Talking a Good Game

I have had a fair amount of opportunity to work with Jacob Wheeler lately. In recent years that hasn’t necessarily been the case because he fishes/dominates BPT while most of my work is for BASS. I have to say that it’s been a great pleasure to work with him not only because there’s a lot to learn about how he achieves so much on the water, but also because he makes my job so straightforward – easy to get on the phone, just the right amount of words in his answers, solid explanations for everything he does, always with an offer to follow up if needed.

I’m sure in the 20-plus years that I’ve been working as a fishing writer I’ve interviewed no fewer than 300 professional and semi-professional anglers. Hell, for all I know the number could be closer to a thousand. I’d put Wheeler in the top ten, joining KVD, Mike Iaconelli and Brandon Palaniuk – two Hall of Famers and one who someday will join them in a blue jacket. All three were great from the jump and just got better with age and experience.

I don’t think it’s purely coincidental that four of the greatest anglers of my time (and likely all-time) also provide world class interviews. It’s a chicken and egg thing – are they great anglers because of the way they process information to be shared verbally, or are they great orators because they’ve had so much practice in front of a microphone or tape recorder recounting their tournament wins? It’s probably a little of both.

Over my career I’ve seen some good anglers who never became better able to use the media. I saw some very average anglers who were fantastic sources who likely did better financially. And I saw some very good pros who kept their careers going because of their media availability and resourcefulness. Look at Bernie Schultz, for example, a nine-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier who has maintained relevance over a 30-plus year career by being a reliable media stalwart.

Becoming a better speaker won’t make you into Bernie, or KVD, or Wheeler. It won’t teach you to ping a minnow. It won’t teach you to run big waves. But assuming that you can do all of those things, it’s what puts you into the next echelon of angler. You cannot fully control your own performance on the water, but you can control your media saturation and the quality of those appearances. I know I’m a dinosaur as a writer, but even if you don’t care about the written word, there’s stage time, trade shows and your YouTube channel. If you’re not well-spoken, you’re a dinosaur, too.

Learn to talk. Learn talk clearly and concisely. Learn your sponsors’ catalogs backwards and forwards. And once you think you’ve got it down, practice some more and seek constructive criticism from people who will give it to you straight. It’s almost as important as what you do with your rods and reels. When you’re not catching ‘em it’ll keep you relevant, and when you are catching ‘em it’ll help you maximize the value of that success.