Story by Hunter Sales | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
One of the things that doesn’t get discussed in professional fishing is the small groups of roommates that run around the country from one Airbnb to the next. There are certain attributes and roles that must be filled in each travel group. Let’s jump straight into my travel group, the roles we all play and the holes to be filled.
In the 2025 NPFL season, I’ve been traveling with K.J. Queen, Jamie Pierce, and J.T. Russell. None of us have long-standing friendships, but we all had mutual connections. Jamie travelled with my group a bit in 2024, but besides Jamie and I, no one else in that group stayed in the league for 2025. K.J. and I have a mutual friend in Elite Series pro angler, Cole Sands. We met at his wedding back in August of 2024. J.T. Russell and I had some college fishing connections that dated back a few years. We hit the ground running at Santee Cooper and haven’t looked back since.
The Roles
Jamie Pierce – Airbnb Coordinator, Grocery and Snack Manager, Group Dad
K.J. Queen – House DJ, Neighborhood Relations, Queen Tackle Plug, Bed Fishing Guru
J.T. Russell – Chef, Wild Game Provider, Enforcer of Disagreements, Swim Jig Tips
Hunter Sales – Group Mechanic, Tackle Supplier, House Camera Guy, Rules Expert
The group you travel with is very important for many reasons. It always helps to have a network of guys in the tournament that you trust for insight into fishing conditions in different areas or to help in case of an emergency during an event. On Lake Eufaula this year, I got stuck during Day 2 of competition and had to phone Shaun Mulhall and then J.T. Russell to pull me off a sandbar.
I have no doubt that I’d still be on that sandbar if it wasn’t for J.T. taking time out of his tournament day to come get me. I was able to get back to check-in on time and cash a good check in that event.
Outside of fishing, these groups are still super important. It can be a long, trying year on the road and it’s a lot more enjoyable when you have good company. I’m really thankful for the relationships that I’ve built over the years through these travel groups. Guys like Cole Sands, Hugh Cosculluela, Kyle Patrick, Spencer Peters, Christian Nash, Michael Stout, and more are all life-long friends just because of the time we spent around each other on the road. We share fishing information at times, laughs at others, and just generally learn from each other’s experiences in this industry. Personally, I also enjoy the competition that these guys have injected into our groups. We all push each other to be the best we can be, and it always helps to surround yourself with people that are taking care of their business. It never feels good to be the lowest-finisher, the latest-sleeper, or the first one off the water in the evening. Being successful in fishing requires hard work, and the guys I run with always help to keep each other motivated.
I hope that Jamie has booked us an Airbnb for Logan Martin and that JT kills a few random animals for us to eat. I’m looking forward to hitting the road in about a month and finishing the season on a high note!
Hunter Sales – Angler Profile
