Has Technology Gone Too Far?

The big ICAST tackle industry trade show has come and gone. We’ve all reviewed the products given “best new” awards and, true to my prediction, there was a frog lure that jumped just like the real thing. In the not too distant future, maybe the award-winner will croak and catch a fly with its tongue. Realism certainly isn’t lacking in today’s world of artificial baits.

Each year we also see awards for products so innovative they completely change the fishing industry. Regarding boating and electronic equipment, I wonder if we’re not getting ahead of ourselves. Will there be a time when the fish will have to surrender?

Looking back, I can think of numerous times in the modern era where equipment innovation has completely changed fishing, and, more specifically, competitive fishing. I remember my first GPS, Aqua-Vu camera and color LCR. No invention, however, changed fishing in my neck of the woods more than Side Imaging technology. And, at ICAST this year, we saw the introduction of full 360-degree imaging available on the bow of the boat. In other words, fishermen will “see” what’s ahead before ever actually being there. Is this going too far?

When Humminbird first introduced Side Imaging to the masses (the technology had been around previously in the dive industry but, for the first time, was made available in a user-friendly package), I had already used it for a few years. During that time, I immediately recognized the potential to quickly find and understand offshore hotspots faster than ever before.

Within a few short years, every tournament pro had the technology. Some who were sponsored by competing electronics manufacturers went as far as to mount the Humminbird units on the floor of their boats beneath the console; out of the eyes of the camera and weigh-in crowds. Today, the technology is offered across the board. It offers a whole new category to those fishing offshore structure of any kind.

Humminbird went a step further when they introduced 360 imaging recently. Their bow-mount version recently won the ICAST "Best of Show" award in the electronics division. The unit basically allows an angler to view fish and structure out in front of the boat, thus offering the ability to cast to a target or group of fish before the boat arrives.

As many of you know, I’m an avid Humminbird user and promoter. And, yes, I’ve tried 360 imaging enough to distinguish its potential. This, like many other break-through innovations, will take a few years to get “dialed in." I think what we’ll eventually see is a system built into a trolling motor that will allow an angler to constantly view what’s in front of, or to the side of, the boat. Our productivity, as anglers, will likely jump by leaps and bounds yet again, and the fish will be forced to adapt.

Back in the old days, a guy could get out on a river ledge or an offshore hump, drag a worm around until he found a log, and catch bass there for the rest of his life.
In today’s modern era, a tournament pro finds the subtlest of “hard spots," casts the perfect angle within inches of the “sweet spot" and must then alternate between rattling and non-rattling versions of the same model and color crankbait just to get a bite. Who do you think we have to blame for that?

While I’m all for the recreational fishermen having every advantage they can afford, and I’m for technological advancements that help us catch more fish, I wonder if the day will come when we need to limit the use of certain technology in tournament competition.

In the end, the fish have to bite; this I realize. Will there be a time, however, when it just won’t be fair anymore?

When structure fishing with modern technology, it’s easy to identify a fish, lower a lure to that fish, and watch it come up and eat the bait. Often coined “video game fishing," it’s truly a testament to today’s innovations.

But what if the same thing can someday be offered unilaterally around the boat? An angler would look beneath the surface all around the boat, then identify structure or cover, and the fish holding on that cover. The fisherman would then direct his cast according to the angle provided by his electronics, and watch and guide his lure to the fish, which would then eagerly strike. Think it sounds crazy? Well, what we’re doing today would have sounded just as crazy to fishermen of my father’s era.

Luckily, whoever created fish and wildlife was very, very smart, ensuring that the species we pursue will adapt to our pursuit, and therefore be more difficult to capture. Deer get nocturnal, ducks learn to avoid decoys and bass refuse to bite. But are we taking this too far, and is it feasible to set limits?

(Joe Balog is the often outspoken owner of Millennium Promotions, Inc., an agency operating in the fishing and hunting industries. A former Bassmaster Open and EverStart Championship winner, he's best known for his big-water innovations and hardcore fishing style. He's a popular seminar speaker, product designer and author, and is considered one of the most influential smallmouth fishermen of modern times.)