Musky and Forward Facing Sonar

[CrowMan]

One of my favourite places in Ontario is Eagle Lake. I first fished there more than 40 years ago, and recently have spent a week there the last two September's, and I'm going back again this autumn. It's one of the few places where I can say the Musky fishing has actually improved over the years....not only does it regularly cough up world-class giants, but it's also a great numbers lake. It's like the best of Georgian Bay and the Kawarthas combined..

I just saw this document put out by the various stewards of the lake...conservation groups, guides, and lodge owners. The bottom five points are obviously "no brainers" for any ethically minded Musky angler. However, the first two points are little more controversial. Obviously, the technology is perfectly legal and compliance is strictly voluntary...but it would seem the end result may be that anglers might be "shamed" into complying.

Thoughts  ?

 

https://www.musky360.com/

Edited May 2 by CrowMan

[BillM]

I'm good with FFS, what I'm not good with is guys sharpshooting.  This is on the same level as guys fishing redds for steelhead in a foot of water.   I don't have FFS, but if I see a fish on my side imaging, I'll make a bunch of casts if that fish doesn't engage off I go to find another one.   I definitely don't sit there and circle the fish for an hour dropping 100 different baits on its head.  

[CrowMan]

On 5/2/2025 at 2:41 PM, BillM said:

I'm good with FFS, what I'm not good with is guys sharpshooting.  This is on the same level as guys fishing redds for steelhead in a foot of water.   I don't have FFS, but if I see a fish on my side imaging, I'll make a bunch of casts if that fish doesn't engage off I go to find another one.   I definitely don't sit there and circle the fish for an hour dropping 100 different baits on its head.  

It's certainly a grey area and difficult to know where to draw the line....either for your own personal ethics, or the gov't with legislation potentially limiting the technology. 

I have heard of reports from the US of guys Musky fishing with 4 to 6 ffs poles on their boat, and just cruising/criss-crossing the lake at 4 to 7 mph. They're not patterning  fish (like looking for structure or weed edges), they're just looking for large individual fish they can sharpshoot. Often these are deep suspended fish that you would never find fishing traditional patterns (rock piles, drop offs, etc). Because they are deep, they are often much more susceptible to not surviving release, even when all precautions are taken. 

To me that's crossing the line...and I believe that's what the stewards of Eagle Lake are trying to prevent. 

Last September my buddy and I were jigging for Walleyes for a shore lunch on Eagle, when a bloated 55"+ Musky floated past us belly up. We could smell it before we saw it. One of the saddest sights I've laid eyes on..

 

Edited May 4 by CrowMan

[BassMan11]

So is this just a Musky thing where we get upset about "sharpshooting" ? 

I really don't get this hate for FFS. 

It's like being mad at a guide or a pro angler  because you only have a 14' tinny with a 15. 

Why aren't more people mad at side scan. Coming through the water scanning 250-300' across picking up every single fish and piece of structure in that radius. 

I guess only guides, and people who have fished eagle lake for 20-30 years are allowed to catch the Muskies on a consistent basis.

[smitty55]

I guess the question at some point with technology is when does it become equivalent to cheating and not a sport anymore. If I were to equate to hunting, at least there for the most part that I'm aware of, drones are not allowed to be used to find game as essentially it takes the sport out of it.

[BassMan11]

11 hours ago, smitty55 said:

I guess the question at some point with technology is when does it become equivalent to cheating and not a sport anymore. If I were to equate to hunting, at least there for the most part that I'm aware of, drones are not allowed to be used to find game as essentially it takes the sport out of it.

Burris makes a rifle scope that calculates shot angle, wind direction, and hold over to put you perfectly right on target when hunting. Modern rifles and scopes put your "ethical shooting range" out way further than the old 270 with a 4 power on it. Thermal monocular optics can be used to see animals better in dense forest or low light conditions. Trail cameras send pictures directly to your phone to pattern the exact animal you want to shoot without you even having to get off the couch. 

A lot of technology is there when you think about it. 

Also I would be in favor of using drones to retrieve wounded or lost animals.... less waste the better. 

[BillM]

13 hours ago, BassMan11 said:

So is this just a Musky thing where we get upset about "sharpshooting" ? 

I really don't get this hate for FFS. 

It's like being mad at a guide or a pro angler  because you only have a 14' tinny with a 15. 

Why aren't more people mad at side scan. Coming through the water scanning 250-300' across picking up every single fish and piece of structure in that radius. 

I guess only guides, and people who have fished eagle lake for 20-30 years are allowed to catch the Muskies on a consistent basis.

Read the post above yours if you need to figure out the implications of the impact this has on the fishery..  It's not about being jealous people are catching more fish lol.  

[lew]

I've said it here before but I was always old school when it came to fishing and never got into all the fancy doodads that do everything but stick the fish on the hook for you. To me the fun of fishing was figuring out  where the fish were rather than having a machine to tell me where to throw my  bait. I had a pair of simple sonars to give me depth and where the weeds were and a basic GPS so I could mark points of interest and track my drifts.

I've got nothing against someone spending a fortune on electronics to show them exactly where the fish are sitting but to me that takes the fun out of figuring it out yourself.

Just my opinion of course  but to  me all the fancy toys make catching too easy and gets rid of the skill involved in figuring out where the fish are by a persons own knowledge.

[Spiel]

I think the reason I still love ice fishing so much after 50 years is that I can study a hydro-graphic chart at home, use that knowledge to walk out on the ice with a compass and a destination toting a hand auger, a stick wound with mono, a handful of lures and usually come home with dinner.   😊

Don't get me wrong, I have most all of today's modern toys and gadgets to aid me when I'm out, but somehow the above scenario seems greatly more rewarding at the end of the day.  Just saying. 
 

 

[CrowMan]

26 minutes ago, lew said:

I've said it here before but I was always old school when it came to fishing and never got into all the fancy doodads that do everything but stick the fish on the hook for you. To me the fun of fishing was figuring out  where the fish were rather than having a machine to tell me where to throw my  bait. I had a pair of simple sonars to give me depth and where the weeds were and a basic GPS so I could mark points of interest and track my drifts.

I've got nothing against someone spending a fortune on electronics to show them exactly where the fish are sitting but to me that takes the fun out of figuring it out yourself.

Just my opinion of course  but to  me all the fancy toys make catching too easy and gets rid of the skill involved in figuring out where the fish are by a persons own knowledge.

I agree. For me personally, the "chess game" aspect of angling is as satisfying as putting fish in the boat. I get a lot more enjoyment from FISHING than CATCHING.

The "means" is often more fun than the "end".

But that's me.

I like electronics too...but letting them do all the work...takes away a lot of the challenge which makes the pursuit of a finned creature with the brain the size of a pea so satisfying.

 

Edited May 5 by CrowMan

[Weeds]

I like to give the fish a fighting chance too.   It’s the reason I use small, unstable craft with unreliable motors. On the rare occasions that I use a fish finder it’s one that I purchased at a garage sale and I have no understanding of what it might be trying to tell me. I throw the same ludicrously oversized lure all day despite clear evidence those around me are catching fish on smaller more effective baits. Or………maybe I’m just kind of a crappy fisherman. I think that’s a distinct possibility, but I never really felt I’m missing out on anything for lack of tech.

[smitty55]

5 hours ago, BassMan11 said:

Burris makes a rifle scope that calculates shot angle, wind direction, and hold over to put you perfectly right on target when hunting. Modern rifles and scopes put your "ethical shooting range" out way further than the old 270 with a 4 power on it. Thermal monocular optics can be used to see animals better in dense forest or low light conditions. Trail cameras send pictures directly to your phone to pattern the exact animal you want to shoot without you even having to get off the couch. 

A lot of technology is there when you think about it. 

Also I would be in favor of using drones to retrieve wounded or lost animals.... less waste the better. 

True enough about modern scopes but long range hunters and snipers already do those calculations, they know how many clicks to raise the reticle based on range and shooting angles. As for trail cams I've been using them  for decades on deer and bear stands and trust me when I tell you that not once has a trail cam helped me harvest an animal, at best they are good for defining the local population but they do nothing when you're on the stand. Your last point I would agree with but that's a slippery slope when it comes to legalities as trailing wounded game is still defined as hunting afaik and you can't have a drone in your possession during hunting.

[limeyangler]

Personally I like my tech but still love walking a shoreline with a nothing more than a jig and minnow, room for both in my world.

[EsoxWanderer]

Its a big topic. Sharpshooting for muskies using FFS isn't cool and musky anglers should be making it taboo as a community. Good for the Eagle Lake resorts and hopefully more places do the same thing.