Forward-facing sonar has changed bass fishing more than any other technology in the past decade. Systems like Garmin LiveScope, Lowrance ActiveTarget, and Humminbird MEGA Live let you see fish in real time — their position, their depth, their direction of movement — and then watch your lure as it approaches them.
When you pair forward-facing sonar with the right jig head, the result is one of the most precise and deadly presentations in freshwater fishing. Here's how to use it effectively.
What Forward-Facing Sonar Actually Shows You
Traditional 2D sonar shows you what's below the boat. Forward-facing sonar shows you what's in front of it — typically in a 20 to 80-foot cone ahead of and below the transducer. You can see individual fish, structure, and your lure in the same image simultaneously.
This changes the game because you stop guessing. You can see whether a fish is holding tight to cover or suspending, whether it's actively feeding or neutral, and whether it follows your bait or ignores it.
Why Jig Heads Are the Primary Weapon
The combination that's dominated tournament bass fishing in the forward-facing sonar era is the light jig head (typically 1/8 to 3/8 oz) with a paddle tail swimbait or suspending-style soft plastic. The reasons are straightforward:
- You can control sink rate precisely, dropping the bait to the exact depth where the fish is holding
- The natural action draws a reaction even from fish that aren't actively feeding
- The hook position on a jig head means you can see the bait on your screen and track whether the hook has entered the fish on the strike
How to Fish It
Cast past the fish you're marking. Use a semi-slack line to control your sink rate as the bait falls through the water column toward the target depth. When the bait reaches the fish's level, a subtle twitch or slow, steady retrieve usually triggers the bite.
Watch your sonar screen for the fish to move toward the bait — that "reaction" movement is the signal to slow down or pause the presentation. Most bites happen on the pause.
Jig Head Selection for Forward-Facing Sonar
Lighter is usually better, but not always. Match weight to depth and conditions:
- 1/8 oz for fish holding 8 to 15 feet in calm conditions
- 1/4 oz for fish at 15 to 25 feet or in current
- 3/8 oz when fish are deep or you need to get there fast before they move off
Ebb N Flow Outdoors swimbait and multipurpose jig heads are a natural fit for forward-facing sonar applications. The balanced head design keeps the bait swimming naturally at low speeds — which matters more when the fish can actually see what you're offering them.
🎣 Shop the Gear
The jig heads for forward-facing sonar from Ebb N Flow Outdoors:
- ➤ The Upgrade – Multi-Purpose Jig Head — 1/8 to 3/8 oz for FFS. Balanced head keeps swimbaits and paddle tails swimming naturally even at slow speeds.
- ➤ Upgrade A.T.V Weedless Hover — The hover head for FFS. Level fall that suspends in the water column where the fish can see it coming.
- ➤ The Full Arsenal Kit — All three head styles for every FFS presentation.
Built for the forward-facing sonar era. USA Mustad hooks.