Is There an App for That?

Bass fishermen aren’t necessarily phobic of technology – after all, whether we’ll admit it or not, most of us covet four big depth-o-meters on our fiberglass sleds with more computing power than the Space Shuttle – but that doesn’t mean all tech applies to us.

Every year it seems, or perhaps more often, someone introduces a “game-changing” app, algorithm, or private-label information source that we’re told will break everything down “like nothing before” and enable us to catch exponentially more fish. Usually there is at least the name of one pro and one major endemic company attached to it, sometimes both. As far as I can recall, however, none of them have ever gained any real traction. I know a lot of anglers, and I don’t know anyone who has ever relied on one beyond the initial trial period.

We are increasingly wedded and glued to our mobile phones, and massive app store sales indicate that there’s a market for them in every facet of life. Of course, if you look through those same stores, you’ll realize that there are tons of duds. It takes not just the right technology, but the right application and the right audience to make it work. Someone may someday crack the code, but I don’t see anyone getting it done in the short term.