Although he never found much of a pattern at the Pasquotank River, Jason Christie found enough of the right bass to bring home another blue trophy – his second of 2026.
Jason Christie knows about winning.
He’s held up a first-place trophy 20 times between BASS and MLF (formally FLW), in tournaments ranging from BFLs on local waters in Oklahoma to the 2022 Bassmaster Classic at Lake Hartwell. And that doesn’t account for last year’s $100,000 first place win at Santee Cooper with the National Professional Fishing League, or countless wins in Tuesday nighters, club and charity events and other tournaments of various sizes early in his career.
Nevertheless, he did not know he was going to win at the Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound. “It’s the least expected trophy I have,” he said. Even as he entered the final day with a lead, Christie had minimal confidence that he would catch a big enough bag to finish on top.
It sounded like hiding his hand – something Christie is kind of known for – when he said he wasn’t on anything. However, he had legitimate reason to not be brimming with confidence going into the final day.
Christie knew the areas he was in held big bass, and he had one excellent dock that a competitor had told him about. However, there was no rhyme or reason to when and where he was getting bit, and the action was anything but fast.
He never got more than seven bites in a day, and on Day 2, he had missed a couple of opportunities and only brought four fish to the scales. Having gotten only had five bites on Day 3, he knew that on the final he might get not even get five and that any missed strike or lost fish could end his chances. He also was making a very long run, and the wind was forecast to blow, so various issues could have prevented him from getting to his area or getting back on time. Plus, with the size of fish that live that system, he knew that anyone in the top 10 could catch an historic bag on the final day.
None of that happened, though. He indeed only got five bites, but they were the right five, and he hooked and landed every fish. His four-day total of 92 pounds, 7 ounces gave him more than a 5-pound margin over second place for his second Elite Series victory of 2026. The dock, which Christie describes as the best dock he has ever fished, yielded three of his five fish early in the day.
Bassmaster Elite Series emcee Dave Mercer has recognized Christie as one of the greatest finishers in the sport, and that would be hard to argue. His tournament decision making skills and resolve to stick with something that feels right are extraordinary. That burns him on occasion, but he is OK with that. Sometimes it’s why he ends up winning.
At the start of the Pasquotank Elite Series event, Christie actually had points in mind. As much as he always wants to win, his practice hadn’t left him thinking he was part of that conversation, and a quality finish was important.
“Get some points. Get out of here,” Christie said of his mentality when the tournament started.
After two years of missing Bassmaster Classic qualification and a last-place finish at Lake Martin that left him way down in the standings after two events, Christie had since surged to a solid position. With the 2027 Bassmaster Classic being held at Lake Hartwell, the waters where Christie became a Classic Champion, he simply wanted a finish that kept him in a good place.
The season surge began with an Elite Series win at the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, followed by a 4th Place finish at the Arkansas River, followed by three sufficiently solid events. With Christie’s second Elite Series win of the season now factored in, he is in 11th place in the Angler of the Year standings with two tournaments remaining.
Christie noted that the Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound is the kind of place he really likes to fish because of the quality of the bass. “I love going places where there’s big ones,” he said. “I don’t always catch them, but just knowing that next bite…”
The final two events are on Lake Champlain and the St. Lawrence River. At Lurenet, we’re excited to watch Christie perform on these two iconic waterways.
