Jason Christie Wins Santee Cooper with BOOYAH Covert Spinnerbait

When conditions get right for Jason Christie to keep a spinnerbait rod in his hand while plying legendary big bass waters, good things are apt to happen. That was proven March 6-9 at the National Professional Fishing League’s Stop One at Santee Cooper Lakes, where Christie set an NPFL record with a three-day weight of 82 pounds, 12 ounces to win by nearly 10 pounds and earn the $100,000 first place prize.

The Oklahoma pro, who is considered one of the top spinnerbait fishermen of all time, concentrated on one area, slow rolling isolated cypress trees with a 1/2-ounce BOOYAH Covert Single Colorado Spinnerbait.

Water temperature played an important role in Christie’s spot selection, but the temperatures he sought were the opposite of what anglers commonly look for during spring. The area Christie fished in Lake Marion, better known locally as the Upper Lake, held the coolest water he could find.

“Throughout practice and during the tournament, I looked for the coolest water in the area because I didn’t want my fish to leave and try to spawn,” Christie said. “Some parts of the lake were further along, but where I was focusing, the cooler water kept them positioned where I could catch them.”

Christie, who designed the BOOYAH Covert Series of spinnerbaits, focused on isolated cypress trees in 2 to 5 feet in an area known as the Brickyard, slow rolling his spinnerbait close to the cover. He alternated between White Chartreuse Blue and White Chartreuse.

Christie brought 31 pounds, 6 ounces to the scales on Day 1, putting him in second place. His Day 2 catch of 19-1 dropped him to sixth place, but a giant 32-5 final-day bag delivered the dominant win.

Santee Cooper was the first of six regular season NPFL stops before the League Championship in October on Lake Hartwell, where Christie won the Bassmaster Classic in 2022 and earned his first FLW Tour win many years earlier.

A joint effort between BOOYAH and Christie makes spinnerbait selection simple for the rest of us. The Covert Series Heat Map on Lurenet allows you to cross-reference water temperature and water color and learn Christie’s spinnerbait choice for that situation, including primary and secondary options for colors and sizes.

Christie is highly systematic with spinnerbait selection, and water temperature and water color are the key factors that dictate which blade configuration he chooses. The Heat Map, like the Covert Series, comes directly from Christie’s lifelong spinnerbait study.

The BOOYAH Covert Series features Hildebrant blades and a unique head shape with a raked-out gill to offset blade torque and keep the bait running true. Everything about the Covert Series, from the skirt style to the wire gauge to the configurations, colors and sizes available, came directly from Jason Christie.

Christie's preferred trailer choices for Covert Spinnerbaits include a YUM Swim'n Dinger and  YUM FF Sonar Minnow.