THERE WAS SOMETHING about his smile — an eye-twinkling grin that seemed to hint at more than Jeff Gustafson was saying. Now that the Canadian superstar owns a Bassmaster Classic title, it seems like the suspicion was valid.
After weighing in on Day 1 at the second Bassmaster Elite event of the year at Lake Seminole, I was discussing the potential for Gussy to repeat, at least in some form, the eye-opening smallmouth domination that delivered his first Elite Series win at the 2021 event on Fort Loudoun and Tellico lakes.
For clarity, there’s no implication of dishonesty or misdirection. Gustafson would be the first to admit those Tennessee River smallmouth can be a frustrating lot and, as he’d find out through his painfully difficult Day 3 at the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Toyota, they’ll get weird on you in a skinny minute.
Nevertheless, the fact that Gustafson has earned the sport’s two most coveted trophies by devoting seven competition days (four Elite, three Classic) to Fort Loudoun-Tellico smallmouth will forever change the way we view the fishery and the angler.
How He Did It
Gustafson’s a well-rounded competitor, but when it comes to moping — vertically
