There is little I enjoy more than spending a day on the water with a top notch fishing pro, watching him go through his well rehearsed routine, as I gather material for an upcoming magazine feature.

Over the years I've been fortunate to spend some "quality time" with the likes of BASSMASTER Classic champions Ricky Clunn, Kevin Van Dam and Takahiro Omori, along with good buddy A-Mart, Aaron Martens, who has been a bridesmaid at the Classic for more years than most folks can count.

And I better not forget to mention FLW Cup Champion, Brent Ehrler. What an amazing angler.

As are all the other elite pros and stars of the game, with whom I have fished including Gerald Swindle, Marty Stone, Kelly Jordan, Edwin Evers and Brian Snowden. I can honestly say, I've come away from each and every one of these experiences with a new level of respect for the professionalism these guys exhibit.

Recently, I had the pleasure of adding two more high profile names to the list - Bill Lowen and Ott Defoe. I hooked up with Bill and Ott as they practised for the recent BASSMASTER Elite, "Rumble on the Mississippi" tournament out of LaCrosse, Wisconsin and as always, I hopped out of the boat at the end of the day with my head spinning, crammed with thoughts.

Indeed, I was reflecting back on my time on the water with the boys just yesterday, as I was transcribing my handwritten notes. Without giving away too much just yet - you're going to have to read the magazine features when they come out - I thought it might be "cool" to highlight a few "pearls" .... words of wisdom, starting with these from Bill.

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