Fishermans Warehouse pro Bryant Smith on Fishing the Elites With/Without FFS

[WB Staff]

I’m sure I’m like most Bassmaster Elite Series anglers in that I’ve spent a good amount of time thinking about the 2026 season — specifically, the new rules regarding forward-facing sonar. Basically, five of the nine Elite events plus the Bassmaster Classic will allow the use of this technology, while the other four Elites will not.

This will be different, but in all honesty, I won’t prepare any differently. When I thought back on my 2025 season, I probably caught 60% of my fish without forward-facing sonar. I grew up in the age when this technology first came out, but I didn’t have it when I was working to reach the top level of this sport.

I know how to fish with forward-facing sonar and without it. I did a lot of that this season, just fishing my strengths at any given time.

I feel comfortable with and without forward-facing sonar, and the 2026 Elite schedule sets up pretty well for me. There’s a good diversity of fisheries, and with the forward-facing sonar challenge they’ve thrown on top of it, I’m really looking forward to next year a lot.

In terms of how this will impact the 2026 season, I think the new forward-facing sonar format will add a whole new layer to our tournaments. It’s gonna be different for the guys who heavily rely on the technology, and it’s gonna be different for the guys who are used to fishing without it.

REad it all at Bassmaster: https://www.bassmaster.com/column/bryan ... s-changes/