YOUTHFUL
DOMINANCE
Young guns helping young
guns succeed is one way to
describe this scene. Zack
Birge is one of the most suc-
cessful young pros in FLW’s
ranks. Here, he offers some
assistance with the net to
another rising star in the
tournament world, Tyler
Sheppard. Interestingly, Birge
and Sheppard are not only
the same age – 25 – but they
share the same birthday:
April 11, 1991.
A co-angler, Sheppard
was paired with Birge on the
final day of the 2016 Costa
FLW Series Championship
at Table Rock and made the
most of the opportunity by
finishing off a wire-to-wire
victory in the co-angler divi-
sion. The outcome wasn’t as
successful for Birge, who
took over the lead on the
pro side on day two but fell
to third on the last day.
The man who beat out
Birge for the title, Pat Fisher,
is visible fishing the shore-
line in the background, with
two media boats observing.
PHOTO BY JODY WHITE
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