The deep-pocketed modern angler brings a great many advantages to the chase. From top-quality gear to fast boats to reams of online chatter about the best tactics and spots, the sportfishing arsenal is a far cry from even a generation ago. The fish has its own big advantage, though: the ability to move unseen beneath the surface.
Now a new type of sonar technology is nullifying that edge by scanning up to 100 feet away from the boat. The shift is raising conservation concerns and in turn sparking fears about small-town economies in rural Canada, where visiting anglers spend tens of millions of dollars to fish for muskellunge (musky).
At Eagle Lake, between Thunder Bay and Winnipeg, lodges and conservation officials issued an open call earlier this summer for anglers to avoid the technology: “Your choices on the water matter. Follow these best practices to keep Eagle Lake thriving for generations.”
Governments must consider carefully the impact this technology may have on musky stocks. In the short term, the safest option may be a temporary ban while the effects are being investigated. The nightmare scenario is a decision coming too late to prevent a decline.
The debate over forward-facing sonar has roiled the fishing community and is particularly acute among those who go after muskies. Nicknamed “the fish of 10,000 casts,” this apex predator is famously wily and elusive. Its difficulty level is central to its appeal. It rewards patience and experience.
This new version of sonar, though, changes the game. It can look far from the boat to compile a remarkably accurate underwater picture. It is sharp enough to tell one end of a big fish from the other.
This has renewed the age-old debate about how much tech is too much. No one expects anglers to use a simple hook and string anymore. But at what point does fishing become simply catching?
Forward-facing sonar allows skippers to drive right to a desirable musky and cast a lure more or less under its snout. If the fish doesn’t bite, the angler can watch in real time how it reacts to the bait and adjust tactics accordingly. It’s still not a sure thing, but the odds of success increase so much that this approach has come to be called “sharpshooting.”
Although responsible anglers release their fish, the experience is not harmless to them. Being caught and released repeatedly – a more likely scenario when people are sharpshooting on a lake – weakens fish. Taking a fish out of the water for a photo further worsens its odds. Experience with hooked lures could teach it to fear prey-sized food.
Adding to the concern is that female muskies grow larger than males, and the really big females are the super-producers of the species. With the genes of a survivor and embodying a lifetime of knowledge, they can spawn huge numbers of hardy descendants. But these uber-fish – the biggest are enormous: a trophy may measure 4½ feet and weigh 40 pounds – are highly desirable to anglers and are the most likely to be pulled from the water for a commemorative snap.
If anglers hook too many of these monsters, their numbers could begin to decline. And because mature musky grow so slowly, adding only about an inch in length annually, it would be many years before new ones achieve such sizes.
Without regulatory action on forward-facing sonar, responsible anglers will be left with a difficult choice. They can do the right thing for the species by resisting the devices. But knowing that others are acting less respectfully, it will be hard for many anglers to resist joining – accelerating the decline by trying to catch a big fish before they are gone.
To avoid such a tragedy of the commons, it might help for anglers to remember the point of fishing.
The musky fishing community is full of obsessives precisely because it is so difficult. Landing a trophy is the moment of a lifetime. Without sonar to guide the way, just spotting a fish following the lure is memorable; having it strike is a thrill. A successful fight to the boat can make an angler’s vacation.
This kind of fishing rewards dedication in a world that appears unwilling to put in the hours. Reading is down, vacations are a dash from one Instagrammable moment to the next and rich people buy experiences once restricted to the talented elite.
But nothing worth doing is achieved easily. Turning fishing into catching would take the heat out of the passion. To prevent that, fish need to keep the advantage of stealth.