After more than three decades on the water, professional fisherman Jason Christie proved he can still surprise himself.
The Oklahoma native claimed a dramatic victory at the Mountain Dew Bassmaster Elite on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway in Columbus over the weekend, securing his ninth Bassmaster title with a four-day total of 58 pounds, 2 ounces (20 fish).
“I thought there was zero chance I’d win,” Christie said. “When I was idling in, I figured somebody had caught ‘em. It’s funny. In the previous Elite tournament (Lake Martin), I finished dead last, and I win this one. Last year, I finished dead last (in another trail) and then I won.”
Christie’s performance underscored the ebbs and flows of professional fishing, where even the most experienced anglers are often at the mercy of the conditions. His latest win on the Tenn-Tom, which is notoriously a challenging fishery, was anything but straightforward.
After opening in a tie for 37th, he adjusted his approach, steadily climbed the leaderboard, and sealed the win with two late bites on Championship Sunday.
A 2-pounder early in the afternoon, followed by a 3-pound, 12-ounce catch just 30 minutes later, pushed his final-day total to 12 pounds, 9 ounces. It was enough to beat out the rest of a competitive field.
“It was a crazy week. On the first day, I thought I messed up,” Christie recounted. “The difference was I caught two big ones yesterday and one today off stuff you couldn’t see. Garmin just released a new 360-degree sonar unit and I went into [my local spot] and marked those stumps, because I figured that’s where those big ones would hang out.”
After spending much of the first day running and locking north, Christie committed the final three days to a shallow backwater near Columbus Lake, working grass and wood cover. Even a brief attempt to leave the area on the final day didn’t last long.
“I wasn’t out there 45 minutes and I was like, ‘If I’m going to lose this, I’m going to lose it in my home,’” Christie said. “I went back in there and caught that big one.”
Christie, the 2022 Bassmaster Classic champion, relied primarily on a spinnerbait setup he designed himself, along with a swim jig and Texas-rigged bait, to secure the $100,000 prize and his sixth blue trophy.
“It’s getting harder every year to do this. These guys are just really good,” said the 52-year-old. “It gets in my head: ‘Am I getting too old for this?’ It feels good to win because I fish to win every single time I go out. Getting older makes it sweeter – especially on a spinnerbait.”
The event, hosted by Visit Columbus, was a major draw for the city and surrounding areas, generating an estimated economic impact of up to $1 million.
“It’s a big deal and it’s getting bigger,” Visit Columbus tourism director Frances Glenn said. “According to Bassmaster, it could be up to a $1 million economic impact – somewhere between $800,000 and $1 million.”
Top finishers at the Tenn-Tom Waterway
- Jason Christie: 58-2
- Dakota Ebare: 55-13
- John Garrett: 54-15
Notable awards at the Tenn-Tom Waterway
- Big bass: Justin Atkins (6-4)
- Monster Bag: Dakota Ebare (18-6 on the second day)
- BassTrakk Contingency: Dakota Ebare
- Toyota Bonus Bucks: Jason Christie (top), Dakota Ebare (second)
- Yamaha Power Pay: Jason Christie (top), John Garrett (second)