Story by Chad Marler | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
As I head into NPFL Championship week, I find myself thinking about something bigger than the event itself.
Bigger than points. Bigger than payouts. Bigger than a trophy.
I’m thinking about responsibility.
Not just the responsibility to compete at the highest level, but the responsibility to lead. Because whether we realize it or not, there is always someone watching.
One of the greatest rewards in this journey is not a win or a check. It is watching a young angler’s confidence grow when something finally clicks. When they stop just casting and start understanding. When they begin to break down water instead of just fishing memories.
I remember being that kid.
I grew up learning on local lakes, fishing Tuesday night tournaments with my dad. We did not have the best equipment. We did not have inside information. What we had was time on the water and a willingness to learn the hard way. There were plenty of days I wish I had someone to shorten the learning curve. Someone who could explain not just where to fish, but why.
That “why” is everything.
Today, between guiding back home on Sam Rayburn and competing on the national stage, I see mentorship differently. It is not about giving someone a waypoint. It is about teaching them how to build their own. It is not about handing them a bait choice. It is about helping them understand seasonal movements, pressure, weather trends, and decision making under stress.
When I take a high school angler out, or a young adult who wants to fish tournaments, I try to teach them more than just mechanics. We talk about time management. We talk about eliminating dead water. We talk about controlling emotions when the bite dies. Because tournament fishing is as much mental as it is physical.
But it goes beyond fishing.
Mentorship in this sport is about character.
It is about integrity when nobody is watching. It is about respecting the resource. It is about respecting other competitors. It is about understanding that your name means something long before you ever win anything.
I’m a big believer that if you carry yourself the right way, doors open. Not always immediately. Not always easily. But they open. That lesson applies in fishing and in life.
The next generation is paying attention to how we handle adversity. They see how we respond to a bad tournament. They see how we treat sponsors. They see how we handle criticism. They see how we act when things do not go our way.
We can either fuel negativity or we can model professionalism.
For me, guiding has sharpened that perspective. When someone invests in a day on my boat, they’re not just paying to catch fish. They’re trusting me with their time. That’s something I do not take lightly. The same goes for mentoring young anglers. If they’re willing to listen, I’m willing to pour into them.
Because here’s the truth. The future of the NPFL, the future of competitive fishing, and the future of our sport does not belong to the guys currently holding trophies. It belongs to the kids rigging their first shaky head. It belongs to the high school teams studying maps at night. It belongs to the young anglers willing to get up before daylight and grind through tough days.
If we want this sport to thrive, we have to invest in them.
That doesn’t always mean formal coaching. Sometimes it’s a five minute conversation at the ramp. Sometimes it’s answering a message. Sometimes it’s letting a young angler sit in the boat during practice and watch how decisions are made.
You never know which moment will stick.
As I prepare for this Championship, I am competing to win. That part never changes. But I’m also aware that the way I carry myself this week might shape how a young angler views this level of competition.
If we want to grow this sport the right way, mentorship cannot be an afterthought. It has to be intentional.
Because trophies collect dust. Impact does not.
And if we can build anglers who understand both how to compete and how to lead, then we are doing more than chasing bass. We are protecting the future of something we all love.
That is a legacy worth investing in.
Chad Marler – Angler Profile
