The Debate · Week of June 8 · Live
Forward-facing sonar: is it still fishing?
Every pro tour just restricted it. B.A.S.S. literally flipped coins on live TV to decide which 2026 events allow it — and 50,000 of us watched coin flips. So settle it:
Starting split seeded from Gerald Swindle's informal 2023 poll — 72% said they don't even want to watch FFS coverage.
The Magazine
Browse all stories →B.A.S.S. Decided Its 2026 Sonar Rules With Coin Flips. Fifty Thousand People Watched.
Forward-facing sonar is now banned at 4 of 9 Elite events — and the league turned the decision itself into a live show. The sponsors didn't win this one.
“Is randomizing the rules genius fan service or proof the league has no plan?”
SURFACE
The Shallow
First fish, first knots, first kayak. Nobody's born knowing this — and nobody here will make you feel dumb for asking.
Your First Bass: The Only Five Knots You Actually Need
Twenty knots exist. You need five. Learn them in your living room before you ever owe a fish to one.“Veterans — which knot do you trust your biggest fish to? The rookies are reading.”How to Find Bass on a New Lake With Zero Electronics
No graph, no problem. The water has been telling anglers where the fish are for ten thousand years. Here's how to read it.“What's the first thing YOU look for on a lake you've never fished?”
5 FT
The Forage Report
Crawfish, shad, bluegill, frogs. Match what's on the menu this month, not what the tackle aisle is pushing.
20 FT
Shootouts
Budget vs premium, brand vs brand, head to head. The good, the bad, and which one we'd actually fish — argue with us.
The $60 Combo vs the $600 Combo: We Bought Both. Here's Who Wins What.
Not sponsored. Never will be. The cheap one casts further than you think — and the expensive one earns its money in exactly two situations.“What's the most you'd ever pay for a rod and reel — and what's the least you'd actually fish with?”Braid vs Fluoro vs Mono: The Forever War, Settled by Situation
The line debate has been running since before some of you were born. Here's the only answer that survives contact with actual water.“What's spooled on your number one rod right now — and would you defend it in court?”Pelican vs Hobie: What the Extra $3,200 Actually Buys You
One costs $800. One costs $4,000. We fished both for a month. The answer will annoy both camps — which is how we know it's right.“Be honest: did you buy your kayak, or did you buy your kayak's badge?”
The Pact
We'll always be honest about gear. The good and the bad.
Most reviews you read only tell you what's great about a product. Ours tell you what's wrong with it too — where it fails, who shouldn't buy it, and when the cheaper option is the smarter one.
Every verdict comes from actually fishing the gear, not reading a spec sheet. When we get it wrong, the correction runs as loud as the original take.
— Tug Yank Reel · read the whole Pact
THE BOTTOM
The Current
Tournament rulings, sonar wars, the stuff the group chat is already fighting about.
B.A.S.S. Decided Its 2026 Sonar Rules With Coin Flips. Fifty Thousand People Watched.
Forward-facing sonar is now banned at 4 of 9 Elite events — and the league turned the decision itself into a live show. The sponsors didn't win this one.“Is randomizing the rules genius fan service or proof the league has no plan?”Our Promise: Honest Reviews, Good and Bad
Most gear reviews only tell you what's great. Ours tell you what's wrong too. Here's the Pact, in writing.“Have you ever bought something because a glowing review swore by it — and regretted it?”
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