By Vincent Bini
I saw a post on Instagram the other day and it really got me thinking. It was to sign a petition to ban forward-facing sonars in Everglades National Park. Of course it got my attention. I read through it and the kid who was heading it up had some valid concerns, and anything that could protect the Glades is something I can get behind. So, like everything else in my life, I analyzed it to death. I looked at it from both sides of the argument and was unable to dig in from either party. Full disclosure, I have been fishing since I could walk and guiding on and off since 1995. My current skiff is the first one I have owned that has a functioning fish finder, and I only use it because it reads the water temperature. I am as neutral as can be. Besides, I am a big fan of basing my decisions on facts, not emotions. But I digress.
So, the argument for the proposed ban was that forward-facing sonars allow people to see fish that they normally wouldn’t be able to see. That statement is 100% true, but is it a threat to the Glades? I would have to say no more than GPS with satellite mapping—probably less. Modern GPS chart plotters allow people to get to places they would likely never attempt to go. And honestly, anyone who has been fishing for any amount of time knows that finding fish and getting them to eat sometimes have zero correlation.
A Forward-Facing Debate
I do see a little concern, though. If someone located fish they otherwise wouldn’t have without the aid of forward-facing sonar and those fish were actively feeding, I could see someone abusing it—depleting a school or just putting a beating on them and pressuring them hard. Being able to see where they are fleeing doesn’t give much of an edge, but I’m still not sure it warrants a ban.
I went a little further and started thinking about how a ban would actually look in the park. The park service is already stretched thin with rangers—how would they enforce it, especially in areas like Chokoloskee and Everglades City? And let’s say there was enough staffing. Would they pull over every boat with a trolling motor? I support law enforcement completely, but I like them a lot better when they aren’t bothering me, especially while I’m fishing. It honestly seems like it would be a nightmare for all parties involved. Could someone just unplug it? There are a lot of factors here that would drain resources already stretched thin.
For me and a lot of people I know, this issue runs deeper than a threat to the fishing ecosystem—deeper than fair or unfair. This issue boils down to you and how you value your time on the water. Your relationship with nature. Not to get all tree-huggy, but whether you like it or not, there is a deep connection between us and the natural world. If you are someone who would get joy out of fishing from a glass barrel, then forward scan away. No judgment. We are all different.
Unfair Advantages?
I prefer to keep it as simple as possible. I love the element of surprise—working shorelines, casting into little windows in the mangrove, envisioning a snook exploding on my jig. Lots of casts go unanswered. But when you cast into a spot you felt in your bones had something there, only to confirm your gut—that is one of the most incredible feelings. It’s the unknown that drives me. Forward-facing sonar takes that away. Just because you can see them doesn’t mean they’ll bite, but you’ve removed part of the mystery.
As impartial as I am on forward-facing sonars, I feel that the argument needs to get out of the water and into the air. In my opinion, the biggest menace is drones. Not necessarily in the Everglades, because they have thankfully already been banned there. The Keys are my main concern, mostly for tarpon, but bonefish and permit flats are being exploited. I say exploited because you truly are using an unfair advantage—for the other anglers and most importantly the fish. Being able to spot fish from hundreds of yards away is about as unsporty as you can get.
I truly feel for the guides that are grinding it out day after day, putting in an honest day’s work to put their clients on fish, only to have someone flying a drone over their heads trying to avoid putting in the hours and actually learning the water they want to fish. I don’t know if it is just a group of people that grew up in the world of instant gratification or just plain laziness. I have tried viewing it from the other side and aside from cutting every corner and stripping the thrill of the hunt, I see no valid argument for doing it. It’s a good thing they weren’t around in the ’70s and ’80s, because I have no doubt there would be a lot of reports of missing drones.
