A sit-down with Canada's newest bass fishing legend
Photo: James Overstreet/BASS)
By Luigi De Rose
BASS Elite angler and Kenora, Ontario, Canada native Jeff “Gussy” Gustafson won the 2023 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Toyota on the Tennessee River. Capturing the wire-to-wire win was a monumental achievement but for Canadian bass fishing fans, Gustafson brought the title home. Only a handful of Canadians have qualified to fish the Classic since its inception in 1970 but none have won. For Canadians and all international fans, this victory reignited their dream of stardom. I spoke with Jeff and got a chance to relive Classic week, tap into his mindset for the Classic and his focus on the rest of the 2023 Elite season.
Hi Jeff. Thanks for taking time for IBASSIN.com. Congratulations of course and wow! How crazy has it been?
Thanks Luigi for giving me a call. I just finished another interview 8-minutes ago. I still cannot believe it. I haven’t even got to my text messages or social media feeds. It’s been that busy. It can be overwhelming but I am so glad and I’ve gotten so many text messages from special people. It’s been really great.
It must be such a cool feeling.
I’m looking at the trophy right now. The names on it are unreal. I’m looking at Guido and Dion’s names here. They came to the KBI (Kenora Bass International, a huge tournament in Gussy’s hometown) in 1993 and I met them. They’re such legends. They finished 2nd and it was a big deal for them to come.
I did fish when Guido was still with FLW when I first started out but he was much older then. I did become friends with Dion. I spoke to Dion and mentioned the KBI and Dion told me it was the funnest trip he and his dad Guido ever had together. That’s special.
Yeah, there’s Brauer’s name and Ken Cook on the trophy. It’s amazing.
During the weigh- in, you explained that the driver back to the arena on Championship Sunday was horrible. Waiting backstage, did you get a feeling that you didn’t blow it? Or were you kept in isolation?
The ride back was horrible. I didn’t give myself a 10% chance. Someone always has a record day and wins. It was my camera man who told me I was close. I didn’t want to lose by 4oz! I would rather it was 4-pounds. I knew I would be just over 42 pounds. While I was sitting in the tunnel, waiting to weigh-in, I knew I was going to win when I heard Dave announce that Canterbury didn’t have 42.
I’d like to focus more on the mindset of your mental approach going into the 2023 Classic. Many said that the timing of the Classic, being later than your previous win, the warmer weather and the added fishing pressure on the smallmouth made the gamble to fish for them in the Classic too risky. Your thoughts.
The Classic isn’t a regular Elite 4-day event. It's about fishing to win. I don’t fish that way. I try to get my 10-grand (the minimum payout for finishing in the Top 50) and that is a win for me. Early in my career, I would fish and practice just to get my cheque. Here, I fished to win. I knew I’d have to take my chance at a win. It happens so infrequently that you just have to take it.
