Jeff Gustafson of Kenora looks to reel in 2nd straight Bassmaster Classic title in Oklahoma this weekend | CBC News

A year after making history, Canadian professional angler Jeff Gustafson looks to repeat as the champion of bass fishing’s most prestigious tournament and take home its top prize. 

Gustafson, who’s from Kenora, grew up fishing on Lake of the Woods in northwestern Ontario and has turned a childhood obsession into a career. Last spring, he became the first Canadian and just the second non-American to win the Bassmaster Classic in its 53 years of competition. This year it’s in Tulsa, Okla.

“Last year, the first two days, I had the biggest catch each day. Everything went perfectly. I couldn’t have scripted it any better,” Gustafson said from Oklahoma, where he’s preparing to defend his title this weekend.

“On the final day, I only caught two. I had an hour boat ride back in. I did not think I was going to win. It was very stressful. But it went from being the worst day of my life to one of the best in a split second when they weighed the fish.”

Those first two days were so strong and the two final fish he caught were big enough that when they were weighed, he won by nearly a pound and a half.

Along with the $300,000 US for winning, the exposure and recognition took things to another level. 

“I probably did hundreds of these interviews after I won so I lost some free time,” Gustafson said with a laugh. “But it was a highlight of my fishing career for sure. It kind of takes the pressure off for the next few years. I dedicated my whole life to doing it and that’s as good of a reward as I could have given myself.”

Gustafson, commonly called Gussy by fellow anglers and fans alike, has built a reputation as the nicest guy on the pro tour as well as being a top-tier competitor.

The Bassmaster Classic is different from many other tournaments in that it moves around every year. Last year, when Gustafson won it all, it was in Tennessee. It’s slated for Texas in 2025.

To be able to catch the biggest fish over a three-day span in unknown waters highlights the skill these anglers have, said Bob Izumi, a legendary Canadian angler.

“I’m not a poker player, but there’s a bit of luck if you’re going to get an incredible hand. That only happens every now and then — you can’t count on it — and it’s the same with tournament fishing,” he said. 

“There’s all these factors that can change even in the course of a day of being on the water. It could start out calm and then all of a sudden the winds come up, and maybe the clouds move in, and it gets rainy and windy and rough,” Izumi said. 

That’s what happened to Gustafson last year, only in reverse.

“Last year I was catching them in really deep water where they spend the winter and it got hotter and nicer as the week went on,” he recalled. “And by the final day of the tournament, it got up to something like 25 degrees. It was beautiful.” 

But those changing conditions meant the fish suddenly altered their behaviour and had moved to the shallows, and by the third day, what worked great on the first two days wasn’t on the final day.

 “If I would’ve had to go another day, I wouldn’t have won,” he said. 

Americans dominate professional bass fishing but it has been growing globally.

In 2004, Japan’s Takahiro Omori became the first non-American to win a Classic title. This year, in the 56-angler field, there are eight competitors from outside the United States — three from Japan, one from Australia and four Canadians, all from Ontario: Gustafson, Cooper Gallant, and brothers Chris and Cory Johnston. 

“Our international anglers are vital to the growth of the sport of professional bass fishing in the United States and across the globe,” said Chad Gay, communications manager for the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (BASS), which organizes the Bassmaster Classic. 

“The Bassmaster Classic always has a number of compelling storylines to follow, and Jeff Gustafson’s wire-to-wire win to become the Classic’s first Canadian champion was one that kept fans engaged, as viewership and attendance numbers showed.”

In addition to being broadcast and streamed live to follow from home, a record-setting 163,914 fans attended last year’s event — at takeoff, weigh-in or checking out the expositions and displays built around the three-day competition.

The growing international reach is good business, but for Izumi, Gustafson’s win meant much more. 

“t brought a tear to my eyes when Gussy won,” he said. ” It was emotional for me because I’ve known him since he was a young kid. I think he might have even been in elementary school when I first met him.”  

Izumi said he’s in regular contact with all four Canadian competitors in this year’s Classic.

“They’ll call me while they’re on the road and we just get talking about the business and then the tournaments,” Izumi said, though he doesn’t expect to hear from any of them during the competition this weekend.

“I love to chat with all four of those guys, because I’m still learning as they are. And that’s the one thing about fishing — to be good at fishing, you’re never done learning. You never know it all. And the best anglers in the world will tell you that they’ve got a long way to go to become better.”

Getting better than being a Bassmaster Classic champion and becoming world famous in bass fishing circles will be tough to top, but if Gussy can pull off what only seven others have done before and win a second title, he’ll cement a reputation as one of the best ever.