Peterborough angler Chris Johnston is the first Canadian ever to win a Bassmaster Elite Series event — and takes home a $102,000 prize with his title.
Johnston achieved his victory on Sunday (July 26) at the SiteOne Bassmaster Elite on the St. Lawrence River in Clayton, New York, with a four-day total of 20 smallmouth bass that weighed 97 pounds, 8 ounces. He was the only competitor to break 20 pounds each day.
“This has been a crazy year fishing-wise for me,” Johnston said. “I had two of the worst tournaments probably in my career and to bounce back and win on the St. Lawrence, of all places, is just incredible. I’ve wanted a big tournament win on the St. Lawrence River bad, and it finally came together.”
Johnston, who finished 71st and 59th in the first two Elite Series events this year, placed second on day one of the SiteOne Bassmaster Elite with 27-0. He maintained that position for two more days with weights of 24-12 and 23-0.
Connecticut pro Paul Mueller had led the event for all three days going into Sunday, but Johnston added a final limit of 22-12 to pull ahead of Mueller and win by a margin of 1-10.
In 2019’s competition, it was the reverse for Johnston: he led for three days before ending up with second place.
“Finishing second last year makes this win all that much sweeter,” Johnston said. “I can’t wait to get home and celebrate with family and friends.”
