Canadian angler Cory Johnston in a handout photo.HO/The Canadian Press
It wasn’t nearly as emphatic as his first, but Canadian Cory Johnston still captured an impressive second Elite Series title Sunday.
Johnston, of Cavan, Ont., won the season-ending event on the St. Lawrence River with a solid 102 pounds. He finished one pound nine ounces ahead of American Robert Gee, who entered the final round with a 13-ounce lead over the second-place Johnston.
Johnston’s final five-fish limit weighed 24 pounds 11 ounces while Gee came in with a 22-pound five-ounce bag.
Johnston earned the US$100,000 winner’s prize. He becomes the first Canadian to win two Elite Series titles, and the first to do so in the same year.
In April, Johnston claimed his first circuit title on Florida’s St. Johns River. He finished over 21 pounds ahead of runner-up Brad Whatley of the United States.
Johnston’s win Sunday capped a stellar weekend for his family.
On Saturday, Johnston’s brother, Chris, clinched the Elite Series’ overall title for 2024. That made Chris Johnston the first Canadian to achieve the honour.
In 2020, Chris Johnston became the first Canadian Elite Series winner, also doing so on the St. Lawrence River. Johnston finished fourth in Sunday’s tournament with 96 pounds two ounces after bringing in five fish weighing 23 pounds.
The overall crown and fourth-place finish capped a roller-coaster week for Johnston.
On Monday, he had to settle for an agonizing second at the Elite Series event on Lake Champlain in Plattsburgh, N.Y., finishing just one ounce behind winner Ed Loughran III of the U.S. Johnston then had to drive north for the first day of practice Tuesday.
After standing 16th after the opening day, Johnston fell to 31st on Friday, dropping from second to fourth in the angler-of-the-year standings. But Johnston emphatically cemented the overall title Saturday with a five-fish limit of 29 pounds five ounces that also moved him into fourth in the tournament standings.
Included was the day’s heaviest fish at six pounds seven ounces.
Jeff Gustafson, of Kenora, Ont., concluded a productive tournament Saturday. Gustafson finished 15th with 66 pounds one ounce to grab No. 39 in the overall standings.
That’s noteworthy because the top-40 qualify for the 2025 US$1-million Bassmaster Classic, pro bass fishing’s premier event. In 2023, Gustafson became the first Canadian to win the Classic on the Tennessee River, where he also claimed his first Elite Series crown in 2021.
Cooper Gallant, of Bowmanville, Ont., was the other Canadian in the field. He was 84th with 10 fish weighing 34 pounds 14 ounces but had already cemented his Classic berth (17th in overall standings).