NPFL bans forward-facing sonar in tournament fishing

Forward facing sonar – a phenomenon that has dominated the professional bass fishing scene in the US in recent years – has been banned by the country’s National Professional Fishing League (NPFL).

It will veto the use of real-time imaging units from the beginning of the 2025 season. The NPFL has clarified that other forms of sonar – including 2D, side imaging and  360 – will be allowed, adding that the use of future technology will be evaluated on a case by case basis.

It confirmed that the 2025 NPFL Championship will be fished using 2024 rules. “It is only fair that the anglers who qualified for the Championship be allowed to compete under the same rules in which they qualified.”

In a press release, the NPFL said: “Our concern is whether it is a proper tool for competitive bass fishing. Every sport has equipment rules to protect the players and integrity of the game. Tournament bass fishing is no different in it needs to protect the integrity and appeal of the game.

“At the NPFL we do not want competitive bass fishing to become a technology arms race where anglers stare at a screen, targeting pixels and losing their connection with the fish we love so much.

“Forward-facing sonar is changing the ways that anglers approach competition and the way fans consume content. It’s also reducing the methods and baits that anglers use to compete.

“Our sport is too important and too diverse to allow technology to shrink it to a handful of methods and tackle. Robust competition requires variety, experience and broad skills.  It must be more than an expensive video game.”