When Angler Battles Occur on the Water

Twos a Crowd | Angler Battles on the Water by Pete Robbins

®

Fall 2018

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AIR IT OUT IN REAL-TIME

The best thing that

the pro circuits can do

is to avoid sweeping

these confrontations

under the rug. With

GoPros, cameras and

marshals documenting

everything, we can let

these issues play out in

Credit: FLW

real time (with perhaps a slight delay to bleep the occasional four-

Jason Lambert with his Kentucky Lake trophy.

letter word).

Sure, it’s possible

to edit a squabble for television in

a manner that unfairly portrays one angler as the hero and they learn from it. In fact, learning to deal

another as the heel; but more often than not, true colors are with angler pressure – both on the fish and on you – is a

evident to all but the most biased observers.

big part of what separates the good pros from the great

While we should discourage needless arguments and

ones.

encourage the Golden Rule, I’m not going to go so far as to

No angler competes in a vacuum – just as football

say that these run-ins are bad for the sport.

players make goal line stands and LeBron never gets a free

path in the paint, if you want to be a success casting for

SEPARATING THE GREATS

cash, angler management is just as important as pitching, flipping and driving in big waves. The playing field is going

Almost every young angler has a story of being

to continue to shrink and those who don’t adjust will be left

punked by someone more experienced – if they’re smart, behind. •