Cory and Chris Johnston are Canadian brothers making history in the world of competitive fishing south of the border.
They are both pro anglers, competing in the Bassmaster Elite Series, which is the highest level of professional bass fishing tournaments in North America. These young men have qualified to join a field of only seventy-five competitors to participate in these tournaments and vie for the top honour of Bassmaster Angler of the Year.
For the Johnston brothers, it’s not clear if the fishing talents come from nurture or nature. Their father Lynn Johnston fished competitively across Ontario when the boys were growing, so they spent countless days in the bass boat practising the craft under the tutelage of an expert. They were also able to go behind the scenes at the weigh-ins where they met many tournament greats fishing in the same competition, which fueled their interest to fish competitively.
This background gave the boys a leg up on their competition, but to really succeed in fishing tournaments requires not only skill but also hard work. Practise helps, but research makes the difference. Cory and Chris experiment together, pooling their knowledge, developing and testing theories about how to do things differently.
Both brothers were in the money at one of the first the Elite Bass tournaments of the season held at Winyah Bay in South Carolina last month, with Cory taking third spot. As brothers, they are naturally competitive with each other, but when it comes to the family fishing business, it’s all about co-operation. There is a single bank account for the business of fishing, where winnings and sponsorship funds are pooled and expenses are paid.
Chris and Cory also travel together to events and arrive early for the equivalent of practise rounds they call pre-fishing. This involves cruising around the tournament site, examining the lake bottom, looking for irregularities that might represent opportunities. They rarely make a cast during these tours- why risk snagging a fish in practise that you could catch in competition?
In tournament fishing there is no live bait, only lures, and fish-finding technology is allowed. While fishing is often a perceived as a solitary activity, in competition anglers are never alone in the boat; they are accompanied by a tournament marshal, sometimes a photographer, and on rare occasions a co-angler. Unlike a relaxing afternoon on the lake with a fishing rod in hand, tournament play is intense and requires endurance, and the long days can be gruelling, even for these young men.
To earn a living fishing, anglers must compete in the US where prize money is significant, as fishing competitively is expensive. The Johnston brothers were fortunate to have family support, and did not take long to achieve financial success in their competition. Both young men have their own 20’ Ranger bass boat equipped with a 250 horse power Evinrude motor and a truck to haul them to tournaments across North America. With success also comes sponsors, which helps offset the cost.
In addition to the nine tournaments in the Elite Bassmaster Series which run from February to September, the brothers compete in tournaments closer to home, in the Kawarthas, Lake Simcoe and Rice Lake. During the season, tournaments take the competitors away for a week a month. In between competitions, they work with their father at the family business, Peterborough Battery.
Reached on one of their days off, Cory was spending the afternoon fishing for Pickerel with his father and a friend on Pigeon Lake while Chris was fishing for Pike in a nearby lake. It’s a bit of a switch, because in tournaments across North America, bass is the target but clear evidence that fishing remains fun for these elite competitors. Nice when work feels like fun. The only question remains is who will earn the Angler of the Year prize first? KG
Photo Thomas Allen.
Cavan resident Cory Johnston and his brother Chris are living the dream earning a living going fishing in the Elite Division of the Bassmaster Tournament Series in the US.