There have been leaps and bounds in bass fishing technology over the last decade, but this is the first one we've heard involving augmented reality. Ed Loughran, a 53-year-old Bassmaster Elite Series pro, may (self-admittedly) not be a technology guy, but he made an astounding discovery recently when he figured out how to link augmented reality glasses with his Garmin LiveScope.
Garmin Livescope is a real-time scanning, forward-facing sonar technology that is accurate enough to show your lure when you reel it in and even offers enough detail to pick out different species of fish. It is a godsend for fishing pros. The only problem is you have to be looking at the screen to receive any of the information, which can be hard to do while driving your boat. For a pro like Loughran, all those hours looking at a screen can add up to a very sore neck and back, and less time scanning the water.
But not anymore. Loughran has now linked augmented reality glasses to his Livescope, meaning that he doesn't have to look at the screen to see where the fish are. They show up right in front of his eyes, literally. For an older fisherman by pro standards, this advancement is game-changing for Loughran.
Loughran figured out the trick over the offseason, despite a friend who is deeply immersed in the tech world telling him it couldn't be done. With a series of wires and a set of glasses he bought from a Chinese factory on Amazon, he somehow managed to make it work.
Loughran is, understandably, keeping how exactly he made it work a secret. But suffice it to say, they do, though he didn't use them during the season-opening Elite Series tournament at Toledo Bend Reservoir. Loughran came in 92nd that day with a total weight of 23 pounds, 1 ounce. Kyoya Fujita won the tournament with a total weight of 100 pounds, 13 ounces.
The season is young yet, though, and we may get to see Loughran's augmented reality glasses at a future tournament. Keep an eye out.
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