From A-A-Ron to A+-A+-Ron
Posted by Pete Robbins on Aug 9th 2021
I was already the world’s biggest fan of Aaron Martens—after all, the dude effectively started my career in outdoor writing back in 2004, and still abides my questions to this day—but after watching what he’s gone through, and what he continues to do, my fanboyishness has grown.
I won’t recount his health problems, which are to say the least substantial, but watching him compete in this week’s BPT event on Lake Champlain in New York is incredible. His will to fish has always been strong, and he’s been a remarkable innovator, but anyone who thought that he was less than a bloodthirsty, cut-your-throat competitor needs to retract that opinion. He’s in more pain than most of us will ever know, and he’s still going at it….with a smile.
And kudos to the Major League Fishing crew for helping him do it. I don’t know if allowing someone else to operate the boat for him makes it a level playing field in the strictest sense of the word, but I don’t care. For Aaron, a bit of bending makes sense and seems logical. He’s the one person in our world about whom I’ve never heard anyone else say a cross word, and that should be worth something.
First and foremost, I hope he recovers and lives a long and healthy life, but in the meantime, I hope he dropshots the hell out of some big brown fish. I look forward to the next rambling call, they’ve been some of the highlights of my career.
