®
Fall 2024
F
orward-facing sonar, or the initials “FFS’,” has
upended the fishing world. This new technology
seems to dominate everything from recreational angling to professional tournaments. There have been
competing opinions on its use, and it’s also had a significant
impact on fishing tackle.
Companies have rushed to create products designed
to make seeing your lures on a screen easier. This includes
specially designed jigheads, minnows, and more advanced
jerkbait.
It’s also changed how companies market their fishing
line and rods, with specialty products developed to make
it easier to fish this way. Traditional lure styles have also
suffered in some instances as more and more anglers fish
with techniques suited for forward-facing sonar.
THE JDM INFLUENCE
The Japanese fishing scene has always been something to watch for anglers in the know, as many techniques originated in “The Land of the Rising Sun” before becoming popular stateside. With social media, YouTube, and live coverage of Japanese anglers in American tournaments, those trends are coming even faster. As a result, some of
the hottest baits can sell out quickly once word gets out about how well they work with forward-facing sonar.
That was the case for a bait designed for mid-strolling, the Deps Sakamata. Tournament wins on professional trails like the Bassmaster Elite Series increased demand even more. Matt Paino, CEO of Optimum Baits, who distributes deps and other brands to American tackle stores, says the popularity of the Sakamata Shad exploded after big tournament wins.
“The bait came out in 2018, so it’s now new, and we had one big rush when Masayuki Matsushita won a Bassmaster Open in 2020 with the larger sizes,” said Paino. “But that was the bigger 7- and 8-inch versions on a Carolina and Texas-rig. The real change came when Kyoya Fujita won the Bassmaster Elite Series tournament on Lake Champlain with the bait by mid-strolling the smaller versions while using forward-facing sonar.”
That win showcased how much tournament fishing can impact lure sales. As a result, the baits have been nearly impossible to find since then. Initially, everyone wondered what bait he was using, and once word got out, sales exploded.
“I order a year in advance from deps due to their production schedule, and I had already ordered for the year when he won on Champlain,” he said. “He didn’t
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