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BassMaster
Young Breed of Pros
Invade National Scene
Inside BASS - week 3-10-03
by BASS Communications/ BASS
(Mar. 11, 2003 - Montgomery, AL)... You see them at every
CITGO Bassmaster tournament, the young, flat-bellied troops of
eager, aggressive pros invading a sport that was once dominated
by the most seasoned of anglers.
They arrive talented and well
schooled by the pros that came before them. Kids like 20-year-old
Casey Iwai confidently push their way into CITGO Bassmaster Tour
presented by Busch Beer finals with amazing regularity these
days.
Gary Klein is not surprised.
One of the sport's most accomplished
at age 45, the 20-time CITGO Bassmaster Classic qualifier has
had a unique position from which to watch the ascension of this
class of young pros.
"It doesn't surprise me
that these young guys are doing so well at this level,"
Klein said. "The reason I can say something about that is
because I have been raised in the fishing industry. Having never
had another occupation, I too, was a young student of bass fishing,
and know what it took for me to gain knowledge.
"The information highway
was very limited when I started fishing BASS in 1979. There was
no Internet, no BASS Times, no bass-fishing seminars. Whereas
today the information highway is so well connected that literally
someone has just one good day in a tournament and the whole world
knows about it. Back when I started fishing, you could win the
event and it would take six months for everybody to know about
it.
"My learning curve was
a very long, uphill struggle. The learning curve for these young
guys now, it's real quick."
A major part of that educational
process has been the CITGO Bassmaster University national seminar
circuit that has schooled several generations of bass enthusiasts.
"I've done a lot of the
Bassmaster Universities, which is another avenue where if an
angler really wants to apply himself, he can literally learn
from the greatest anglers out there - the Larry Nixons, the Rick
Clunns, the Denny Brauers - because they are instructors in those
seminars," Klein explained. "If someone is committed
to learning this sport for all of the right reasons, if they
truly are fishing from the heart and for the love of the sport,
they can definitely learn a lot real quick."
Still, Klein emphasizes that
there is no substitute for time spent on the water.
"However, the only thing
that we can't give the young guys is experience," he said.
"That's something that they are going to have to acquire
themselves.
"What I mean by experience
is what you hear a lot about when you hear Rick Clunn talk about
being in a zone or gut feelings. Being not able to explain why
I went over to that log and pitched a jig, and caught that fish
when it was totally off-pattern. Those are all things that just
become very instinctive occurrences in your fishing. And that's
because we're just well conditioned in the environment of the
fish.
"We're also drawing from
many, many years of past experiences. So we have a lot to relate
to, and that's one thing that the young guys do not have."
WILKS' BIRTHDAY PRESENT. Dustin Wilks turns 26 on March 29th, and he is
giving himself an early present. The North Carolina pro, who
qualified for his first Classic appearance as a college senior,
is getting married to Mary Thurman on March 15th.
The couple plans to honeymoon
in California during the Tour's West Coast swing. Wilks quipped
he is the only guy I know that has to qualify to go on his honeymoon."
DID YOU KNOW? Not only is Gary Yamamoto a top Bassmaster pro
and owner of one of the country's most successful lure companies.
He is also a Texas cattle rancher and one of the world's top
producers of a delectable Wagyu Japanese beef. It is said to
be the ultimate in marbling, flavor, tenderness, and juiciness.
PRO BIRTHDAYS. Legendary pro Roland Martin might be 63 on March
13th, but he certainly hasn't slowed down any. Todd Auten of
South Carolina turns 37 the next day. Florida's Chuck Economou
will celebrate his 47th birthday on March 28th, while Curt Lytle
(34) of Virginia and Texan Darren Wolf share the same birthday
(March 28th.)
IF I HADN'T BECOME A BASS
PRO... Florida pro and past Classic
qualifier Charlie Youngers would be able to devote his full attention
to his residential construction company Younger-Built, Inc.,
He is also a licensed realtor.
THEY SAID IT. "There's a lot of pressure because everybody
wants to succeed at what they love to do. Probably the hardest
part of tournament fishing is just realizing that it's just fishing
and coming out from under that pressure, and just going fishing."
Arkansas' Larry Nixon, a two-time Busch BASS Angler of the Year
and 1983 CITGO Bassmaster Classic champion, on the pressure involved
in his sport.
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