At age 42 Alabama’s Jon Canada knows his dream of becoming a Bassmaster Elite Series pro can’t wait. After the first two Bassmaster Southern Opens of 2022 he is on track to succeed, laying claim to fifth place in the Southern Opens Angler of the Year standings.
He began his quest to become a professional tournament angler several years ago but halted when his stepfather, James Franks, came down with colon cancer followed by Lewy body dementia. Canada put his life on hold for two years to help his mother, Deborah, take care of him.
When his stepfather passed four years ago, Canada began tournament fishing again in earnest. It was his stepfather and biological father, Billy, who instilled Canada’s passion for fishing and hunting. From the time he was 4 years old, his stepfather and father had him outdoors at every opportunity. He continues to fish and hunt with his father.
The fishing trips with his mother and stepfather were mainly saltwater outings. On weekends they would drive from Pelham, Ala., to their beach house in Destin, Fla., and fish from the family’s 25-foot offshore boat.
“I grew up fishing on that boat every summer until I was 13 years old,” Canada said. “We would go out 25 to 75 miles and catch sailfish, cobia, wahoo, mahi, marlin, sharks, kings, grouper and snapper.”
When Canada was 12 he joined his stepfather, mother and one of his sisters on a six-week boating adventure from Destin to Key West. They stopped frequently to fish, dive and do some sight seeing.
At around age 9 Canada began fishing neighborhood ponds for catfish and whatever would bite, which included an occasional bass. His parents would often have to fetch him home before dark.
He got the bug for bass fishing in large part due to Bassmaster television shows and Bassmaster Magazine. When Canada was 12 his father began launching him at Alabama’s Warrior River in the family’s old Procraft bass boat.
“He’d let me fish by myself, but I wasn’t allowed to crank the big motor,” Canada said. “We knew some people on the river that would look after me. I taught myself to fish the hard way, by working at it.”
Canada jumped into tournament fishing at age 20 after buying a used Gambler bass boat. Logan Martin Lake was his main stomping ground. He fished evening pot tournaments there three or four times a week after coming home from work. If he did well during a Friday evening event, he would often sleep in his truck and fish a tournament there next day.
He gained confidence by holding his own against the hot local sticks. The step up to the Bassmaster Opens was inevitable. This year he is fishing all nine Bassmaster Opens as well as another professional tour.
An extra incentive for Canada to become an Elite Series angler is that he knows Elite standout Brandon Lester.
“Brandon is one of my best friends,” Canada said. “He works alone like I do. If I get up there, I’ll have somebody to work with. When we fish the Opens, we talk straight up.”
Canada’s primary goal is to qualify for the Elites. He also has his sights set on winning one of the Opens in 2022 as well as the AOY title. There’s no time to waste.
“I’m not getting any younger,” he quipped
Canada’s sponsors include Mercury Marine, Triton Boats, Airport Marine, Power-Pole, P-Line, Owner Hooks, Reaction Innovations and Coosa Cotton.
