Nebraskaland

December 2024 • Nebraskaland 75 own forward-facing sonar study, putting its own spin on what Kansas did. Each of the fi ve districts now has a FFS unit, and biologists are learning how to use them. Starting next spring, they will meet at 225-acre Flanagan Lake in Omaha. Like Kansas' study, they will spend a half day fi shing one side of the lake with FFS and a half day fi shing the other side without. The exercise will be repeated in the summer, fall and on the ice, giving them a look at how catch rates could diff er throughout the year. "A lot of studies have been done on 2,000-acre reservoirs or bigger," Blank said. "FFS likely will not have as big of an eff ect on a larger body of water as it does on a 100-acre reservoir in the middle of Omaha where you've got a big population, heavy pressure and it's easier to break down water and fi nd fi sh. What we want to see is in smaller bodies of water what eff ects will live sonar have?" Technology has come a long way since the sonar fl asher was introduced in 1957 and began replacing a weight on a rope as the depth fi nder of choice. That fl asher allowed anglers to not only know the depth, but also "see" fi sh beneath them. More recently, high-resolution down-scan, side-scan and 360-degree sonar have painted an even clearer picture of what lies beneath the surface. Similarly, GPS technology has led to better lake contour maps and helped anglers easily revisit a stump, creek channel or rock pile that seems to always hold fi sh. Each of these advancements have made it easier for anglers to fi nd fi sh, but they haven't always helped them catch more fi sh. An old adage in fi sheries management says that 10 percent of anglers catch 90 percent of the fi sh, due in part to time spent on the water learning when, where and how to catch them. Some adopted the technology, and some continue to catch plenty of fi sh without live sonar. While the 90 percent might catch the most fi sh, it doesn't mean they harvest the most fi sh, said Tony Barada, assistant fi sheries administrator at Game and Parks. "Forward-facing sonar might just catch somebody a limit faster. It doesn't mean they can keep more fi sh by any means," Barada said, noting bag and possession limits still apply. The technology is a regular topic in monthly Zoom meetings among the heads of fi sheries managers nationwide. Some states have discussed outright bans of the technology. "When it's reaching that level of decision makers, it is a pretty hot topic," Barada said, "because we, as agencies, are hearing it from both sides." Barada doesn't see a ban coming due to the simple fact that it would be hard to tell anglers who invested in the technology they can't use it. But he could see more regulations coming, be it in bag or length limits. Just this year, Mississippi reduced bag limits on fi ve of its prime crappie waters in response to increased use of live sonar, which jumped from 20 percent of anglers in 2021 to 70 percent in 2023. Game and Parks creel surveys began measuring FFS use in 2023. With only four lakes surveyed, use has ranged from 9 percent of boat anglers at Cunningham Lake to 21 percent at Sherman Reservoir. As those numbers increase, fi sheries managers will be keeping a close eye on the resource. "It's a technological advancement that we can manage and overcome through regulations if we view it as having a large impact," Barada said. Aaron Blank of Ceresco reels in a small crappie he located using forward-facing sonar on Wildwood Lake. PHOTOS BY ERIC FOWLER, NEBRASKALAND

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