The NASCAR star, who has spent the past year diving headfirst into bass fishing after purchasing a boat last winter, says the technology may be helping pros catch more fish — but at the expense of some of the sport’s traditional skill.This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners.If you sign up or place a wager, FOX News may be compensated.
This content was created by a team that works independently from the FOX newsroom."I think the guys on the pro tour, it’s a little too much," Hamlin told OutKick OutDoors."It’s a little too much."Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 Progressive Toyota, walks onstage during driver intros prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway on Nov.
2, 2025 in Avondale, Arizona.(James Gilbert/Getty Images)CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE FROM OUTKICK OUTDOORSHamlin pointed to what he sees as a disappearing part of the game: finding fish without relying so heavily on electronics."I think that there’s a lost art form of going out there, doing the homework, finding the spots," he said.
"It’s probably better for TV that these guys are catching monster bass and, you know, 100-pound bags, but I can see where it’s probably getting a little overboard."And he doesn’t expect the technology arms race to slow down anytime soon."The technology is going to just keep getting more," Hamlin said."Eventually it’s going to become even easier."That debate has become one of the hottest topics in professional bass fishing, with both of the sport’s major circuits already taking steps to limit the influence of forward-facing sonar.Watch Denny Hamlin's full interview with OutKick OutDoors here:For the 2026 Bassmaster Elite Series, B.A.S.S.
allows forward-facing sonar at no more than five of the nine regular-season events.The organization went so far as to use coin flips to determine which stops would permit the technology, creating a mix of traditional and electronics-heavy tournaments throughout the schedu...