Bassmasters Classic Champion

[Riggen&Jiggen]

For those that hate FFS should also hate game trail cameras for hunting. Pretty much the same thing. FFS is a tool that opens up another segment of fish populations that act differently than most (suspended, roaming open water) and allows for targeting bigger fish with in an area. What sucks about it is you either have to fish all in with it or not at all. If you try to half ass it all you will do is get frustrated and catch less fish. I would say that 7 out of 10 dudes that are kicking butt with it right now would still kick butt with out it.

 

[Sum1]

For those that hate FFS should also hate game trail cameras for hunting. Pretty much the same thing. FFS is a tool that opens up another segment of fish populations that act differently than most (suspended, roaming open water) and allows for targeting bigger fish with in an area. What sucks about it is you either have to fish all in with it or not at all. If you try to half ass it all you will do is get frustrated and catch less fish. I would say that 7 out of 10 dudes that are kicking butt with it right now would still kick butt with out it.

I’m gonna disagree with you on the 7 out 10. Idk if your talking Bass tourneys or walleye tourneys or just fishing in general. I’d be willing to bet when it comes to Bass Elite these young guns under thirty that only use ffs wouldn’t even qualify for Elites if you took away from them.

 

[Sum1]

I seen an interview with Josh Jones, a big bass guru that kinda pioneered FFS. He made a comment that I thought made a ton of sense. He basically said that the older generation won’t ever be able to compete with these young gun when it comes to FFS. He never really went into why he said that but I have a hunch. Could be the reason why I suck at it as well. Us older generations(40+ we’ll say) just aren’t capable of looking at a screen for eight to twelve hours a day. The longest I was able to do it was three hours before I couldn’t take it any longer. These kids grew up looking at screens there entire waking hours growing up. Phones, video games, even iPads in school or computer screens. They’re just wired differently then we are. That’s all they know is looking at screens so of course they are gonna whoop everyone’s ass using it. It’s second nature to them

 

[Jiffy]

Question is…

Are they “legal” for the bullhead tourney?

 

[5575]

I was bored..

 

[1lessdog]

For those that hate FFS should also hate game trail cameras for hunting. Pretty much the same thing. FFS is a tool that opens up another segment of fish populations that act differently than most (suspended, roaming open water) and allows for targeting bigger fish with in an area. What sucks about it is you either have to fish all in with it or not at all. If you try to half ass it all you will do is get frustrated and catch less fish. I would say that 7 out of 10 dudes that are kicking butt with it right now would still kick butt with out it.

You are totally right about game cams. I would guess over 50% of the big bucks shot are shot because someone seen the buck on his camera. Patterned the deer, set up on him when the wind was right. Maybe even setup a couple more stands so they could hunt different winds.

 

[MarbleEyez]

We all have them. You still have to catch the fish. The BIGGEST thing with FFS, in my opinion, is it helps you eliminate dead water. Especially when ice fishing!! It takes a lot of time to "fine-tune" things, but once you do, the information that you learn is off the charts. You can see how fish react to baits, etc.

The way I see it is it's just another tool in the toolbox!

Yeah, the pro's are mopping up on the tournament wins by using them. But everyone does understand that they just didn't go buy FFS 6 months ago and now are winning all of these tournaments. It's the same as everything else, the more time you put into your "craft" the better you will be at it.

 

[5575]

Heard one guys analogy of FFS the other day, he said.
"FFS is kind of like going out deer hunting at night with a thermal scope and saying yea but you still gotta hit em"

 

[huntemup]

should be able to use spot lights for deer ! Just another tool

 

[Jiffy]

You can’t?

 

[Kurtr]

Mounted to the roof makes it easier to shoot out the window

 

[luvcatchingbass]

I'm talking specifically tournaments - which are supposed to be based on skill and knowledge to find/catch fish. There is a reason why we cannot use drones or thermal imaging devices to take trophy big game - but if we could I guarantee people would be doing it.. Or should I say the "younger" crowd would be? us outdoorsman use the word "fair chase" in every facet imaginable, but when it comes to fishing tournaments there is obviously a double standard.

The days of networking, pre-fishing, studying lake topography, baitfish movement patterns, water temps, structural differences, studying lake maps, mapping out weed lines, contour lines, understanding feeding patterns/windows, biology, etc. to locate "big fish" goes away if I can simply image them before even making a single a cast.. Tournament fishing using multiple FFS to scan open water just to pitch to individual "big" fish and pulling baits away from the lesser sized fish is not tournament fishing.

So in theory they should take away mapping capability of any sort as well. Should have to go off of all memory of where you bumped into that sunken rock pile, where the weed lines are at various depths, etc. Over half the things you have listed at one point or another can be associated with "technology advancement" that people used to catch more fish.
Wonder what people would think if they had to go fish the way I have the few times I have gone to backwoods Canadian lakes. I had zero mapping available and just wonder around from island to island, shoreline stretches, various bays, etc, all while using a putt-putt 15-25hp motor on a bare bones aluminum tub. When I was a kid a buddy and I did our best fishing before we had a basic depth finder when we would hit their lake place in MN.
For the record my biggest tech advancement I have is a Vexilar for ice fishing.

 

[CatDaddy]

should be able to use spot lights for deer ! Just another tool

Not a good analogy. Spot lights for deer are what electrofishing is for bass.

 

[huntemup]

call it what you want CatDaddy, you can twist it anyway you want but still just another tool.

 

[SerchforPerch]

So in theory they should take away mapping capability of any sort as well. Should have to go off of all memory of where you bumped into that sunken rock pile, where the weed lines are at various depths, etc. Over half the things you have listed at one point or another can be associated with "technology advancement" that people used to catch more fish.
Wonder what people would think if they had to go fish the way I have the few times I have gone to backwoods Canadian lakes. I had zero mapping available and just wonder around from island to island, shoreline stretches, various bays, etc, all while using a putt-putt 15-25hp motor on a bare bones aluminum tub. When I was a kid a buddy and I did our best fishing before we had a basic depth finder when we would hit their lake place in MN.
For the record my biggest tech advancement I have is a Vexilar for ice fishing.

Not anywhere in my reply did I say take away mapping capability.... Shit, I doubt any of those young guns even know how to use or interpret a paper conventional map. Anyone that has still has a crinkled up red Gazeteer in their vehicle knows what I'm talking about.

A single common denominator among people talking about FFS once it became mainstream? The first thing everyone would laugh about whether online, at the boat ramp or local fishing pro at Scheels someone always says - "FFS is amazing but its no longer "fishing" its "catching".

 

[SerchforPerch]

FFS is a tool that opens up another segment of fish populations that act differently than most (suspended, roaming open water) and allows for targeting bigger fish with in an area. I would say that 7 out of 10 dudes that are kicking butt with it right now would still kick butt with out it.

Bingo! locating fish in the areas you described above is something the FFS "Pros" never spent enough time learning how to do without FFS.. The actual tournament guys "that made a living on finding, perfecting presentations, identifying the whens, whys, and hows to fishing these areas because they are just that good!

If FFS is ever banned, it would be very interesting to see how many of the "Pros" that relied on FFS will stick around, or continue to win tournaments.. Guessing most wont have the patience for it..

 

[shorthairsrus]

Bingo! locating fish in the areas you described above is something the FFS "Pros" never spent enough time learning how to do without FFS.. The actual tournament guys "that made a living on finding, perfecting presentations, identifying the whens, whys, and hows to fishing these areas because they are just that good!

If FFS is ever banned, it would be very interesting to see how many of the "Pros" that relied on FFS will stick around, or continue to win tournaments.. Guessing most wont have the patience for it..

its already banned ---1 period for mfl 2/3 banned --- yet you have the other "gill" winning without it and everyone said he was a ff poster boy

 

[Kurtr]

If its so easy why dont the anti ffs guys throw one on and go win

 

[dblkluk]

You are totally right about game cams. I would guess over 50% of the big bucks shot are shot because someone seen the buck on his camera. Patterned the deer, set up on him when the wind was right. Maybe even setup a couple more stands so they could hunt different winds.

You forgot the most important part.. the pile of corn.

 

[SDMF]

Question is…

Are they “legal” for the bullhead tourney?

Hell no!! It'll show you where I drop the 7 beef livers the night before the tourney.