Following this most recent upgrade, Kyle Welcher took a seat at the console of his Caymas, powered down another beef stick, took a swig from a Powerade he’s been working on and applied some more sunscreen. The entire ritual took about 90 seconds to complete.
“That’s about as long as you’ll see me sit down in the course of a day unless I’m retying,” Welcher said.
The way that Welcher, a fourth year Bassmaster Elite Series veteran, goes about his business has caught at least one Elite Series Pro’s eye.
Sitting in the boat with Gerald Swindle at Santee Cooper in 2022 as his Day 2 Marshal, Swindle looked at me during the morning assembly of boats on the water and pointed to a nearby Welcher who was coming off a near win in the Bassmaster Classic on Lake Hartwell a few weeks prior.
“You see Kyle Welcher?”, Swindle asked. “Pay attention to that young man right there! He’s what I call a ‘one-percenter,’ G-Man added. Brandon Palaniuk’s a ‘one-percenter’ too. They just do everything the right way. He practices the right way. He competes the right way. Off the water, he conducts his business the right way. We often talk and he asks all the right questions. He doesn’t have the wins under his belt yet, but they’re coming.”
Wow! High praise from a two-time Bassmaster Elite Series Angler of the Year, but he should know. Swindle has certainly seen his share of comers and goers on the Elite Series through the years, and he’s worked among some of the most successful brands in the industry as well. Swindle has a keen eye for success.
I don’t know how all of that will play out this weekend at the Marathon Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray, but rest assured Kyle Welcher is going to be sticking around here awhile….even if he doesn’t like to sit down too long.
