Half way through the 3rd tournament of the year, all 10 rookies are inside the classic cut line. I would say the new Opens qualifying is working… now I understand even more why the veterans of the sport keep complaining. The rookies taking away 10 Classic spots is a huge swing. I’m very impressed with how prepared the all the rookies have been. Still a long season ahead, but what a start for these young guys!
There sure seems to be some really good young uns coming up for sure.
I’m surprised at the perennial classic qualifies are so far down in the rankings this year. BP, Feider, Canterbury, Crews, Cobb, cox, cook, Livesay etc
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Don't forget Robertson, he bombed again. Hackney isn't whacking them either. Swindle looks to have thrown in the towel. Still some tourneys to go, maybe some of those guys can turn it around.Originally Posted by ECobb91
Definitely some real talent with this young group of rookies. What impresses me is how much patience and experience this young group show. High school and college programs have definitely made a difference.
A few years ago, I was fishing a KY Lake ledge spot when Scott Canterbury came up in a flo green Straight Talk boat and stopped within hailing distance. He graciously asked me if I minded giving up the spot to him. I had a lot of places to fish that day so I welcomed him in and moved off to watch him fish. He started catching 3-4 pounders when I was catching 2 pounders. That was a good lesson in ledge fishing. I say this because I think his style of fishing would definitely benefit from FFS technology. I wonder if he is using it?
Last edited by csurp; 04-14-2024 at 08:05 AM.
Times have changed for sure. Back in time, most pro fisherman worked jobs, and many have families, mortgages etc. Now you have basically kids, that have $100k boats, $80k trucks and can afford to do nothing but fish and live on the road, which also doesn't come cheap. Having endless financial support definitely can help in many ways. Not having to win in order to feed a family or lose a house, relieves much of the pressure when focusing on honing your skills. The same can be said for all modern athletes. I doubt many NFL, MLB etc players have a necessary job in the off season.
The new open format is definitely working. You get through that 9 tournament gauntlet, and qualify, you’ve earned your stripes and are ready. I like it. These new guys are tough.
I don’t think the thought of missing the classic is what’s making some cry, it’s the retirement they will endure next year.
100%. I was watching a podcast where a pro had just heard Tyler Williams spent 30+ days pre fishing the classic and he looked like he got gut punched. The amount of pre practice those guys do is insane.
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Said he had over 900 waypoints from practice too. Thats insane
Championship Monday has 4 rookies in the top 6 going into the final day. It doesn't really matter where McKinney finishes on the last day he will still be leading AOY with 3 of 9 event complete. I thought last yeas rookie class was good but this years class is a little more deep and just as good, if not better.
I agree that not having families or other responsibilities gives the younger anglers a leg up, but I strongly disagree with "having endless financial support definitely can help in many ways". Please listen to some interviews or do some research on many of the younger guys on the Elites. They don't have endless financial support; far from it in most cases.
I think some of those kids and their parents thought that making the Classic and/or making the Elites would bring sponsors throwing money at them. That is not likely to happen.
It will be interesting when they swing north to 1000 islands and champlain. That is the backyard of a few of the rookies this year.
I mean, yes and no. Never once have I heard one of those younger guys explain how at 19-21 they can have a full fledged boat / truck and unlimited time plus the money to pre fish. You aren’t mowing lawns in your spare to earn that much money. Kyle Patrick is the closest I’ve heard to explaining his situation, he basically made some good cash doing medical sales and had a mentor financially helping him out. Milliken of course has his own empire going. But I do not see how it is possible without parent support for many of them, with the exception of some how have got a pretty good guiding gig going.
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