guys feel about the way in which bass fishing is going with regards to technology?

For me its come to the point where you need money to succeed in the sport(with that said, you always needed money for this sport).
Remembering the old days of driving through to a dam when the water has dropped to go and pin point and mark structure, i feel like this is all gone.

The guys now can drive around a dam once and side scan every piece of structure and mark fish.

To me the sport is getting a bit too advanced and has taken away the aspect of planning to an extent. The guys with the R200k+ electronics on their boat have put themselves in a whole other class where the avid bass fisherman who doesnt have the money cant fairly compete. And i understand that all sports are improving or changing with technological advancements but to me these advancements are creating unfair competition in the sport.

How does everyone feel about this? Are guys all for the technology are completely against it?

[Riprap]

I agree to an extent that the sport has become somewhat restrictive wrt barriers of entry but on the other hand I know of excellent anglers who either don't know how to fully use their electronics or don't even have them. Very debateable subject this.

Men are men and are competitive by nature. If you can afford to use technology to up your game then why not. Others may have to rely on that gift they were born with and many anglers are gifted in this field.

Let's see what others say.

[Navrik]

I think it goes much further than just electronics. A guy with a 60HP competing against a guy with a 300HP cannot run the same number of spots and effectively has less fishing time.

Then the size of a rig also comes in to play on a windy day. Stronger trolling motor also makes a big difference. One with GPS anchor lock means less fighting with the trolling motor foot control to keep the boat in position.

[Juba]

All the toys definitely helps! But let me tell you there is no substitute for the "gut" feel! And recognizing the pattern or experience...

I've seen the biggest fastest & best boats blank and the smallest slowest with basic electronics triumph more often than not!

[jmgravenor]

Might you be referring to yourself Juba?

[Juba]

Might you be referring to yourself Juba?

:eusa_shhh: I'm definitely not the only one...

[Jeremy]

I pride myself in never having used electronics (not that I'm knocking the guys who do) but it is such an awesome feeling pulling in with my little tub and out fishing all the big bass rigs. :eusa_dance:

[SBC101]

I pride myself in never having used electronics (not that I'm knocking the guys who do) but it is such an awesome feeling pulling in with my little tub and out fishing all the big bass rigs. :eusa_dance:

:eusa_clap:

[Adriaan]

I pride myself in never having used electronics (not that I'm knocking the guys who do) but it is such an awesome feeling pulling in with my little tub and out fishing all the big bass rigs. :eusa_dance:

:eusa_clap: I agree

[Fishton]

I pride myself in never having used electronics (not that I'm knocking the guys who do) but it is such an awesome feeling pulling in with my little tub and out fishing all the big bass rigs. :eusa_dance:

When did you out fish all the big bass rigs Jeremy, at night when nobody else is allowed on the water or at Goedertrouw when you were the only one on the water that day?

:eusa_boohoo:

[Fishton]

Your budget will very often dictate what you will tolerate or not. In my case I hate that new Land Cruiser 200, it has absolutely NO place on our roads. LOL - you get my point.

However, BassBailey does have a very valid point when it comes to Electronics / Technology taking over, and lets not kid ourselves, it IS.

The day you walk into a tackle store and throw that reel of braid or fluorocarbon line into your shopping basket, you have bought into the Technology Machine.

At this point you can no longer point fingers at technology simply because you don't have THAT specific item.

[Riprap]

Morning guys. All comments aside, never forget that the more you practice, the luckier you get. You can't catch fish if you not on the water.

[Ginja]

I believe you should adapt your tournament strategy to your circumstances. If you don't have the 300HP, don't race for the furthest spot. If you don't have side scan, don't try and locate new structure on competition day. If you don't have 50 spots to hit, hunker down and fish your 3 spots properly. no 2 days are the same and sometimes all these extra gadgets just makes you focus less on fishing. Even if you have all these gadgets you still have to put in the time on the water to be consistent.

I guess what I'm trying to say is there are so many variables in a days fishing that technology will seldom be the only reason why you out fished someone. Does it help? yes. Will you all of a sudden be a world champ if you get a side scan unit? no.

[Josvanheerden]

I personally don't have the best electronics on my boat but the ones I have definitely assist.

That being said - even the best electronics won't make you a better fisherman unless you know how to effectively utilize it. That's another skill set on its own and I have a tremendous amount of respect for the people who are able to interpret what they see on the screen and convert it into a fish in the live well.

Now combine that 'gut' feeling with someone who understands electronics and you have a guy who is very hard to beat on the day.

Our sport evolves like everything else but it doesn't mean you cannot be successful unless you have R100k in electronics on your boat - just look at Martin de Kock - read an article where he said until recently he only had 2 HDS 5 and an LSS 1 on the boat - that set-up although pricey is probably attainable for most competitive bassers - his results speak for themselves.

[Fishton]

Here is that article ... <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.fishtube.tv/reports/entry/electronics-for-bass-the-new-frontier.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.fishtube.tv/reports/entry/el ... ntier.html</a><!-- m -->