Eye See You

IT’S NO SECRET that forward-facing sonar is all the rage these days in the fishing world. Pros and recreational anglers alike are relying on real-time technology such as Garmin Panoptix LiveScope, Lowrance ActiveTarget and Humminbird MEGA Live Imaging to sniff out fish and catch them like never before.

Anyone who has found success with the forward-facing concept it will agree that it’s a significant improvement over conventional down scan and side-scan sonar introduced more than a decade ago.

Traditional sonar requires boat movement using the outboard engine to function properly. Though still effective, spooking fish is an inherent risk with the droning sound of a motor or the shade of a boat passing overhead.

Forward-facing sonar is different. It works using a special transducer that mounts to the trolling motor or an independent pole. Likewise, anglers can slip quietly along as the transducer scans the water column. High-res imagery relays to the electronics screen in real time.

The beauty of the technology runs deep. One of the main benefits is it boosts the chances of seeing fish without blowing your cover.

Bass angler Glen Webb of Bethel, Oklahoma, relied heavily on Garmin LiveScope and an Alabama rig to win more than $72,000 in a pair of February bass tournaments on Sam Rayburn. Webb, 32, mounts his unit on a Stowaway Mount adjustable to 31 inches tall for easy viewing.
(Photo: Major League Fishing)

Another is it helps anglers make precise bait presentations to fish and, more important, see how they react to baits. You can even pinpoint grass lines, channels, brush piles and other key structure from a considerable distance away to make every cast count.

If a fish or a school of shad swims by, you see them without delay. Violent strikes on moving baits are frequently witnessed in real time.

Other times, a fish will charge the bait, but won’t eat it. It’s not uncommon to see fish tuck tail and run for no apparent reason. This is really cool stuff that can be addictive in a sense.

Used correctly, the technology can be deadly on individual fish that are suspended in the water column. It’s even deadlier on large schools of sport fish such as crappie.

Simply put, the fish can run but they can’t hide from persistent anglers willing to put in the time to learn the ropes. Think of it as video game fishing, only this is the real deal. No wonder the young guys who grew up playing Donkey Kong on their cell phones are so quick to catch on.

Glen Webb of Bethel, Oklahoma, has played a few video games. He likes fooling around with forward-facing sonar even more.

Apparently, the 32-year-old angler is pretty handy with it, too. In 2021, he claims he used the technology to win 11 of the 12 tournaments he entered on his home lake, Broken Bow Reservoir.

More recently, Webb brought his Garmin LiveScope to Sam Rayburn on 10 through12 February. There, he used it to catch 14 pre-spawn bass weighing 63 pounds,12 ounces in the Toyota Series Southwestern Division bass tournament. Webb topped a field of heavy hitting locals in his first pro-level event and banked $54,000.

A week earlier he tied for third in the Brandon Belt team event and won $18,750. Webb claims the intel provided by his forward-facing sonar was a huge factor in both events.

“Every fish I weighed in during the Toyota tournament I saw with my forward-facing sonar,” he said, “and I saw them all eat the bait. It’s a really valuable tool. You are definitely at a disadvantage if you don’t have it.”

Webb caught a 6.90-pounder on an Alabama rig the second day, but it didn’t come easy. He said the bass knocked slack in his lure twice without getting hooked before swimming off the opposite direction.

The angler used LiveScope to keep an eye on the fish as he followed it with his trolling motor and eventually sealed the deal.

“I chased her for probably 100 yards,” he said. “Once she finally settled down and stopped, I was able to get her to bite again.”

Webb wasn’t the only Toyota competitor to use forward-facing sonar to their advantage. Just about every angler in the Top 10 said they relied on the technology to catch a percentage of their fish.

Todd Driscoll of Brookeland didn’t compete in the Toyota Series event, but he is well-versed on the ins and outs of using forward-facing technology. Driscoll is a TPWD fisheries biologist and hardcore angler who does some technical work for Garmin on the side. He has been a student of LiveScope technology since it was introduced in 2018.

Learning to interpret what you are looking at is a major hurdle to success, Driscoll says.

“It makes you much more efficient on the water — no more hedging bets and guessing where the sweet spots are. Learn to use it and you won’t waste a single cast all day long.”

The biologist cautions that using LiveScope to fish for bass can be a double-edged sword.

“It gets my heart rate up every time I see a fish tracking my bait and racing to eat it,” Driscoll said. “But it’s equally frustrating to see a group of fish track a lure for 15 feet and never eat it.