MUSKOGEE, Okla. — Enduring a painfully slow day in stark contrast to previous activity levels, Chris Johnson’s steadfast belief in his place allowed him to log a three-day total of 51 pounds, 3 ounces and claim the wire-to-wire win in the Mercury BASS Nation Qualifier on the Arkansas River presented by Lowrance.
“Holy cow, this whole week has been incredible,” said the Farmington, Ark., angler. “I’ve been in this tournament since I was 11 and this is my first major win. I’ve been really close a few times.
“I want to be here all my life. You think standing here and what you can say, but it just escapes you.”
After leading with a Day 1 limit of 19-6, Johnson added 17-15 and held onto the top spot. On Friday’s Championship, he squeaked out a final-round limit of 13-14, defeated Blake Capps of Muskogee, Ark., 1-9, and took home the top prize of $12,065.
The Top 20 anglers qualified for the 2024 Mercury BASS Nation Championship presented by Lowrance, scheduled for Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees in Grove, Okla., Nov. 6-8.
Staying true to the game plan that put him in position to win, Johnson returned to the same backwater ponds he fished the first two days. Running several miles upstream from the takeoff, he peeks through breaks in the rock levees to access sheltered water where he targets prespawn fish.
As Johnson noted, the fish were positioned pretty much the same the first two days, but the pacing of his five bites fueled his stress level.
“Today was an absolutely exhausting day,” he said. “Fishing is tough and I know I get five to six bites a day.
“I got to my spot and had the spot to myself. I fished for 1 1/2 hours without a bite. I finally got a bite and it was my biggest fish — a 4-pounder — about 9:30, but then it’s back to the grindstone.
With no competition, Johnson figured he should catch fish more often, but he knew bites would happen eventually, so he stayed on track.
He added his second fish around 10, then another at 11. His fourth keeper came at 1:00 and his limit-filler bit at 2:30.
“It played out like it was supposed to,” Johnson said. “The first two fish were deeper, but as the day went on, the fish moved shallower. I attribute that to a cooler morning that slowed the bite and then, as the day warmed, the fish moved closer to shore. “
Johnson caught all of his fish on a 3/8-ounce tandem Colorado/willow-leaf spinnerbait with a Zoom Split Tail trailer. A chartreuse/white skirt made earlier in the day, with a shad pattern getting work in the afternoon.
“The main thing all week is to keep that acquisition slow,” Johnson said. “I cast close to the bank and keep that bait on a slow, steady reel.”
While the pressure of having so many friends and family members on site for this event occasionally whispered in his ear, Johnson said his commitment to a game plan ultimately led him to victory.
“Most of all, it can just settle in one place and keep grinding because I know there are good fish there,” he said. “I just kept passing the good water and I wasn’t busy elsewhere.
“When your mind starts to wander, you have to tell yourself to stay there and stay after it.”
Statistically the most consistent angler in the final field, Capps placed sixth on Day 1 with a 16-1 and improved to second with a Day 2 limit of 16-12. Adding a third-round limit of 16-13, he settled for second place with 49-10.
Every day, Capps is confined to Kerr Pool, where he fishes the spawning bays with a mix of coontail and reed. He caught his fish by throwing a Booyah Pad Crasher frog and flipping a YUM Baby Christie Critter.
“I fished that frog really fast,” Capps said. “A lot of those fish are lying down and you can get a reaction bite. If they miss, I’ll go back there and a lot of times, I’ll catch that fish.”
Capps ends each day by saving about an hour of fishing time when he locks back into Muskogee Pool. There, he’ll move around bigger rocks with a Baby Christie Critter, but his biggest fish of Day 2 — a 4-pounder — was bitten by a wacky-rigged YUM Dinger.
Jeremy Norris of Ama, La., took third at 46-15. His daily weights are 14-5, 18-6 and 14-4.
Spending most of his time at Kerr, Norris focused on the same 200-yard drain all three days. At depths of 2 to 4 feet, he flips lighter plants with a Jaboom Bait Co. Boom Bug.
On thicker mats, he puts down his Louisiana roots and punches a Jaboom Bait Co. Beaver Ball weighing 1/2- and 3/4-ounce. He used the Cali 420color in clear areas and black/blue in dirty water.
“I know that with clear skies and high pressure, they’re under those mats,” Norris said. “I felt it in my wheelhouse.”
Jeff Clark of Van Buren, Ark., leads the Big Bass standings with his 6-9.
Charlie Miglicco of Cypress, Texas, won the nonboater division with a three-day total of 24-1. Entering daily three-bass limits of 4-15, 9-9 and 9-9, Miglicco won $4,911.
Shayne Dupree of Haslet, Texas, led the Big Bass standings in the nonboater division with his 5-8.
This event is hosted by Visit Muskogee.
2024 Bassmaster Nation Series Title Sponsor: Mercury
2024 Bassmaster Nation Series Presenting Sponsor: Lowrance
2024 Bassmaster Nation Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2024 Bassmaster Nation Series Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Progressive Insurance, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2024 Bassmaster Nation Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew’s, Lowrance, Marathon, Triton Boats, VMC
2024 Bassmaster Nation Series Youth Sponsors: Seaguar, Shimano
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