Much has changed in the trend-setting world of professional bass fishing in a year. Both the Bassmasters and Major League Fishing have imposed restrictions on the use of live sonar on their circuits due to criticism from some competitors and sagging viewership numbers.
In a world where many tournament competitors are spending an average of $19,443 on electronics for their boats it’s unrealistic to underestimate the importance of technology to bass fishing. While both BASS and MLF have put some restrictor plate like regulations in place to level the playing field among the anglers competition remains fierce to utilize forward facing sonar in order to win tourneys.
2026 looks to be year where most manufacturers take a pause to gauge where live sonar is going. Trolling motor technology and shallow water anchor systems appear to also not have any major new product releases scheduled at this time. Here’s a preview of what you’ll find available if you are outfitting or refitting a boat this season.
Garmin
There’s no word on what this industry-leader in real time sonar has in store for 2026 so for now anglers will have to continue to rely on using the very popular and proven Live Scope and Panoptix technology. It’s not a question of if Garmin is going to introduce new forward facing sonar technology but when. With the head start they have enjoyed over Humminbird and Lowrance it will be interesting to see what Garmin has planned. The elimination of the black box requirement between the transducer and the depth finder is a probable upgrade since the other two have done that. There is some speculation there will be a fish tracker feature that permits the angler to keep the LiveScope beam pointed at a fish they spot.
Garmin also offers trolling motors – one is known as a Force Pro, another is known as the Force Kraken as well as a Force Current trolling motor for kayaks. The Force Pro is their scissor style trolling motor bass anglers use. It is a brushless trolling motor with 100-pounds of thrust (36V) or 80-pounds of thrust (24V). It features a built-in transducer for ClearVu and SideVu use.
Hummingbird
This Eufala, Alabama based marine electronics manufacturer many anglers choose will field three main lines for 2026 – the Xplore, Apex and Helix models.
The Xplore units come in nine, 10 and 12-inch screen options and are compatible with Humminbird’s MEGA Live 2 forward-facing sonar transducer and come with LakeMaster and CoastMaster charts. Users can sync 10,000 fish spots with custom colors and icons to a phone through a new waypoint management system. These units feature Humminbird’s best sonar, including MEGA Live 2 forward-facing sonar compatibilty. Xplore units connect to Minn Kota products and control them on command – from enabling Advanced GPS navigation to deploying shallow water anchors – with One Boat Network compatibility. Other standard features include a 1280H x 720V display controlled with touchscreen or the keypad, MEGA Side Imaging+ that offers crystal-clear Side Imaging viewing out to 200 feet on either side of your boat, 20% more detail and 60% more range capability than MEGA Side Imaging sonar., MEGA Down Imaging+ with coverage down to 200 feet below your boat and 20% more detail and 60% more depth capability than MEGA Down Imaging sonar, Dual Spectrum CHIRP Sonar that uses a proprietary, Low-Q CHIRP transducer, Dual Spectrum offers two ways to search; Wide Mode for maximum coverage and Narrow Mode for focusing on the slightest detail, internal GPS and enhanced Humminbird Basemap that provides a clear view of underwater terrain and surrounding points of interest including buoys, day markers, hazards, marinas, contours, depth markers and charts of more than 10,000 lakes, plus coastal coverage for the continental U.S., compatibility with optional charts from Humminbird’s LakeMaster® and CoastMaster™ products, as well as your choice of compatible Navionics® charts,iIncludes LakeMaster® and CoastMaster® VX Maps, built-in SmartStrike™ capability that highlights the best fishing spots based on real-time conditions—right from your map card, AutoChart Live, which permits users to create real-time maps of fishing spots, with access to patented Humminbird® LakeMaster® features like map depth contours, bottom hardness and vegetation as angler drive their boat. Comes standard with eight (8) hours of built-in recording time and is compatible with AutoChart Zero Line SD cards for virtually endless AutoChart Live mapping capacity. Many
Humminbird models seamlessly integrate and communicate with Minn Kota products using the One Boat Network to unlock more features and capabilities using an ethernet network. You can also take control right from the screen of your Humminbird with wireless communication to compatible Talon and Raptor shallow water anchors. Additional features include wireless software updates from the Humminbird One-Boat App. Connect an accessory NMEA 2000 network to your control head for even more information; from boat performance to weather and water conditions, make sense of it all with NMEA 2000 networking.
The Humminbird Apex line features units with 13, 16 and 19-inch screens that utilize an incredible 1920H x 1080V resolution display.
The APEX 13 MSI+ Chartplotter provides the clearest sonar imaging on the sharpest multi-functiorann display that anglers have ever seen. See it all with a 13.3” Full-HD touchscreen that provides a customized display of information from advanced network options like NMEA 2000®, HDMI In/Out, WiFi and Bluetooth®. Find your fishing spots faster with included LakeMaster® and CoastMaster® VX Maps. Navigate over 13,000 lakes, waterways, and coastal waters in the United States and Canada with confidence. Tools like 1-foot contours and depth and shallow water highlights help you traverse waters with certainty. Industry-leading MEGA Imaging+ and Dual Spectrum CHIRP sonar come standard, with even more performance from a dedicated sonar channel for accessory 2D CHIRP transducers up to 2kW. Add the power of the One-Boat Network™ to integrate the accuracy of Humminbird GPS charts, unrivaled boat control from Minn Kota®, and reach new depths with wireless Cannon® Optimum™ downrigger control.
Humminbird’s MEGA Live 2 technology permits you to see your lure and fish with real time sonar. Xplorer, Solix G3 and Apex units are compatible with MEGA Live 2. Users can easily switch between Forward, Down, or Landscape mode to track fish from any angle. The MEGA Live 2 transducer Mounts to Minn Kota Ultrex, Fortrex, Maxxum, and Edge trolling motors. It’s also compatible with most forward-facing sonar transducer poles, a transom (MEGA Live 2 Transom-Mount required), and the Humminbird TargetLock® (Ultrex only, MEGA Live 2 TargetLock Adapter required). There’s no need for a black box with MEGA Live either, just mount, connect, and start fishing quickly and easily.
Humminbird’s Helix line is being phased out but you can still purchase non-networking units like the Helix 5 Chirp GPS G3, Helix 5 Chirp DI, GPS 3 and the Helix 7 Chirp Mega DI GPS G4. While you may be able find some other networkable models, Humminbird only has Helix 12 and 15 Chirp, Mega SI+ GPS G4N units available.
Lowrance
You’ll find Eagle, Elite FS and HDS Pro Lowrance units available from marine dealers in 2026.
The Lowrance Eagle units have screens sizes ranging from four, five, seven and nine inches and offering a mix of CHIRP sonar, Down Scan Imaging, Side Scan Imaging and Eagle Eye live sonar scanning. New IPS screens for improved resolution, clarity and visibility, even with polarized sunglasses in direct sunlight.
The Lowrance Elite FS units come in seven, nine, 10 and 12-inch screen versions. They feature touch screens and ActiveTarget™ 2 Live Sonar, Active Imaging™, Active Imaging HD* and preloaded C-MAP® DISCOVER OnBoard charts. With ethernet networking you can share sonar, charts, waypoints and other user data between multiple displays. Support and control of NMEA2000® devices, build the complete Elite Fishing System for freshwater or saltwater.
Lowrance HDS Pro units feature the ultra high-definition Active Imaging™ HD sonar. Get the clearest images of fish and structure with Lowrance® CHIRP sonar. Harness FishReveal™ SideScan* and DownScan views to easily identify fish to the sides and beneath the boat. There are nine, 10, 12 and 16-inch screen versions available. The nine, 10 and 12-inch versions offer 1280 resolution while the 16 hits 1920 (full HD). The HDS Pro units feature the The SolarMAX™ HD touchscreen provides stunning images of fish, structure and chart details that are easy to see from any angle, in direct sunlight and through polarized lenses. They also are designed to offer anglers Active Target 2 Live Sonar – the highest resolution real time sonar currently on the market.
Lowrance offers two trolling motors – the Recon, an electric steer model and the GhostX a fly-by-wire model. The Recon comes with a wireless joystick remote and a wireless foot pedal, 24 or 34 volt configuration and up to 115-pound thrust with an HDI nosecone integrated sonar. The GhostX provides 120-pounds of thrust. Anglers can chose from an Active Imaging 3-in-1 nose cone or an HDI transducer.
Minn Kota
Part of the Johnson Outdoors company which also owns Humminbird, Minn Kota is a popular brand of trolling motors that includes the Terrova, Ultrex, Kayak Terrova, Ulterra and PowerDrive models. The Ultrex Quest is perhaps their most popular trolling motor and is found on many bass boats since it is made to work with Humminbird electronics and technology like Humminbird 360, Side Imaging and MEGA Live 2 real time sonar. Like most modern trolling motors the Quest lines are brushless and extremely quiet. The Ultrex Quest comes in a 36/24V 115/90 thrust model that includes a built-in sonar transducer with MEGA Down and Side Imaging and dual spectrum CHIRP for high resolution.This is a foot-controlled trolling motor that also comes with a micro remote fob.
The new bow mount Kayak Terrova features Minn Kota’s most advanced GPS trolling system, including Spot-Lock®, a control fob, 55-pounds of thrust, weight of 40-8 and a 36-inch shaft.
Minn Kota’s Ultera Quest 24/36 volt brushless model is still considered the top-of-the-line in auto stow and deploy trolling motors. It was completely re-imagined in 2024 to handle even tougher abuse. You can stow, deploy and trim Ulterra from the remote or the foot pedal, meaning you never have to touch your motor again. With a programmable foot pedal, re-engineered motor and mount, more advanced GPS functionality than ever and even an Eco Mode to extend battery life, all you have to do is choose whether you want integrated Humminbird Dual Spectrum CHIRP or MEGA Side Imaging built right into your motor.
Minn Kota also sells Talon and Raptor shallow water anchoring systems. The Talon system moves up and down only while the Raptors reach out with scissor like process. Both can be incorporated into the One-Boat Network and controlled via your depth finder or phone.
