Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
Keewatin’s Jeff Gustafson sealed a wire-to-wire victory at the Bassmaster Elite Series event on the Tennessee River Sunday.
Gustafson was waiting for weigh-in well before fishing was done with his limit of smallmouth filled.
“I figured it would take a really big bag to catch me, and being 40 miles down the river and with all the logs on the river, there was room for something to happen and I just wanted to get these fish in and get back here.”
With a 14-pound, 3-ounce limit, the local pro claimed his first career Bassmaster Elite Series victory with a four-day total of 63 pounds, just over 7 pounds ahead of second-place finisher Steve Kennedy of Auburn, Alabama.
Gustafson took home $100,000 at the Knoxville, Tennessee competition.
In a tournament where largemouth played for most of the field, all 20 of Gustafson’s bass were smallmouth, something he didn’t expect heading into the event.
“In my experience on the Tennessee River lakes, if you catch a smallmouth it’s sort of a random fluke. With the 18-inch size limit, I had to interest in trying to target smallmouth. I knew the fishing would be tough and it is crazy how it works out.”
He notes, ” Some of my good tournaments down here, I’ve had the worst practices. I caught a few in practice and had no idea what was really there until the tournament started.”
Gustafson becomes only the second Canadian to win a Bassmaster Elite Series event and says its been a lifelong dream of his.
“My dad took me fishing every chance I wanted to go when I was a kid and I just caught the bug for it. This is my whole like doing this stuff. It means everything to me. I think about a lot of people that I did it for, my family and I have a log of good buddies at home that have the talent to do this and just have a different direction in their lives.”
He adds, “They all really support me and send me messages all the time, good or bad. I can’t wait to show them all this trophy.”
