Jason Christie captured his ninth Bassmaster victory in impressive fashion at the 2026 Mountain Dew Bassmaster Elite on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. Christie added to his reputation as one of the best bass anglers in the world, especially on shallow, riverine fisheries where power fishing reigns as a predominant pattern.
The east-Oklahoma native fished the way he knows best, employing a ½-ounce BOOYAH swim jig and ½-ounce BOOYAH spinnerbait with a single Colorado blade to milk one primary area for over 58-pounds of bass. Both the spinnerbait and soft-plastic trailer threaded on the lure are Christie-designed creations, making the win even more special.
“It’s so hard to win at this level,” Christie admitted. “So, to squeak out an ‘old-school’ win like this using a spinnerbait and a swim jig to grind out one main spot… it just doesn’t seem to happen like that a whole lot in 2026. It’s super special.”
While Christie’s tactics and lure choices included a nod to the past, he relied on the latest and greatest technology via his boat and motor to get him to and from his fish each day on a treacherous body of water that kept the service trailers busy throughout the event.
Christie has a lot of experience competing on these shallow, sometimes sketchy fisheries. He’s learned the nuances of maneuvering through lock and dam systems on rivers. His understanding of navigating stained, skinny water to access backwaters, ponds, and sloughs to reach fish that others may miss played a huge role in his win.
“You really get dealt everything in these types of river tournaments,” Christie said. “First, you need to go fast so you can beat others to your starting spot. Then, I need my rig to be able to float super shallow. (You have to) be nimble enough to get on pad in skinny water but durable enough to handle knocking off stumps or an unseen log.
“I can’t say enough about my Skeeter-Yamaha for this tournament and all season long. That boat and motor are absolutely two of the MVPs from the Tombigbee. That Yamaha V MAX SHO® 250 got me to my fish every day, but more importantly it got me back to weigh-in on time and in one piece.”
For being the highest finishing angler in the field with a Yamaha outboard purchased within the past 60-months, Christie won an additional $4,000 payout at the Tenn-Tom Waterway from Yamaha Power Pay.
The 2022 Bassmaster Classic® champion has earned a boat load of bonus money from Power Pay since 2019 and encourages anyone interested in tournament fishing to take advantage of this popular contingency program.
“One thing I wish I could convey to a lot of the young anglers in our sport right now is to take advantage of contingency programs like (Yamaha) Power Pay,” Christie offered. “Contingencies are cool, I mean who doesn’t like extra money? But when you can find programs with durable, quality products that you rely on anyway, you gotta lean into it. It’s an easy decision and it can help you line your wallet if you’re smart.”
Follow this link https://yamahapowerpay.com/ to learn more and land extra cash rewards like Jason Christie and thousands of other anglers. Yamaha Power Pay supports over 600 bass, walleye, and saltwater events each year and is completely free to register for. For more information, specific questions or to sign-up today email Chip at powerpay@dynamicsponsorships.com.
