No Time to Wait

Bass fans and pundits are starting to talk about Jacob Wheeler’s Hall of Fame candidacy and even whether he belongs on “Mt. Bassmore,” and I still think of him as a young gun on the way up. Same with Brandon Palaniuk, another “young veteran” who has seemingly outgrown his “Prodigy” nickname.

I thought of how quickly the sport moves last week while talking to back-to-back Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit AOY Banks Shaw, who just a few moments before had turned all of 23. He mentioned that he started his full-time pro career a year or so earlier than he’d originally planned “because I could see what was coming up behind me.”

He meant, of course, not only the Nutt brothers, but also the legions of pros who are closer to the womb than to middle age. He went to college with a handful of them, competed against others, and knew that others were honing their craft elsewhere – some quietly, some on circuits chock-full of grown men.

If you have a chance to get ahead, it pays to take it.

We’ve learned that lesson from “old” pros like Patrick Walters (turns 32 at the end of this month). He may be the best at arbitraging his skills. He won an Elite at Fork handily with forward-facing sonar before the technology was widespread. He dominated the NPFL before the field filled up with other top pros. That’s not to say that he couldn’t or wouldn’t have won without those advantages, but every little percentage helps. He found those “moneyball” style gaps and exploited them.

I don’t think that Banks Shaw, the Nutt Brothers, Drew Gill or any of these dominant young guns will become yesterday’s news overnight. They’re too good, too dedicated and have shown an ability to close the deal. I do think, however, that every year the overall talent level ratchets up. Rather than looking back to see who’s behind them, it might behoove them to keep the gas on the pedal and keep on entering as many derbies as they can while their advantages exist.