By Jonathan LePera
Special to BassFan
Jason Christie is fired up. He’s yet to spend a moment in a deer stand this fall. Failing to qualify for the 2025 Bassmaster Classic marks the first time he'll miss a championship (other than his one season on the MLF Bass Pro Tour) in his career, and it doesn’t sit well with him.
“Oh, I am angry about it," said the 51-year-old Oklahoman who finished 61st in the 2024 Bassmaster Elite Series Angler of the Year (AOY) race. "It always seems like no matter how bad the season was, I could always pull something out at the end.
"I hate that I missed it," the 2022 Classic champion continued. "It makes me feel like I let my sponsors down. I have high expectations for myself and my sponsors also have high expectations. But I feel like this will be a good thing for me.”
He says he's never taken the Classic for granted, but thinks he may have brushed off a bad day or tournament too lightly this year, always promising a better day tomorrow or a higher finish at the next tournament.
“With the Bassmaster Elite Series, you can’t have many bad days and hope to make the Classic against these guys. We have a strong group, and the field keeps getting stronger,” Christie said. “You have to be focused every tournament, every day, and now, I believe, every cast.”
His boat is already rigged and wrapped for the 2025 season, and he thinks the only way he can get over a bad year is to have another season start to wipe the past clean. He’s looking for redemption for himself, his family, his fans and his sponsors.
Not a Salesman
Christie admits to a love/hate relationship with social media, but he’s vowed to do it on his terms.
“I try not to be a salesman," he said. I am going to tell (followers) why I use something and how I use it. Take all the text messages and direct messages; I think people reach out to me because they trust me. I will tell them the good, and if there is any bad."
Christie credits his wife, Shana, for his focused marketing plan. He’s hired a videographer to film and manage his YouTube content.
“We use social media to teach and promote, to help our business, B.A.S.S. and bass fishing,” he said. “If you look at my YouTube (channel), my number one goal is if one person goes on there and replicates what we did and catches bass, then we've made a positive impact on bass fishing.”
He pays no mind to all the drama about the sport that exists there. Sure, he has opinions, but perpetuating the negativity serves him no purpose.
“I don't think there is a place for that in bass fishing.”
Instead, he’ll try to ensure he’s over-delivered to his sponsors so they'll renew without hesitation when the contracts conclude at the end of each season.
“I try to think of it from the sponsor’s standpoint. I want to feel like I earned my money, which means catching bass, being on Bassmaser Live, social media, and word of mouth,” he said. “I have a good team, and I have for my entire career. It makes it easy for me to do my job and teach. That’s easy and fun”.
The Slow Burn
Some anglers fish year-round, but that's never been Christie’s way.
“I cannot wait until the end of the fishing season to go hunting," he said. "I must have those two months where I get away from it, get in a tree, work and do social media, but stay out of a boat. I think that keeps my body healed.
"I don’t want to get into that burnout, and it’s the same with hunting. At the end of that hunting season in January, I forced myself to stay in a tree because every day I stayed in a tree, it made me want to go fishing worse and worse.”
After missing the Classic, he felt there was much sponsor work and filming to be completed before he felt he’d earned his worth, so there's been no hunting. If he’d won the Classic or an event, he’d be more at peace sitting in his stand, believing he’d fulfilled his end of the bargain.
The Road Ahead
Christie says the 2025 schedule has him amped to start the season. He loves fishing unfamiliar venues and wishes the Elite Series did more of that.
“You have a clean slate and a fresh mind,” he said. “I like the schedule; we fish many good lakes at good times. I think a guy can keep a baitcaster in his hand a lot.
"The one at the house (Lake Tenkiller) is a little iffy. Yes, I am excited; I fish at an Elite Series event and sleep in my bed, and (Canadian Elite Series angler Jeff Gustafson) gets to pile up in the guest house. In June, we'll catch a lot of fish, but this lake is busy. I love that we're ending up in Wisconsin.”
His friendship with Gustafson is the result of their wives becoming close.
“It’s kind of a weird match; a lot of guys wouldn’t put me and Gussy together,” Christie said. “I trust him 100 percent, and I think he trusts me. I don’t think you could walk up to him and smack him in the face and make him mad. He’s a good dude.”
Christie likes his privacy, and despite talking to a select few Elite anglers about deer hunting, he’s all business. At home, it’s much the same. He has a small “ride or die” crew for which he’d do anything. It gives him peace of mind heading into the coming season as his kids have moved out, and he is set on fishing as much as possible.
More Time on the Water
Christie said he plans to adopt a John Cox-type tournament regimen, stepping up to 15-20 events per year.
“I’d like to fish more around the house and maybe jump in on some weekend stuff. I’ve noticed that I've gotten away from that in the past few years and want to get back into it. That’s how I stay sharp,” he said.
He noted that 2013 was his best season – it was grueling from a physical perspective, but mentally, he was “sharp as a tack.” He fished both the FLW and B.A.S.S. trails, and planting food plots was the farthest thing from his mind when he could finally park the boat in his driveway.
He said his desire to win still runs strong. As he finished breakfast one morning, he clicked on Bassmaster.com, only to see the lead story showcasing the 2025 Classic qualifiers.
“I immediately closed it because seeing stuff like that just burns you," he said.
