Only 23 years old, Nutt claims Bassmaster Classic victory

It was another exciting Bassmaster Classic.

Dylan Nutt, 23, took the lead on Saturday and cruised to victory after the third day. That wasn’t a misprint, by the way. Nutt is only 23 years old.

Nutt is so youthful looking that it makes me sad. He is just a kid, and he pocketed $300,000 last weekend. The world is passing me by, oh so quickly.

Nutt qualified for a berth in the Classic due to his victory in the B.A.S.S. Nation Series. This is a circuit for younger, amateur anglers who aren’t ready to make the big jump up to the Bassmaster ranks.

Six nation qualifiers are eligible to fish the Classic. Bryan Kerchal was the only other Nation angler to win the Classic. Kerchal, unfortunately, passed away five months after his Classic win, at the age of 23.

Nutt, from Memphis, fished in water as low as a foot-and-a-half deep to only eight-feet deep. His presentation of choice was a soft-plastic minnow-imitating bait. Very simple.

Incredibly, the second place finisher was from Illinois. The Land of Lincoln isn’t known for producing championship bass fishing enthusiasts, but Trevor McKinney is as good as it gets.

McKinney is the youngest angler to ever qualify for the Bassmaster Elite Series, the top rung of the legendary tournament organization. He was the youngest angler to win Rookie of the Year. McKinney also is the youngest to win an Elite national tournament. In fact, he has won two of them. Of the 33 tournaments he has competed in, he has finished in the top 10 15 times. I’m sure he will be holding the Bassmaster Classic trophy one day.

The amazing thing to me is how many of the contenders are so young. Looking at a slideshow of them makes me think I am looking through the pages of my high school yearbook. Why is this happening?

If you follow the discussions on social media, you will find an army of people complaining forward facing sonar is ruining the world of fishing. This sophisticated technology seems to be best mastered by young people. Kids grow up with their faces on screens all day, correct? Does it make sense that kids would be able to use forward facing sonar better than the old folks?

Hold on a second. Do you all think mature adults wouldn’t be able to master this fish-finding technology? There are many people I know who have mastered the ability of using computers and electronics well into their adult years. I take offense at those who think tournament fishing is owned by young adults these days.

I realize those of us hitting their golden years aren’t as computer savvy anymore. Our hands don’t work the buttons and our eyes don’t see the screens as well.

I once spent a day on the water with fishing legend and former Bassmaster Classic winner Denny Brauer. I asked him about using drop shots and wacky rigs, which were becoming all the rage. Denny, 70, told me he wasn’t into using the new stuff. He said his tried-and-true methods were just fine for him. I guarantee you Denny Brauer has never used forward facing sonar a day in his life. I can’t say I blame him.

That said, I think the younger professionals are taking the time to practice reading this new technology and it is paying off for them.

We’ll get deeper into this forward facing sonar controversy in the coming weeks.