Jason Christie wins Bassmaster Elite at Pasquotank

Written by Christopher Decker. Photography by Andy Crawford, Dalton Tumblin, Shane Durrance, and Chase Sansom

At no point did Jason Christie think he was going to win the Maxam Bassmaster Elite Series at Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound. That is, until he held the trophy over his head.

The Dry Creek, Okla., pro caught a four-day total weighing 92 pounds, 7 ounces, outlasting Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series rookie Fisher Anaya and Ohio native Hunter Shryock for his second victory of the 2026 season. That total weight was done with only 19 bass after he fell short of a limit on Day 2.

“Even today, I thought my luck was going to run out,” Christie said. “I could go up there tomorrow and not catch one. It was so random where I was catching them.”

This marks Christie’s 10th B.A.S.S., joining Kevin VanDam, Rick Clunn, Denny Brauer, Larry Nixon, Edwin Evers and Roland Martin as the only anglers to win double-digit Bassmaster events. Seven of those victories are Elite Series wins, two are Opens victories and last but not least a Bassmaster Classic.

All of that was done in 139 events.

“They’ve all been surprising,” Christie said. “Whenever I have a good practice, I usually don’t catch them. Practice here was not good. I just really had to keep my bait wet. I didn’t even catch a limit one day.”

Christie made the trek up to the Chowan River every day of the tournament, staying in the front half of the river so he only had to get gas once. Most of the bass were located 2 feet under the surface in 6 or 7 feet of water. As hard as he tried, he could never find a consistent pattern to run. He caught bass off cypress trees, laydowns and stumps, but nothing stayed consistent.

One dock, however, saved his tournament. Fellow competitor David Mullins told Christie about that dock after Day 2, and Christie caught over 28 pounds off that one dock between Semifinal Saturday and Championship Sunday.

“It is the best dock I have ever fished. It took care of me yesterday and today. Without that, I wouldn’t be standing here.” Christie said. “It was something about the current. When I would pull up there would be baitfish jumping out of the water.”

After Day 3, Christie remarked he had a new arrow in his arsenal. That bait was an unnamed urchin-style bait in watermelon he purchased at a Scheel’s event several weeks ago. He doesn’t know the name, but it carried him all week on the Chowan.

“I’m 100 percent serious when I say I don’t know the name of them,” he said. “I bought one, tried it at home and caught two bass on it. I had to work an event at Scheels, and I bought three or four there. I won (using) that one.”

He rigged it on a 2/0 Trokar Frog Hook, which he felt improved his hook-up ratio, and added light drop shot weight to help it sink. A Falcon Swim Jig rod paired with a Spro Jason Christie Elite MG reel and 22-pound Sunline Shooter was his primary setup.

A Booyah One Knocker Spook also produced on a key keeper.

Forward-facing sonar was part of his strategy, but only to locate cover and structure elements.

Christie enjoyed his best start of the tournament on Championship Sunday. After starting on a set of cypress trees to let the other anglers settle in, he ran to the dock and cracked three bass weighing over 20 pounds, including an 8-pounder, in a 10-minute span. He proceeded to land two more 4-pounders to fill out the day, one on a cypress tree and another on an offshore spot.

“I pulled up, caught a big one. I went two (dock) poles down and caught another big one. I sat there and caught another good one. Then I caught a 3 1/2 out in front of it. I went from hunting and pecking to catch a limit to catching four really quick. It made my decision to leave early easier.

Not knowing how much time it would take to get across the Sound, Christie left around noon and returned to the Pasquotank River two hours before check-in. He said those two hours felt like an entire tournament day.

“I felt like I had a better chance of winning by getting back to weigh-in with my bass alive than rushing and killing my fish or getting stuck out there,” he said.Christie claimed the $4,000 Toyota Bonus Bucks contingency for the highest-placing eligible angler, while Anaya earned $3,000 as the second-place angler.

Christie also won the $2,500 Yamaha Power Pay contingency award for the highest-placing eligible angler. Missouri’s Cody Huff earned the $1,500 second-place award.

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