The guys that didn't know how to fish an a-rig are the ones that got the a-rig banned. The ones that don't want to learn their electronics are the ones throwing the fit about the livescope.

Maybe... I think it’s deeper. Anglers banned it because they couldn’t sell their sponsors product if everyone was fishing an Arig. That is the hypocrisy. It was never about the Arig, it was about the money.

That’s when you hold up a sign while fishing. Duh.

Fat fingered that one. Sight*

I don't fish bass tournaments, just crappie tournaments. The crappie guys jumped on Livescope early and have been using it for 3 yrs now. If you want to fish any of the major tournament trails and don't have Livescope, you soon determine you are going for the fun and experience and donating your entry fee to those who compete with Livescope. If you think it doesn't make a difference, think again.

The impact of Livescope will leave a few people behind. But if you already own a $60,000+ fishing rig and fish a tournament every month, Livescope is just another expensive tool. Once more people get Livescope and learn how to use it, more people with limited fishing skills will begin to compete at a higher level. This technology may actually make the bottom half of the field more competitive. Now that Lowrance is in the game and HB soon to be, more people will get this technology. There will be the next 2-3 yrs when some people don't have it, and the complaints continue, but almost everyone soon will. And it will happen quicker than most think. In crappie tournaments the first year Livescope was available, few had it; the next year, close to half of competitors had it; now almost everyone does. In the crappie world there was the same type complaining. But once someone got in a boat with someone that knew how to use the technology, they couldn't wait to get it. To ease the pain, tournament trails might consider two divisions; those with Livescope technology and those without. I know if crappie tournament fishermen will buy it, bass guys definitely will.

Tournament bass fishing is basically meant to push product. Why you think youre seeing a surge in popularity with tin rigs...the trails are pushing them more now.

So no, it wont be banned because if they did sales will drop. Look at kastking for example.....they were trash before reputation wise....sign a pro and now they got respect. Tourney fishing is about pushing product as much as it is those trophies.

That is a very valid point, it's hard to sell all those finesse lines, rods, reels, and baits when all you need is one rod on the deck to compete and win in the early season tournaments.

It's an interesting discussion. I don't tournament fish, I have 2d on my bow and 2d, DI, and SI on my console and I doubt I will ever invest in LS or any other form of forward facing sonar, at least until its gets dirt cheap. I watched Redcrest, and while I think all of the guys that fished on Championship Friday had it.. there was still only one winner. It was said many times by Connell, Wheeler, etc. that they could see the fish but they couldn't make them bite. If other forms of Sonar will let you see the structure that holds the fish, then fishing the structure isn't any different if you only have 2d vs LS.. but LS tells you if they are there are not definitively. That saves a lot of time.. but they still have to bite.
Long story short.. I think it will be an expensive piece of kit for anybody that wants to compete at the highest level. And if you choose to not get one, then you won't be competitive in the end.

I’m already hearing crappie guys saying the fish are reacting to the scope. This leads me to assume the bass will follow suit. I see it as a tool to find hidden structure/cover. My $$ is on it becoming less dominant.

I don't get the correlation between no practice and forward facing sonar. Why does one have anything to do with the other? To me hosting a major tournament with limited practice is a joke. I get why they had to do it with this Redcrest, but I hope that is the exception rather than the rule. Like any sport different athletes prepare in different ways. Just because one angler may be more instinctual and figure out one trend fast, does that make him a better angler than the guy that is methodical and takes more time putting together multiple patterns? In my opinion no. They are just different. Forward facing sonar is here to stay. I do think that the technology will eventually get to a point that some restrictions will begin to happen, but that is a ways off in my opinion.

Man. Forward live sonar is less than $1500. It’s not like it’s a $4000 set of PowerPoles. Or a $2500+ trolling motor.

...yes