Maybe a half dozen of the anglers in our whole Elite field could do what Chris Johnston just did, even fewer as flawlessly. Landing giant smallmouth on light line is a difficult task. The hookset needs to be just right, not too hard but not too soft. The drag needs to be a little tighter for this part, then quickly loosened a hair, so that this extremely mean breed of bass doesn’t pull free, break the line or bend the hook as it nears the boat.
These bass like to jump, and often do— high and repeatedly. Just as you think the fight is over and reach for your prize beside the boat, there’s almost always one last exchange where the fish goes haywire and slimes just the fingertips of the outstretched angler’s hand. Wrangling one of these beasts is hard to do. Chris Johnston just did it amongst 5-foot waves.
Look at the horizon in these two screenshots from his recent 5-pound catch. They illustrate pretty well the rise and fall of his 20-foot Ranger boat. The gunwale nearly dipped below the waterline as he reached for the fish from the passenger’s seat, only to rise 3 feet above the surface a second later. After only one swing and a miss, Johnston slipped the monster into the boat with little fanfare. A rare breed capturing a rare breed.
