The Soundtrack of Young Guns

There’s been a lot of debate – on camera, on stage, backstage, and on the message boards – about what the rise of this year’s Elite Series rookie class means for the sport. Ultimately, the rules, such as they exist now, are the ultimate arbiter and the scale tells the story for the time being.

Putting aside any disagreements or controversy about technology for the moment, here’s what I’ll say about the latest bunch of youngsters: They’re getting stuff done off the water.

For years, it has been a common complaint, bordering on a joke, among my fellow fishing writers about pros who don’t return phone calls. I’ve sent texts and left voicemails expressly explaining what I need for their sponsors, and still don’t get the courtesy of a reply. At the beginning of each year I get a list from my editors of pros I’m supposed to call and I kind of laugh, knowing that I’ll have to skip over certain ones because they’re simply non-responsive.

Alternatively, there are some you can eventually get on the phone who give monosyllabic answers or act annoyed. I don’t mean to paint all veterans with this broad brush. Indeed, some are consummate professionals, but I think that the average fan would be surprised at how many are not. They’d also be surprised at some of the big names who are difficult or apathetic. Again, I’m not here to roast those guys, but I am here to tell them that whether or not FFS is banned, these young kids are coming for their jobs. 

So far I’ve had reason to call seven of the ten rookies. All of them either answered the first time or responded quickly to a text. All of them seemed genuinely grateful for the opportunity and worked to give thoughtful answers. A couple called me back with ideas for additional pieces, something that I always offer but which few veterans capitalize on. If indeed the tackle industry is constricting, as some have argued, and deals are going to dry up, these kids won’t be last-in, first-out. Instead, I think that their short-term bodies of work will speak for itself. If I were a veteran on tour, particularly one who is not catching them now, I’d keep my phone charged and my ringer on max.