There’s a U.S.-Canada Border War—in Bass Fishing

I know I started this column with the border stuff, because it’s juicy political clickbait, and I’m hopeless. But here’s what’s   really   interesting about this U.S.-Canada duel:

Johnston vs. McKinney isn’t just a rumble for Angler of the Year. 

It’s a generational battle for the soul of fishing—and no, I don’t care how pretentious that sounds. 

Let me explain. For the past few years, bass fishing has been in an uproar over   “forward-facing sonar,” a controversial technology   used to detect fish below the surface. 

FFS products (like   Garmin’s   LiveScope) really work—perhaps a bit too well. The tech, usually mounted on the trolling motor on the bow of a bass boat (that’s the   front , for you landlubbers) generates precise, real-time underwater imagery that allows an angler to not only see a potential catch, but see how the fish is responding to a lure dangled right in front of its face.

It’s revolutionized the sport, elevating a pack of young anglers for whom the technology is second nature. At the same time, the tech has put the squeeze on older fishermen accustomed to more analog techniques. 

Seasoned anglers tend to be FFS’s biggest detractors, arguing that the hyper-accurate technology replaces the sport’s mystery and romance in favor of another screen addiction. 

No topic in fishing is more contentious. If you have two hours to spare, go find a bass fisherman and ask them what they think about FFS. 

It’s possible they think it’s cool and fun and a fantastic way to spend a few thousand dollars. It’s equally possible they will start screaming that it’s turned the sport into   Nintendo   and is the end of fishing as we know it.

“It’s a house divided,” says Bassmaster angler Drew Cook, who’s currently third in the Angler of the Year standings. “It’s like Georgia fans and Alabama fans. It’s 100% pro—or 100% against.”

The debate over FFS grew so rancorous that Bassmaster decided that this year’s Elite Series would be split in half–half of the tournaments would be fished with FFS, and the half would prohibit FFS completely.

It was a bold move which had the potential to end the reign of fishing’s young, tech-savvy stars.

But here’s the intriguing part: It didn’t. 

The kids have been all right, continuing their success in tournaments with forward-facing sonar, and holding their own in tournaments without it. 

“The young anglers were accused of being videogame guys,” says James Hall, the editor in chief of Bassmaster magazine. “That’s been disproven. These kids are not one trick ponies.”

“Not having [FFS] makes it fun, because you really can show that the young kids can catch ‘em,” says 20-year-old Fisher Anaya, who leads the Rookie of the Year standings. “It gives them no room to talk.” 

No one looks better than McKinney. The Carbondale, Ill., wonder, who grew up fishing a pond in his backyard, rocketed up the sport with his wizardry for forward-facing sonar. This season, he’s remained atop the standings despite losing 50% of his opportunities to use his best weapon.

“It says something about him—it says he’s a generational talent,” says Tommy Sanders, the longtime voice of bass fishing on TV. “He’s just a real natural, very smart, totally focused on fishing.”

“He has fins, as people say in this thing.” 

McKinney, who wears a Monster energy cap and could easily be confused for a BMX or motocross racer, is very aware of the critiques that came his way—“There’s a lot of people who think I can’t catch ‘em without ‘scope,” he says.

Still, he’s liked the challenge of competing without it, returning to the style of fishing he did when he got started—working structure in the lakes and rivers, fishing the shallows, trusting his gut instead of a screen.

“It’s definitely more rewarding when you find something,” he says.

The bad news for McKinney’s competitors? He thinks the reduction of FFS tournaments made him a better fisherman.

“I definitely feel I’m a more well-rounded angler,” he says. “When you don’t have to use ‘scope, you use your heart a little bit.”

Though some leagues like the National Professional Fishing League ban FFS altogether, it’s unlikely to disappear from Bassmaster’s Elite Series, where the prize money can be substantial and tech companies are major sponsors.

But the format change has reignited experienced fishermen, like McKinney’s Angler of the Year rival, Cory Johnston. Johnston thinks the split with FFS and non-FFS tournaments has been healthy for the sport, and is a better test of skill. He’s been impressed by McKinney’s resilience. 

“The guys at the top are guys who can do both,” says Johnston.

It isn’t like the older pros haven’t been forced to adjust to changes, too. Learning forward-facing sonar became essential, says Drew Cook.

“It was definitely a necessity, because this is a job,” Cook says. “I make a living to support my family. If I had been anti [FFS], I probably would already be yelling   ‘Welcome to Walmart!’ ”

“You have to learn it if you want to compete,” Johnston says. Forward-facing sonar, he says, taught him “there are a lot more fish roaming around in open water than people think. You do learn a lot about how fish live and how they use the whole water column.”

The finale at the St. Lawrence River is an FFS tournament, which is part of the reason for the mega-sized smallmouth being weighed in at the riverside hamlet of Clayton, N.Y. Anglers like McKinney and Johnston have ripped west through the river to go out to the mouth of Lake Ontario, on the prowl for large, pelagic, open-water fish that can win tournaments.

The other factor in the region’s monster-sized smallmouth population is environmental: The arrival and prevalence of goby fish, an   invasive species   which arrived in the 1990s and became a smallmouth-fattening buffet.

McKinney’s 30-pound haul on Friday was a   scale-bending spectacle . Largemouth bass can get huge, but no one’s ever done that at a smallmouth Bassmaster tournament. That’s a six pound average for a fish that rarely achieves that sort of size. 

I don’t know if McKinney’s smallmouth 30 will go down like Wilt’s 100 or DiMaggio’s 56, but it’s really bonkers, and if you don’t believe me, ask a smallmouth bass.

McKinney’s performance is also staggering considering he’s doing it on his main rival’s home water. Johnston, a beloved local and the favorite entering the tournament, will have to outdo McKinney on the weekend to give himself a shot at the overall season title. 

The fancy tech helps, of course—but you still have to catch them. Two days remain in one of the greatest tangles in bass fishing history.

“At the end, the guy who wins Angler of the Year had to catch ‘em with it and catch ‘em without it,” says Cory Johnston. “That’s the best person.”