Professional fishing educator Nicole Stone and her daughter have become nationally known for sharing rod-in-hand YouTube episodes on how to fish better. Photo by Forrest Fisher

Several years ago, at an outdoor communicator conference in Lake of the Woods, Minnesota, my better half and I met two lady anglers with uncanny fishing sense. We met Angie Scott at an educational seminar and Nicole Stone at the event’s meet-and-greet function. I wore my jacket with a “Fish Advisory Board Member” logo, kicking off our discussions about fishing details.

Angie Scott was just embarking on her professional lady angler fishing career, ready to fish tournaments around the country, and Nicole Stone was launching a fishing guide enterprise in the Midwest North Country. Stone’s passion for rod-in-hand fishing for walleye and crappie was palpable, while Scott’s determination to excel in bass fishing contests was inspiring. Both women were committed to sharing their fishing knowledge with others, making it their lifetime career.

Since then, Nicole Stone and her husband Matt have just had a baby girl, and Nicole has ramped up her business of sharing fishing tactics with her family inside that circle of their fishing gear business, online seminars and YouTube videos. Learn about Stone’s highly educational, easy-to-learn fishing advice for anglers one and all at “Nicole Stone Outdoors” (https://www.nicolestoneoutdoors.com/) on the web and Facebook. Stone is a scientist; her education and experience precede her love and passion for fishing. Accuracy is her mission when sharing how-to-fish skills — pretty cool stuff.

Angie Scott is a United States Coast Guard master captain who has moved all around the country, participated in many competitive and non-competitive fishing events and focused her career on finding a way to sustain a living by fishing outdoors and promoting the concept of women in the outdoors. Scott has become famous for her “The Woman Angler & Adventurer” podcast, which has the theme “Inspiring, Empowering and Connecting Women” to the outdoors. Learn about Scott at https://www.thewomanangler.com/ and by searching Spotify.

Stone and Angie Scott have put together a podcast episode with moderator John King of “Fish Nerd Nation” on Scott’s “The Woman Angler & Adventurer” that explores the accuracy and controversy of forward-facing sonar.

They share the impact of the new sonar gear with advice on fish populations and the ethical use of technology. The devices allow anglers to be very effective. On the podcast (Episode 332), their engaging conversations consider the impact of sonar on fish behavior and the science behind fish perception and sonar frequencies. The topic is thought-provoking and is something that I have always considered to be a factor that affects fish and fishing, actually alarming the fish and providing a spook factor. This is especially true when multiple anglers with sonar units are in the same area. The multiplexing of similar but not identical sonar frequencies from the heterodyne effect creates a low-frequency alarm signal effect that can be audible to scuba divers in the same area. Does it affect the fish? You know when they stop biting or leave the area immediately. This heterodyning effect is primarily caused by old-fashioned down-scan sonar. Forward Facing Sonar is similar but different.

The Hummingbird Livescope and Garmin Forward-Facing Sonar represent a new and different era in fishing, with their apparent higher power providing anglers with a live image, not a delayed one like down-scan. This technology allows anglers to see fish in motion, identify the largest fish, locate more fish, and ultimately zero in on the school of fish. It’s a game-changer, helping more people catch more fish. Stone appreciates the new sonar, but she also raises an important point that fish and wildlife management may need to become more involved with regard to certain species of fish. As we embrace this new gear, it’s crucial to consider the potential ethical implications and ensure that our fishing practices remain sustainable and respectful.

Gotta love the outdoors.

CALENDAR

July 11: WNY Walleye monthly meeting, 6:30 p.m., at Knights of Columbus, 36 Pierce Ave., Hamburg.

July 19-20: Sunset Bay Walleye Shootout, $500 entry, $500K prizes, six-fish per bag/per day, Info: Captain Don Ruppert, www.walleyeshootout.com.

July 27-28: Bart’s Cove Walleye Dual-2, Integrity Walleye Series (IWT-2), Dunkirk Harbor, three-fish per bag/per day, two days, Info: Mark Mohr, 716-998-9871.

Aug. 2-4: 20th annual Northern Chautauqua Conservation Club Walleye Tourney, $300 entry, Dunkirk Harbor, NCCC club weigh in each day, three-fish per bag/per day, three days of fishing. Info and registration, contact Zen Olow, 716-640-2776.