Elite

Semifinal Saturday on St. Lawrence with Chris Johnston

Posted on
Photography by
Andy Crawford
Canadian pro Chris Johnston already had 19 pounds by the time we caught up with him. He was fishing on the Canada side of the border off a long point sticking into Lake Oneida.
Johnston is a Canadian favorite, who knows these waters well.
He would fish a very small area for sometimes just a few casts before picking up the trolling motor and heading to another location.
He hooked up while fishing a couple hundred yards from fellow Elite angler Kenta Kimura.
This smallmouth might have been kept earlier in the day, but it wouldn’t help Johnston at this point.
So it was quickly returned to the water.
And then he was off again to check another waypoint on his electronics.
The move paid off.
A glance at the fish in the bathtub-clear water showed it was a nice smallie that needed to be worked carefully.
A solid 4-pounder was soon in hand.
The latest catch allowed Johnston to cull up a bit.
Off to another spot.
Johnston often looked to be pitching very specific targets, even though he was in deeper water.
His local knowledge paid off with frequent hooksets on those small target areas.
Another 4-pounder was scooped into the boat.
He had to pull out the balance beam to ensure he was releasing the smallest smallmouth in his livewell.
And then he was off again, heading deeper into Canadian waters.

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