I pre-fished with 3 different pros over the week leading up to the tournament, 2 of which stayed at my home for 10 days. I opted to not handle a rod for those days either to maximize the potential to learn, and boy did I ever. I filled in a lot of voids in my FFS game. All 3 of the guys finished in the top 12 and all of them ended up catching their fish for the tournament in under 18' of water and as shallow as 6. I don't disagree that some were deep as I did see it myself, but the entire field was not. The number of fish on the east end spread through the water column is staggering right now and it's really cool to be out there fishing. Jerk baits in 6' with these full-of-fire walleye is an awesome change of pace to the usual bottom bouncer or jig bite going on out deep as per years past.
Many of these Co's are also here to learn. Kristen Meyers, the CO for Issac the last 2 days was doing just exactly that and now has her 2nd iron trophy of the season and has made a lot of money doing it as well as bragging rights to being the first woman to win on the CO side in NWT history. Yes, it's a crapshoot on the Pro draw, but the wealth of knowledge gained is pretty incredible and you could tell by the questions she asked on the livestream, that she was perfectly content to be doing just that.
Nearly every Pro is having their CO do some sort of fishing if they choose to want to, so it's not like they can't, but you can expect to not be given first chance at the fish unless you are lighting it up, meaning if you have one on the screen and are getting ready to cast at it, the pro is likely moving on without you, you just adapt and keep plugging away.
Sounds like some big changes coming to the NWT with rumors all about, but I won't be surprised to see the co-angler becoming even more of a marshal, as per the rules, than a co-fisherperson. They now have a top 80 field locked in for 2027 knowing full well they may or may not get to even hold a rod.
