KJ Queen at age 24 is the youngest angler on the 2021 Elite Series roster. The highly-decorated Bethel University college angler qualified by finishing fifth overall in the the two Bassmaster Basspro.com Opens series last year, after graduating in 2019.
“I’m definitely feeling a little nervous,” Queen said on the eve of Day 1 at the St. Johns River. Adding to his anxiety was a first day that didn’t go anything like he had planned. It began with the three-hour fog delay.
“That fog delay really hurt me because I was making a really long run,” he said. “I thought about scrapping it, but honestly I didn’t have any other options, so I knew I had to go for it.”
As he was making that long run, his front graph came loose from the bracket after the screws stripped out, so he had to stop and fix that problem. The bigger problem was when he arrived at his destination and the big female bass he’d seen on spawning beds during practice weren’t there. He made the best of it, catching five that weighed 11 pounds, 10 ounces. Then he faced another dilemma.
“When I started to come back I noticed my livewells weren’t working,” Queen said. “I dumped out a bag of tackle and used my Bass Mafia bag to fill with water, stopping every little bit to put fresh water in my livewells. I wasn’t expecting that one. I guess you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.”
Queen’s five bass were all alive when he checked in. That was crucial as his 11-10 total put him in a four-way tie for 25th place. Every ounce was important yesterday as he was one of 12 anglers stacked between 11-13 and 11-1 in the Day 1 standings.
Keep an eye on KJ Queen. He may be young, but, as his first day on the Elite Series showed, he can handle adversity like an old pro.