Before you say to yourself, oh not another FFS rant…it isn’t, but more on that later. I’m writing from the perspective of someone who’s tournament fished awhile, and spent a lot of time paying attention to various fishing series in walleye, musky, and bass.
And while I want to say the future looks awesome, I am a bit concerned for many reasons that I will get into in detail. If you’ve paid attention to tournament fishing over the years there are definitely changes. And while normally I think change is good, and it is, it can come with challenges.
As I stated, I’ve fished quite a few tournaments over the years. I never claimed to be the best at it, quite the opposite really. I moved from Fargo, ND to Bismarck, ND in 2004. While I thought I knew fishing before I got to Bismarck, a few visits to the Missouri River, for example, said otherwise. It wasn’t long being around the anglers in western North Dakota that I realized I had a long way to go. But, I thought if I’m going to learn, I may as well throw myself into some tournaments. Anyone that fishes tournaments know, you pay attention to A LOT of the little details leading up to tourney day. And I felt that was the quickest way to “crash course” my way into it.
There are a lot of good sticks out here, of all ages. And many of the younger guys these days I see potential in the future on a professional level, if they ever choose to do it. And yes, there are some local pros too in the walleye world.
But I can also tell you from experience, the early years of fishing tournaments can be quite humbling. And even in my last tournament I fished, prime example…humbling. But that’s fishing and tournaments, well, just don’t always go the way you want them to (rarely do ha!)
I was lucky enough to take some top 10s, top 5s, and 1 win along the way. But don’t get me wrong, I had PLENTY towards the bottom, too. More often then I’d probably care to admit, but that’s fishing. I would still do it all over again as I’ve learned so much and met some cool people in the fishing world.
But let’s get into the future of tournament fishing, and my 2 main concerns; Technology & Money.
Technology
In recent years, if you’ve been on social media, I’m sure you’ve seen countless debates about FFS (forward facing sonar). And I’m not going to lie, it seems to appear to be fairly even in numbers both ways. And there are a lot of good arguments both ways, which makes this not only a touchy subject, but difficult to “fix” and make everyone happy (which is impossible).
One of the most common arguments for those in favor of FFS is, “you can still fish any way you want and win”.
Let’s be honest. There aren’t too many tournaments anymore in the fishing world that aren’t dominated by those who are experts at FFS. I actually can’t think of any off the top of my head, but there has to be exceptions somewhere, but it’ll be tough.
And while YES…ANYONE can also learn the technology as well to compete, it really comes down to a decision every angler has to ask themselves these days. And that is, “Do I really want to spend most of my year chasing fish?” Anyone that has used any of the FFS technology out today knows, it takes some patience and practice that’s for sure.
In fact, I have the Garmin Livescope mounted to my front trolling motor (also Garmin). And all the bells and whistles that go with it. When I bought my latest boat (March of 2025), I figured I obviously needed it for tournaments.
For ME, it wasn’t that exciting. I mean, it’s cool as heck watching your jig fall and a fish going up to grab it. And honestly, learning how to do just that isn’t as easy as you think, either. And while I’m definitely not afraid of technology, this one to me feels more like work than fishing. (My opinion, don’t shoot)
And again, let’s face it…if you’re not going to embrace the technology and try to master it, you may as well get out of tournaments. Because until you do, you’re more than likely going to donate more than you think. And for me, that’s one of the “clenchers” on why I’m done tournament fishing.
It’s amazing, a HUGE game changer. I remember the first guys up here to master it and boy did they kick people’s tails for a few years until people caught on. And now it’s simply routine for the top 10s to be dominated by those using FFS.
MONEY
And with the latest technology, comes A LOT of dollar signs nowadays. And let’s face it, the average amateur tournament angler may not be able to afford ALL that’s out there today, either.
One prime example…FFS Screens. Did you know, they make a 22” screen now??? Heck the Garmin model starts around 12 grand…ouch!
And don’t even get me started on the price of boats nowadays, either. I will admit, I don’t price out bass boats since they don’t suit me, but for walleye boats, a tournament boat really starts around 6 digits. And some of the newer, bigger boats are getting insanely expensive.
And have you noticed the ages of some of the “Pros” nowadays? Take B.A.S.S. for example. Not only do I not recognize the names anymore, many of them are quite young. Which makes sense, given the younger generations embrace technology more than the other ones. But don’t hate me for saying this, but, what “Young Guy” can really afford to get into that game with that big of a price tag??? Only those with rich parents. Again, don’t hate but let’s be honest here… It makes the barrier to entry not possible at that age for most.
One of the most enjoyable things I always found in tournaments is finding out where and HOW the winners or top teams got it done. I’ve fished a lot of tournaments on my favorite lake in North Dakota, Lake Sakakawea. Historically, you could win it SO many ways.
Slow Death Crawlers
Laying Creek Chubs
Jig Raps
Trolling
Pitching
Etc. Etc.
I always found it kinda cool to see people doing unique things in unique ways to trigger big fish. Again, it’s often the little things that historically make a difference. But nowadays, it’s literally all the same presentation with FFS (Basically Stalking Fish).
Now let’s get back to the future of tournament fishing. With what I’ve already said, how do you think it’s affecting tournaments across the country?
We did a podcast about this awhile back, and I will use some of those stats, too.
I’m going to state some examples in the walleye world to start. For example, in 2019, the NWT in Oshkosh, WI, which was the first event of the season, had 154 entries. Compare it to 2025, which had 93, 79, 82 entries in the first 3 events in the NWT in 2025. Yes, there are other factors too, but stats don’t lie. Heck, they’re BEGGING for Co-Anglers nowadays because nobody wants to play on their phone all day, waiting for the pro to call “net”.
One of the most popular tournaments in MN is the big one on Leech Lake. 3 years ago, there was a 10-year waiting list to get in…crazy. What happened last year? Didn’t even fill, and fell 20 entries short at 135 of 155.
https://leechlakewalleyetournament.com/results
Look at the AIM tournament series in MN as another example. It’s the same teams in the top 5, just basically flip flopping. I know some of them, those guys are BEASTS. But let’s face it, people can only keep losing for so long haha…
The musky scene really seems to dislike the latest technology, too. They even banned it from their tourney circuit.
https://muskyinsider.com/blogs/past-newsletters/ronnestrand-mods-pmtt-news-tackle-tariffs
B.A.S.S. is trying to take a balanced approach to keep it open, too. For 2026, B.A.S.S. will ban FFS in up to 4 of 9 Elite Series events. This basically creates a hybrid approach to test angler versatility. Or maybe to make the old guys happy, who knows.
And while people are complaining about FFS, somewhere in a dark room, something even better is being designed. I can only imagine what we’ll see in 15 years, for example. And I don’t see the prices coming down anytime soon, either.
So technology ain’t going anywhere. And now the debate will always be, should this or that technology be allowed?
In the meantime, I’m taking a break from tournaments myself. This is the first year in a long time that I’m not fishing a single tournament. And honestly, I’m totally fine with that. I’m looking forward to a relaxed summer, and you darn well know I will have the plugs out at some point too. I love to fish, and I simply don’t want that to ever change.
Tight Lines Ya Filthy Animals
