I Knew You When 

One of the best parts of my job as an outdoor writer is that I meet quite a few people who eventually fish at the tour level. 

One of the worst parts of my job as an outdoor writer is that I meet at least ten times as many people who think they’re going to fish at the tour level, but realistically have no shot of ever getting there. 

That’s why I didn’t pay much attention back in November of 2020 when Kyle Patrick told me about his dreams. Another twenty-something who wants to be KVD, I thought. Let’s wait a bit and see how it all comes out in the wash. He’d joined us at Lake El Salto thanks to a mutual friend whose partner had to drop out at the last minute. I had a great afternoon fishing with him, but my lasting memory was of a ball of fast-twitch muscle that couldn’t stop moving, and couldn’t stop thinking and talking about fishing. If he was going to make it in the sport he’d have to slow down a bit, I presumed. 

As it turned out, he never let his foot off the gas. We’ve reconnected occasionally, and I’ve watched his results as he’s moved through the Bassmaster Opens. Every time I’ve expected him to encounter a roadblock, he’s bulldozed his way right through it, whether it be Toledo Bend or Wheeler or Watts Bar. Oddly enough, his one bomb this year was the one closest to his New York hometown, but other than that he’s been damn near impeccable. That culminated with a win last week at Lake of the Ozarks. 

And here’s what I’ll say about Kyle, nearly three years after I dismissed him with doubt: I was wrong. There are lots of anglers who are willing to suffer to make it to the top. There are lots of anglers who spend just about every waking moment improving their game. There are a handful of anglers who have the skill to make it. The overlapping area of that three-part Venn diagram is small, and he’s clearly inside of it. Obviously, moving to the next level is tough, as the playing field changes and the competition stiffens, but I’ve learned over time not to doubt him.