Pete Robbins from "Pete Weighs In" on the Inside Line questions just how safe the new Lowrance Radar units really are in his post "Do Not Try This At Home". Blogger Chris McDonald also posted his thoughts on this topic earlier today in a post called "Was the Classic Unsafe?". Both made great points about safety in fishing tournaments. I had thought this same thing when I saw just how bad the conditions were during the Classic. As Pete says "Is technology outstripping common sense?" I have to agree with this one. Call me what you want, but I hate driving or riding in a boat in foggy conditions.
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I remember a tournament last year on Lake Seminole. Day 1 was very foggy and we were driving through the Flint River; weaving back and forth along the channel bends. It was very foggy and out of nowhere a boat light appeared right in front of us. It freaked both of us out and we decided to pull over and fish the river until the fog lifted. Sure it meant we would arrive at the prime spots later, but we were safe. I feel like most of the field was more worried about getting there versus getting there safely. What is it going to take to make people be more careful?
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Sure the technology is cool and I'm sure it's worth every
penny of the $1,600 it sells for, but is it going to get you in more trouble
than just waiting it out? Like Chris
said in his post, what about those floating logs and small boats that move in
the way? The photo above shows Brent Chapman
showing how it's used (also it looks like he needed some help to remember what
time he had to come back to weigh-in or needed some extra inspiration).
Photo Bassmaster.com
This photo shows Ike cruising at top speed after the fog has
lifted, but is going that fast in fog really safe? I'm not sold on the idea of having this
technology on your boat. If the
conditions are that bad, it's worth waiting until it is safe. What do you think about Radar? Should it be banned?
6 comments:
I think there is no need to ban radar. Tournament organizers just need to make safe decisions for the field. It appears to me that B.A.S.S. didn't during the Classic.
Total agreement here. I haven't fished in a tournament, so maybe my opinion would differ with $$ on the line, but I do know that a tight line isn't worth my life. My "home water" is full of enough twists, turns, and blind spots as it is, adding fog into the equation was a recipe for some fishing off the dock for me.
I think in a situation like what we saw at the Classic, it'd be better to have a backup plan that would allow you to fish in a closer area without having to endanger your own life, but other lives as well.
Great post T. Glad to see your thoughts on this subject. A friend of mine Anthony in VA totaled his boat thi weekend when he hit a log....No fog at the time. I wonder would it have been worse in the fog?
Tricky situation.
Safety comes first, but I've never had Radar, so maybe my decision would sway if I knew the other side of the fence?
Thanks for your opinions guys.
One thing I find is that out here in arizona we fish at night. Even night tourneys. Problem is our lakes go up and down due to water needs of the city. When this happens islands appear that can be deadly. I dont think they are 100 percent to show all these hazards. Pretty dangerous. IMO
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