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Canadians Chris Johnston 4th!
BASS PRESS RELEASE
Being a river rat pays off for Christie as he pushed his aluminum
bass boat to the far reaches of the Sabine.
(Photo: BASS)
Sticking with a bold plan, but making key adjustments was the winning formula for Jason Christie of Park Hill, Okla., whose four-day total of 43 pounds, 15 ounces topped the Dovetail Games Bassmaster Elite at Sabine River sponsored by Bassmaster Fishing 2022 – the official video game of B.A.S.S.
Claiming his sixth Bassmaster victory, Christie posted his best effort on Day 1 with a second-place limit of 15-1. He took over the top spot on Friday by adding 13-14 and held that position on Day 3 with a limit of 6-12. He closed the deal with a Championship Sunday limit that weighed 8-4.
After entering the final round with a 15-ounce lead over Day 1 leader Brock Mosley, Christie edged Mosley by a margin of 1-6.
For four days, Christie committed the majority of his time to a narrow creek about two hours upriver from takeoff. Locating the spot in practice, Christie recognized its mix of shallow wood and cut banks as prime bass habitat, while the distant run discouraged all but one competitor from fishing the area.
Canadians Chris Johnston 4th, Cory Johnston 70th & Gustafson 72nd
BASS PRESS RELEASE
Christie fishing skinny water for fat bass.
(Photo: BASS)
Putting significant distance between himself and the rest of the 98-boat field, Jason Christie amassed a two-day total of 28 pounds, 15 ounces and took over the Day 2 lead of the 2021 Dovetail Games Bassmaster Elite at Sabine River sponsored by Bassmaster Fishing 2022 – the official video game of B.A.S.S.
Placing second on Thursday with 15-1, the pro from Park Hill, Okla., added 13-14 Friday.
Christie is running nearly two hours up the Sabine River to fish a small backwater area with abundant shallow cover and clear water. He caught fish flipping yesterday, but with more inflowing water, a 1/2-ounce chartreuse/white/blue Booyah Covert spinnerbait with tandem nickel and gold Colorado blades produced best Friday.
“The water was high and the current was ripping in there and I’m starting to think that the best thing to do is just cover water when it’s high,” Christie said. “Tomorrow, I might go up there and it might be low and the current’s slowed down and I can catch them flipping again. I’ll just have to see what happens when I get there.”
Christie had previously visited his general area when the Elites last visited the Sabine in 2018. Expanding his waters led him to greater opportunity.
“I just didn’t go far enough the last time we were here, and it seems like they’re tucked in there a little ways,” Christie said. “I had practiced up there and, honestly, I had written it off, but I got home and looked at Google Earth and there was one place I hadn’t been.
Canadians Chris Johnston 21st, Cory Johnston 35th & Gustafson 79th
BASS PRESS RELEASE
Mosley tops the field where ounces count.
(Photo: BASS)
A last-minute decision to run two hours to the Houston area rewarded Brock Mosley with a five-fish limit of 15 pounds, 10 ounces, which leads Day 1 of the 2021 Dovetail Games Bassmaster Elite at Sabine River sponsored by Bassmaster Fishing 2022 – the official video game of B.A.S.S.
Familiar with the potential of the tournament’s western boundary, Mosley, who hails from Collinsville, Miss., ran the Intracoastal Waterway, crossed Galveston Bay and settled into a narrow waterway on Houston’s east side. While he was pleased with his decision, he admitted he made the commitment shortly before takeoff.
“I was one of the last boats to check out (Boat 97), so I knew all the spots around Orange would be covered up,” Mosley said. “I spent three days of practice trying to talk myself out of making that run, but this morning, I decided to go.
“Also, I knew the wind wasn’t going to blow today, but it’s supposed to blow tomorrow and I know I can’t go back tomorrow. It’s going to be 20- to 30-mph winds and there’s no way.”
Refueling near his starting spot allowed Mosley to fish uninterrupted until making the 100-plus-mile ride back to weigh-in. Targeting a mix of docks, seawalls, cypress trees, shade and current breaks, Mosley said he saw evidence of recent spawning.
“I saw a lot of fry (recently hatched bass); I don’t know if those fish were guarding fry or what they were doing, but they were biting,” he said. “I don’t know if they even get fished very often.”
Mosley caught his fish on a 1/2-ounce chartreuse/white Z-Man ChatterBait JackHammer with a white Yamamoto Zako trailer.
“There are other ways to catch them, but that’s the way I like to catch them because I can fish so fast,” Mosley said. “I know guys like to slow down and flip, but in tough tournaments, I like to cover as much water as I can.”
Mosley said his day exceeded his expectations, both in terms of quality and quantity.
“I had no idea I was going to catch that kind of weight today,” he said. “I went over there hoping to catch 9 or 10 pounds and I got a 5 1/2-pound kicker. It took me 20 minutes to catch a limit when I got there.
“It’s a long ride and it’s hard on you; it’s a lot of wear and tear. It just paid off today.”
As part of the partnership, Dovetail Games and Bassmaster Fishing 2022, the official video game of B.A.S.S., will be featured as the title sponsor of this week’s Bassmaster Elite at the Sabine River in Orange, Texas.
“B.A.S.S. remains at the forefront of promoting fishing and reaching out to new audiences,” said B.A.S.S. CEO Bruce Akin. “We are incredibly excited to be partnering with Dovetail Games on Bassmaster Fishing 2022, and we can’t wait to see our tournaments and anglers featured in-game. Having the official video game as the title sponsor for the Elite event at the Sabine River demonstrates how successful this partnership is going to be.”
Bassmaster Elite Series angler Scott Martin is working closely with Dovetail Games to help create this exciting new simulation title and will be featured prominently throughout the game and its career modes. Martin’s dream of competing on the Elite Series, qualifying for the iconic Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk and fulfilling his family’s legacy is well-known in the fishing world, and soon players will be able to see if they have what it takes to become a Bassmaster Classic champion.
The Johnson Outdoors prize includes:
1 x 411400-1 HELIX 10 CHIRP GPS G4N
1 x 411420-1M HELIX 10 CHIRP MEGA SI+ GPS G4N
1 x 1368866 ULTREX 80/MSI/IP LINK_BT
2 x 1810630 RAPTOR 10’, AA
To be eligible for this contingency anglers must have Johnson Outdoors product(s) (Humminbird, MinnKota and/or Talon) equipt on their boat during morning check in. For each Johnson Outdoors product present the team will receive one ballot in the draw for the prize. Anglers will receive ballots per event throughout the tournament season. The draw will take place on Friday, October 8.
Victoria Pallotta of the CSFL states “We are thrilled to offer this new contingency to our anglers with our ongoing sponsor Johnson Outdoors. The more events you participate in, the more chances to win”.
The Competitive Sport Fishing League is proud to announce Canadian anglers can now qualify for the Toyota Series Championship, an opportunity to win up to $245,000, through the MLF Canadian Open!
Stouffville, ON - Thursday, March 25. The Competitive Sport Fishing League “CSFL” is proud to announce a new partnership with Major League Fishing presenting the opportunity for Canadian anglers to qualify for the Toyota Series Championship through the MLF Canadian Open! The top two Pro Anglers and top two Amateur Anglers will advance to the Toyota Series Championship taking place October 28 through 30, 2021 on Pickwick Lake.
“We are thrilled to continue our work with Andrew Pallotta and the Competitive Sport Fishing League to provide Canadian bass anglers with an opportunity to advance to the Toyota Series Championship in the United States,” said Dave Washburn, MLF Vice President of Operations. “Canadian anglers can fish close to home and qualify for one of the sport’s most prestigious events for a shot at winning as much as $245,000, including a $35,000 Phoenix Boats bonus and $10,000 as the highest finisher in the MLF International division.”
B.A.S.S. officials, along with Visit Anderson and VisitGreenvilleSC, announced today that the 2022 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk will be held for the fourth time at scenic Lake Hartwell, March 4-6, with takeoffs from Green Pond Landing & Event Center. Daily weigh-ins will be held at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena and the annual Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo will take place at the Greenville Convention Center, both of which are in nearby Greenville.
B.A.S.S. CEO Bruce Akin said the organization is excited to once again visit a venue that has become the gold standard for professional bass fishing events.
“Everything about Lake Hartwell and the city of Greenville make them the perfect setting for the Super Bowl of Professional Bass Fishing,” Akin said. “The Bassmaster Classic is not only a chance for the best anglers in the world to showcase their abilities, it’s an annual celebration of the sport itself.
“Lake Hartwell provides the perfect site for amazing competition, and the city of Greenville provides the hotels, restaurants and other facilities you need for an event the size of the Classic.”
Hartwell is a 56,000-acre man-made reservoir situated between Georgia and South Carolina and encompassing portions of the Savannah, Tugaloo and Seneca rivers. It features a vast array of habitat and a good population of both largemouth and spotted bass that are likely to be in the prespawn phase when the Classic competitors arrive.
The fishery has hosted three previous Classics that each provided action-packed finishes.
3rd Texas Win for DeFoe
By Manson Prince
DeFoe started out his morning like he had every day of competition thus far—on fire. The Tennessee pro landed 10 bass for 22-8 in Period 1, but his pace slowed dramatically in the afternoon. DeFoe went more than five hours without a scorable bass and fell into second place behind Luke Clausen because of it.
“I had to work for every fish I caught today,” DeFoe recapped. “I had to use a crankbait, spinnerbait, bladed jig, wacky worm, and a swim jig. It was a grind and I thought I had other places that would be productive. But there was a ton of boat traffic up by the river, so I just decided to go fishing.
But DeFoe never panicked. DeFoe went back up the river, found more laydowns, brushpiles, and current. He caught them when he needed them the most. In the final 15 minutes, as he was in an area with poor connectivity, DeFoe landed a 2-12 to tie Clausen and then a 2-13 to pass him for the top spot. The 2-13 margin of victory is the closest in Bass Pro Tour history, and DeFoe is glad he can finally catch his breath out of one of the more stressful days of his career.
“All of the stress you could ever imagine, I was feeling that last hour,” DeFoe expressed. “I knew we were going to have poor connectivity so my official was going to make me move with five minutes left. I didn’t know if Luke had caught another and I knew we were close. Just that feeling of relief when I knew that I had it was amazing.”
DeFoe is no stranger to winning in Texas and he has now won the last three MLF events held in the Lone Star State. When asked about what exactly it is about Texas that makes it like a second bass-fishing home to him, DeFoe had a simple answer.
“When you come to Texas, bass act like they’re supposed to,” DeFoe stated. “I tell everyone who asks me that same question that answer. I’ve won here on three completely different fisheries but caught them the way I knew they should be caught at that time of year in that particular environment. They eat shad, they live around cover, and they like current.”
