Random Questions for Elite Series Rookie Kyle Patrick

Elite Series rookie Kyle Patrick of Cooperstown, NY, has come onto the scene with rocket-fueled energy, winning an Open at the Lake of the Ozarks last year to qualify for the 2024 Bassmaster Classic, and then starting off his first-year campaign with strength. He began 2024 with a solid 21st place finish at massive Toledo Bend, then followed that up by making a Day Four cut at famous Lake Fork. He ended up 9th with 111 pounds 14 ounces.

To me, the fishing has certainly been impressive, but I’ve been even more floored by the young pro’s media savvy. He’s a wizard with memes and videos, and his passion and energy is evident with each additional podcast and TV appearance We spent some time with him at El Salto in 2020, but I called him up to nail down some facts and opinions prior to his first Classic. Here’s Kyle, in his unedited glory:

HPFC: What’s your personal best largemouth?

KYLE PATRICK: It was a 9.80, 2 ounces off of 10 pounds, which kind of sucks. At Fork I caught a 9-8, but the 9.80 was at Rayburn.

HPFC: Boxers or briefs?

KYLE PATRICK: Bare bone baby, bareback.

HPFC: What’s your personal best smallmouth?

KYLE PATRICK: A 6.40 on the St. Lawrence River.

HPFC: Is there life on other planets?

KYLE PATRICK: For sure. If you think about it, our galaxy, it’s never-ending, so the odds just stack up. The odds of there being a planet nearly identical to ours with life forms very similar to us is very, very high, like 99.9999 percent.

HPFC: What’s a tournament lake that you’ve never fished that you’d like to compete on?

KYLE PATRICK: Kentucky Lake.

HPFC: What’s a tournament site that you’ve competed on that you hope to never revisit?

KYLE PATRICK:  The Red River.

HPFC: What is your death row meal?

KYLE PATRICK: Steak and lobster.

HPFC: What is an overrated soft plastic color?

KYLE PATRICK: Regular green pumpkin. Here’s why: there’s got to be a flare to it. Straight green pumpkin I don’t love it. I need some excitement. I need green pumpkin red flake, green pumpkin blue flake.

HPFC: What is an underrated soft plastic color?

KYLE PATRICK: Black and blue. I know it’s a popular color in a lot of soft plastics, but on the Opens last year I used a Bruiser Flash Missile Baits Magic Worm a lot. People made fun of me, but it’s the worm that helped me to make the Elite Series.

HPFC: Who is your angling hero?

KYLE PATRICK: I have to go Greg Hackney. Even though he’s real salty about forward-facing sonar I still love him. It’s his fishing style. That’s how I grew up fishing in New York. Watching him win Cayuga on a jig with straight braid is when I really got into watching him. His energy on the water – he’s always so jacked on the water when he catches big ones, and that’s how I am. That’s why I started throwing a jig so much.

HPFC: What’s your guilty pleasure snack food?

KYLE PATRICK: Dude, I just love Sour Patch Kids. I eat the shit out of those.

HPFC: Which past Elite Series tournament that really inspired you?

KYLE PATRICK: There’s so many. I watched them on repeat for like 10 years. The one I go back to the most is Dardanelle, when Hackney said, “Godzilla ain’t got nothing on me.”

HPFC: Which Classic that stood out most to you?

KYLE PATRICK: The one that I remember the most is Jordan Lee. I was in college and I saw that people could do it. Even though I was still young at that point it brought more reality to the situation. I saw that it was possible. It got me looking at college fishing and maybe doing that. I didn’t end up doing it but I knew it was still possible.

HPFC: What was your college major?

KYLE PATRICK: Environmental studies, slash entrepreneurial studies?

HPFC: If tournament fishing didn’t exist, what would you be doing for a living?

KYLE PATRICK: Something in the outdoor industry – sales, 100 percent. It would have to do with being outside.

HPFC: If you could have any superpower, what would you choose?

KYLE PATRICK: The ability to breathe underwater.

HPFC: What’s a song that makes you want to run through a brick wall?

KYLE PATRICK: “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC.

HPFC: What’s your favorite tournament day breakfast.

KYLE PATRICK: A Red Bull.

HPFC: What’s your bucket list fishing trip that doesn’t involve bass?

KYLE PATRICK: Dude, it’s got to be Panama with you guys. Honestly, all you talk about is Panama and I want to make that happen.

HPFC: I think we can make that happen.