Canadian Chris Johnston wins the title “Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year 2024” at the Humminbird Bassmaster Elite on the St. Lawrence River.
Photo by Seigo Saito/BASS
17 August 2024
Johnston wins the title “Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year” with a big comeback
WADDINGTON, NY — After 31st placest Despite finishing his second frustrating day in a row on the St. Lawrence River on Friday, Chris Johnston still managed a smile.
“I may have another trick up my sleeve,” Johnston said. “I haven’t practiced it. I’m just going to try it. I’ve got nothing to lose now. I can fish without pressure. I know there are big fish there. I hope the wind makes them bite a little better.”
Man, did he really do it, hauling in 29 pounds, 5 ounces—the largest five-bass limit of the tournament so far—and earning him the title of Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year.
“You have no idea how much stress I’ve been under these last few days,” said Johnston, 35, of Otonabee, Ontario. “Everything that could go wrong did go wrong. Some nights I couldn’t sleep until 1 a.m.
“I’ve gotten a lot of grey hairs in the last three days. I don’t think I had any when I started this year. But now they’re coming in fast.”
Johnston found himself in unfamiliar territory after the first two days of the tournament. In five previous Elite Series events here – 20 days of competition – he finished in the top 10 every day and was in the top three on 15 of those 20 days. With his victory on the St. Lawrence, he became the first Canadian to win an Elite Series tournament in 2020.
So when he fell from 16th Place on day 1 to 31st As Johnston navigated unfamiliar terrain on the second day, Thursday and Friday, he had a trick up his sleeve: He visited a few locations near the mouth of the St. Lawrence River where he had had great success in the past.
“I’ve been all over the place the last few days,” Johnston said. “I’ve had too much going on in my head, thinking about where I need to go to catch the 27 or 28 pounds that live out here. Today I just said to myself, ‘You know what? It’s too rough on the lake, and I know two places in the river where I could catch the 25 or 30 pounds that I need.'”
Justin Hamner, the champion of the 2024 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Jockey Outdoors, led the AOY standings at the start of this tournament by 13 points over Johnston and 19 points over Jacob Foutz, the third-year pro from Charleston, Tennessee. Hamner, a native of Northport, Alabama, fell out of contention when he was 61st on Friday and missed the Day 2/Top 50 cut.
Foutz finished ninth on Friday, but was only 3½ pounds ahead of Johnston in the crowded leaderboard. Rough waters on Lake Ontario on Saturday prevented Foutz from repeating his success of the last two days. A year ago, he almost failed to qualify for the Elite Series.
“It’s been an incredible year, only the last days of the year have a chance at AOY,” said Foutz, who weighed just 14-9 on Saturday and dropped to 35th Place. “This time last year I didn’t know if I would be back on this stage. To just turn it around is amazing.”
“I feel like I’ve only just scratched the surface of this whole thing. It’s been a hell of a year. I have nothing to complain about.”
