Three Techniques for Forward-Facing Power Fishing

I know forward-facing sonar (FFS) is polarizing. It’s become fishing’s F word and not the one your mom told you not to say. 

FFS has become synonymous with spinning rod finesse fishing and some of the lightest and smallest baits you’ve ever seen. 

However, anglers have shown forward-facing sonar's power fishing and shallow fishing prowess on the national stage recently. Scott Martin just won the first Bassmaster Open of 2024 utilizing it on bedding fish at Lake Okeechobee. Rookie Elite Series angler Tyler Williams showed what a big jig and FFS can do when paired together as an EQ Opens angler in 2023. 

Forward Facing Sonar is Changing Bass Fishing

It’s becoming clear there is more and more LiveScope can and will be utilized to do. The scoping screen is a canvas, and anglers are the artists choosing which brush they want to paint with. There are no limitations just a few pre-conceived notions. 

I think that’s where a lot of the misconception about FFS lies. It does open up realms of possibilities in open water that were much more difficult to do before. Yet the guys catching them before are still going to catch them. Now it’s just a matter of efficiency. 

Finesse has taken the front stage, but what many people are missing is all the cool power fishing techniques you can pair with it. 

Don’t get me wrong, there are times when I have it on in shallow water, but I’m hardly paying attention and letting my instincts take over. There are also times and situations where I completely leave it off just to stay sharp. Relying on FFS too heavily can hurt you as much as it can help some days. 

Instead of relying on it wholeheartedly, I think having FFS be supplemental to whatever you’re doing is the right mindset. 

Three Power Fishing Techniques with Live Sonar

1. Topwater

I’m not kidding when I say 70% of the fish I caught last year using FFS were on a topwater. Some days were an actual clinic and it felt like I found a hidden gem on how to use FFS to my advantage. I’m already looking forward to late April through June and tossing a giant topwater over fish doing what I learned last year. 

I had my best day of the year fishing in June doing this. Which is kind of crazy, considering my best days have historically been in the winter or early spring on Anna. It was a typical busy late spring/ early summer day on Anna and I was fishing in a popular and crowded pleasure boat area when I hooked up with some giants on topwater. I learned the bass don’t care and are accustomed to people and boats on Anna that time of year. I also had a light bulb go off to something I watched happen on FFS at that moment. 

Bass on Anna typically roam in packs of 3-6 offshore chasing bait in the post-spawn and summer. Whenever I see a wolfpack on the screen this is usually the first presentation I want to show them.

I went on to have a 40+ fish day and caught more 3.5-5 pound fish in one day than I ever have before, topped off by an 8-pounder. 

From that day on, FFS as a tool was never the same to me.  

I’ve used it to help catch fish cranking, flipping, dragging, and just about anything you can think of in relatively shallow water.  

2. Cranking

One of my favorite ways to catch pre-spawn fish just about anywhere is by cranking the ends of laydowns. Before LiveScope, I would guess the tips of laydowns by referencing the height of the trees still upright on land. It helped, but wasn’t always spot on. Now I can be more efficient doing that. I was going to do it anyway, now it’s just supplementing and making my approach more efficient. 

Fish will sometimes be so tight to the laydown that you can't see them easily on FFS. This is true with a lot of structures and bottoms at certain times of the year. One rule I have with FFS is if you see structure but no fish, throw at it. Sometimes they appear out of nowhere like magic.

I can also see subtle drops or other irregularities on banks like rip-rap and how the fish are setting up to fine-tune my cranking approach. I can see exactly what depth I need my bait to go and how they're reacting. Do they want a tight wobble or a wide wobble with a lot of action? Do they want it slow-rolled or burned? These are all questions we can now watch in real-time. Love it or hate it, we're learning a lot.

One thing I've picked up on using FFS while cranking, is that silent crank baits have gotten me a lot more bites! I do believe water clarity can factor into this equation, as I've been cranking in relatively clear water since having LiveScope on my boat.

3. Dragging

Another one of my favorite ways to power fish with forward-facing sonar is dragging a Carolina rig, wobble head, and free rig. 

The method is the same, I'm looking for structure to make a more efficient cast with these baits. You also want to pay attention to the bass's behavior. These are my go-to techniques if the fish are bottom-orientated, feeding down, and not wanting to chase a bait.

Dragging presentations are great approaches if bass are tight to cover like a brush pile. I usually present a bait I can drag slowly in that scenario before a moving bait. Moving baits can pull fish out without them committing, making the fish a whole lot harder to catch until they set back up. I've learned this through trial and error and have seen it happen more times than I can remember.

In Conclusion

Don't limit yourself to small line, small baits, and chasing fish with LiveScope. If you're a power fishing fanatic and have LiveScope, try and make it work for your style of fishing. You will learn a ton while being more efficient in your approach.

It's a tool and should be used as such. The amount I've learned and the subtle details I've picked up on in a short amount of time have been mind-blowing. How much did we know before? To be honest, we knew a lot without ever seeing them on a screen, but we only were scratching the surface. It's a whole lot more interesting now that we're below the surface.

Let's Go Fishing