With these pro tournament folks, you can't always rely on what they say, when they express what they used in a tournament to catch their fish. I have a couple of customers, who, I can't say who they are, because they have sponsors, and can't promote "other" products that compete with their sponsors products. I supply some jigs to a couple of them, and our agreement prohibits me from saying who they are, and it makes no difference if they're winning tournaments on what I send them, they'll promote the sponsors, that are paying a lot of money towards these guys being able to do what they do, and no mention of my products. That's just the business of tournament fishing at that level. They can use anything they like, but they don't bite the hand that feeds them. I'm OK with that, as they pay what anyone else pays for my products.
The "better" tournament anglers are also those who are capable of using many techniques/methods well, and can fish different types of waters well. Some struggle because they have limited experience on some types of waters, which may also relate to the techniques or methods they use a lot. Certainly some are a lot more comfortable using specific techniques, which may be why many are skeptical of fly gear.
I remember a Bassmaster Classic many years ago, that was on the Upper Chesapeake Bay in MD. Those guys put up some impressive weights, which that area is capable of producing, but some of the better known anglers didn't do very well. A lot of that is brackish, tidalwater. and those that didn't do well, didn't fish that type of water often. They were guys from the south who mostly fished big lakes, and even though some have dams that affect water levels, it's not tides. A lot has changed since then and more of the pro's are more rounded in their experience, even at a very young age. Yes, electronics they use are also much more advanced than they used to be too, and always improving.
A big part of fishing, no matter how you do it, is finding the fish. Even then, they can't make them bite, but they have a lot at their disposal to try. There's a big difference when you're out there fishing for fun, or some small local tournament, than when you're doing it to make your living.
I have a lot if respect and admiration for many of those folks, as they do care about the fisheries and the sport. There's some that are selfish, and only there for the money, but that's people and happens in any sport, business or endeavor. There's some selfishness involved in fly fishing too, so it's not exclusive to bass fishing or tournaments. Most are good people even if their attitudes are not in agreement with those of us who use fly tackle.
I think this fellow winning this tournament using fly tackle, will mostly be a good thing, but it's more likely in a few weeks, most folks will have forgotten about it.
