They set me straight. That helps me a lot. Bolton says most anglers openly share information. They also sound off to each other about ideas, tactics and other things that might help improve their bass catching abilities. Longevity on the professional trail often is short.
Anglers come and go depending on success and money.
Walker says the key to prolonging one's life on the trail is to learn how to deal with people outside of your immediate friendships. Those are the skills sponsors look for. The stuff outside of fishing is important. As long as you keep winning, you get the attention. But if you stop winning and you don't have those other skills, the sponsors will go away.