Please select your home edition
Edition
Palm Beach Motor Yachts

Top pro Huynh catches way more than walleye with FFS

by Vexus Boats 3 May 16:35 UTC
Top pro Huynh catches way more than walleye with FFS © Vexus Boats

Given the fact Vexus® Ambassador Tom Huynh is the 2024 National Walleye tour champion and is regarded by his peers as one of the best walleye wranglers in America, he's totally comfortable with his masculinity while making a living in a world of manicures and pedicures.

He's also totally comfortable with forward-facing sonar, to the point he launched fishing's first online curriculum-based platform, with a huge emphasis on FFS for students who subscribe to FishTHU.com. Hundreds of anglers have paid for a piece of his sonar wisdom, and in addition to his online teachings, he also conducts nearly 50 in-person seminars annually.

"I get told I give away too many secrets, but I don't believe that. I believe in teaching. I don't believe we should deceive our fellow anglers. Teaching is the first step to growing participation in fishing," says Huynh, who lives on the North Dakota-Minnesota border.

However, a call from friend Curt Underhill recently lead to a teaching opportunity for Huynh in a realm far bigger than fishing. Underhill asked Huynh to use part of a tournament practice day at Lake Sharpe, SD to provide desperately needed sonar instruction to City of Pierre emergency rescue personnel tasked with recovering drowning victims.

"They were pretty discouraged before I loaded them in my Vexus and began to share my knowledge, but after I showed them how to find two sunken practice mannequins on the bottom of the lake in under 3-minutes, their confidence skyrocketed," smiles Huynh.

The unique front fork design of his Vexus DVX22 tournament boat creates tons of front deck space, which enabled Huynh to carry as many as five rescue personnel at a time for on-the-water instruction.

"We were also able to see the rescue divers on the screen and told them what direction to swim in relation to the practice mannequins. That made a huge impression on them," says Huynh.

When asked for a free tip to make all forward-facing sonar users more adept, Huynh graciously offered the following.

"Stop overworking your settings. Everybody wants to tune their machines to get a perfectly clear screen like our living room televisions with zero interference, but when you do that, you're hiding a lot of the critical details," he emphasizes.

Perhaps it wasn't exactly what Huynh perceived his practice day would look like in what he often describes as the "most solid built walleye boat on the planet" at the NWT tournament on Lake Sharpe, but he'd be the first to tell you it was even better.

"I'm the son of a Vietnam immigrant, and yet I get to make a part of my living teaching people how to catch more fish. That's a statement that's super humbling to my family and me. So, to be able to give back by spending a portion of my practice day helping America's rescue personnel was super rewarding," says Huynh.

Solid. A fitting description of Huynh's character as well as his boat.

Related Articles

Vexus® bonuses and buckles
Uniquely cool silver belt buckle trophies and generous cash bonuses Vexus® Boats is becoming famous throughout the Western United States for its uniquely cool silver belt buckle trophies and generous cash bonuses that are part of the premium boat brand's REV Rewards™ tournament contingency program. Posted on 19 Feb
A Student Angler Bonus Program to Bragg About
Caige Bragg is one of America's most talented young bass anglers High school angler Caige Bragg of Trussville, AL is not a boastful young man, despite the fact he's fast proving himself as one of America's most talented young bass anglers. Posted on 23 Jan
What to look for in an aluminum boat
Vexus® Pro John Cox has a pretty keen eye Vexus® pro John Cox is known for having nearly supernatural vision for spotting bass in shallow water, and he's got a pretty keen eye for a top-quality aluminum boat too. Posted on 17 Jan
Card's on solid ground at High Rock
It's wise to step outside of your ordinary comfort zone Watching Steve Summer of Rock Outdoors in Lexington, North Carolina, catch a limit of Buggs Island bass on a golden-shiner-colored spinnerbait "they weren't supposed to bite" might have been the confirmational moment in Vexus® Pro Brandon Card's life. Posted on 9 Oct 2024
Carson loves Aluminum, Laments FFS
Highly likable Florida Pro Keith Carson never had an inch of doubt Keith Carson never had an inch of doubt that his 20-foot aluminum Vexus® boat would deliver him safely and smoothly through big waves amid a mind-boggling 96-mile round trip run from Trenton, Michigan, to the northernmost corner of Lake Saint Clair. Posted on 6 Aug 2024
The most underrated smallmouth presentation
Vexus angler Darryl Esterly is the only competitive bass angler with a pretzel sponsorship There's a really good chance Vexus angler Darryl Esterly is the only competitive bass angler with a pretzel sponsorship. Posted on 24 Jul 2024
Game Wardens and Nixon guide young anglers
Pennington and Hagans won the Vexus Varsity prizes If the tiny community of Bee Branch, Arkansas, sounds familiar to serious bass fishing fans, blame it on Bass Fishing Hall of Famer Larry Nixon, who has called the rural community home for decades. Posted on 26 Jun 2024
I grew up wanting to be my dad
Find a profession you truly love One of the best pieces of advice any dad can give a child is to find a profession you truly love. Not just a job but a career that won't make you dread Monday mornings. Posted on 12 Jun 2024
Grandma was a Bass'n Gal, Grandpa was a Bassmaster
If anybody has the right to say bass fishing is in their blood, it's Texas angler Cory Rambo If anybody has the right to say bass fishing is in their blood, it's Texas angler Cory Rambo. Posted on 22 May 2024
Adam Rasmussen stops by the Vexus® Plant
Nobody remembers the guy who finished 2nd. But we do They say nobody remembers the guy who finished 2nd. But we do. All of us at Vexus couldn't be more proud of our treasured friend, Adam Rasmussen, the so called "walleye guide" from Sturgeon Bay, who nearly won the Bassmaster Classic. Posted on 28 Mar 2024
Maritimo 2023 M600 FOOTERPalm Beach Motor Yachts