Fishing today seems to be a complete transformation from the fishing of yesteryear: Today, a lot of anglers would not easily take to fishing, just depending on guesswork and luck. With forward-facing sonar, we can see things happening below the water line in real-time. But even if you see them, you still need to know how to present your bait properly to catch them. In order to catch the fish you see in real time you need match the fall rate of the jighead with what the fish species are responding to.  The fall rate is very crucial for making a catch. 

What is Forward-Facing Sonar? 

Forward-facing sonar is a kind of fish-finder technology that shows what is going on in the water in front or below of your boat. Traditional sonar will give you a 2D image of what's happening directly under the boat and potentially side imaging, but FFS shows live pictures at distances ahead-below-all around in real time as you rotate the FFS transducer. This means that you can see the behavior of fish swimming, the lure falling, and how fish react to it.

What Makes FFS a Game Changer?

Live View: Watch fish movement and behavior live.

Tracking Lures: You can observe your jig or bait descend in the water column.

Monitoring Reactions: If a fish swims away or follows-eats your lure, you'll know right away.

Higher Accuracy: Improved casting and presentation.

To use it effectively, one should know fast one's lure one is dropping. This is where fall-rate comes into play, and jig-head weight.

What is Fall Rate?

Well, fall rate is nothing but the time required for a lure to travel a certain distance through water. This rate can be affected by a few parameters: 

• The weight of jigheads

• Lure shapes and sizes.

• Thickness of line

• Times and depths of water, and currents

• Type of lure being used heavy or floating.

Depending on the mode of fall, the fish reacts differently. Some fish prefer a fast, aggressive drop, while others react better to a slow, natural fall.

Weight of Jighead and Why It Matters?

The jighead is the weighted component of your jig. It determines how quickly your lure descends. Picking the right weight is because on considering the situation to be as follows: 

Light jighead = slower fall

Heavy jighead = faster fall

Your jig may rush through fish, and they do not bite when your jig fast drops. And sometimes fish lose interest if it doesn't fall that fast. Also, experience differs when you relate the weight of jigs and what you see on forward sonar allowing you to more closely fine tune what the fish want for that particular time of day. 

How does FFS Sonar Help with Jighead Selection?

Assuming you see a fish 15 feet away  using your FFS. You cast your lure and watch it fall. If the fish swims away, maybe your fall rate was too fast or too slow. If the fish follows but doesn’t bite, you can adjust again.

Gradually, you understand how fish react to different fall rates and adjust the jighead's weight accordingly.

Matching Jighead Weight to Fall Rate

Depends on a wide variety of variables such as time of the year, type of water, depth and food source. 

Real Life Example: Crappie Fishing

Just as many anglers have tried using FFS for crappie fishing, the following are some adjustments:

• Spot a crappie at 15 feet on the sonar.

• Cast a jig with a 1/16 oz head. It falls slowly.

• Watch the fish follow but not bite.

• Change to a 1/8 oz jig for faster fall.

• Fish hits hard on the second try.

That fast change from jigging weight made a massive difference.

Line Type: Do Not Forget This

The line you are fishing also alters the fall rate; thicker lines slow the lure, but with thinner ones, it falls much faster. So, when you use the forward-facing sonar, understand what braid, mono, and floro do as they sink, as well as their diameter.

Conclusion

Such sophisticated technology as forward-facing sonar will not help much Because it doesn’t force fish to bite, it needs to be accompanied by an intelligent fishing technique. One such good technique would be to match the weight of your jighead and your fishing lure so that you obtain the appropriate fall rate.

By carefully monitoring the response of the fish on your sonar and adjusting your jighead weight accordingly, you can improve your chances of hooking more fish. It's simply more than spotting a fish; making adjustments create more likelihood of making catches in realtime based on fish behavior and your lure fall rate. So, the next time you go out on the water, watch your sonar, pick the right jighead, and let your fall rate do the magic.

FAQS

1. What is the best jighead weight for forward-facing sonar fishing?

It's not a one-size-fits-all solution. In shallow water, use 1/16 or 1/8 oz for starters. For deeper water or faster fall, use ¼-½ oz. Watch fish reactions and make adjustments as necessary.  Over open deep water basins Jighead size can vary significantly depending on the depth the fish are at, the water temps, and the activity they are exhibiting. 

2. How does line diameter affect fall rate?

The thicker or heavier line creates more drag and decreases the fall rate. The thinner the line used, the faster one's lure will fall and show up on sonar.

3. Can I use FFS with any lure?

Yes, but jigs and soft plastics are by far the easiest to follow. 

4. How do I know if my jig is falling too fast?

Watch fish reacting on your sonar. If they tend to move away from it or ignore it, use a lighter jighead for a slower fall. If they are being aggressive but missing, they might want a faster drop. When in doubt try various speeds out.