First tulips, then Cabbage Patch Kids, then Beanie Babies.
But none of ‘em look good on a hook or have a premade slot for a nail weight.
We already knew how good Chris Johnston is – two AOY titles and a pretty frequent spot in the top 10 will do that – but this week was truly the coming-out party for the Coike and other urchin-style baits.
People lined up at the Classic to buy them (no more than two per person, you get what you get, keep the line moving), but those were early adopters and the true tackle geeks like me. Now the whole bass fishing world is asking “Are they really worth it?”
The short-term answer seems to be a wholehearted “yes.”
Please, just don’t get crushed on Black Friday trying to get some for the grandkids.
Unlike the Pet Rock, the Coikes and other urchin baits do have intrinsic value. In this case, they generated a hundred grand for one angler, tens of thousands down the leaderboard, and who knows how much on the resale market.
I’m still digesting what this one means for Chris’ career, for his partnership with his brother and for the AOY race, but in the meantime here are my initial thoughts at the end of the South Carolina stretch of the 2026 Elite Series season:
Cory Johnston (4th, 92-3) – “I called my old man the second day of practice and said I’m pretty sure one of us will win this.”
Brandon Palaniuk (2nd, 94-0) – “Chris is a big pain in my rear. He has been since 2020.”
Twenties – Chris Johnston, Drew Cook (3rd 92-9) and Pat Schlapper (5th, 90-3) were the only anglers who topped 20 pounds all four days. Brandon Palaniuk and Cory Johnston were the only others who accomplished it at least three times.
One “Tough” Day – Chris Johnston fell 2-3 short of Preston Clark’s winning weight here in 2006. His efforts were hampered by an “off” day on Thursday when he weighed in only 21-2. The next three days he racked up 32-8, 29-2 and 30-15, an average of just about 30-14. If he’d managed that over four days, he would’ve had 123-8. It would have beaten Clark’s weight, but it wouldn’t be one of the top 10 weights in Elite Series history. All of those came from Texas.
Bob Downey (9th, 77-5) – “I told myself I had to get lucky two times each day and today I never got lucky.”
In the Club – Chris Johnston’s win today by 19-12 is the 19th time in Elite Series history that there’s been a double-digit margin of victory. It is the fourth largest margin in the Elites, but It’s not the highest margin of victory by a Canadian. When Cory Johnston won at the St. Johns River in 2024, he beat runner-up Brad Whatley by 21-2. However, it is the largest winning margin on Santee. When Luke Palmer won here in 2023, he beat runner-up Mark Menendez by 14-3.
Rising Tide – Chris Johnston went from 8-3 back on Day 1 to 5-5 back on Day 2 before claiming the lead on Day 3. He was up by 3-2 after Saturday and extended that lead to 19-12when the scales closed today.
Justin Hamner (6th, 85-10) – “I just went fishing. That’s how good this place is.”
Three of a Kind on Two Different Types — Johnston becomes the third active Elite to win Century Belts on both largemouth and smallmouth, joining Patrick Walters and Kyoya Fujita.
Schlapper-Speak – “Lily glotches” and “Fivesies.”
Schlapper’s Best – Pat Schlapper’s 5th place weight of 90-3 was not enough to eclipse his best Elite Series haul of all time. That came in 2024 at Toledo Bend, when he finished 3rd with 93-8. It did, however, beat the 77-15 he amassed here at Santee when he finished 10th in 2022.
Drew Cook – “I caught the last 20 that were on beds in Santee Cooper.”
Hitting in the Two-Spot – In addition to his two Elite wins, Chris Johnston has six runner-up finishes in BASS competition. That pales in comparison to the records of other long-term pros like Roland Martin (19), KVD (16) and Rick Clunn (14). He’s got plenty of time left to make up the difference and also to add some more wins.
Partnership Agreement Details – The Johnstons are known to share tournament winnings. Do they share Coikes, too?
The Points Game – Every point matters at this point in the season and our top four after Day 3 held their positions today. The biggest gainer on Day 4 was Kyle Welcher, who went from 10th to 7th, and the biggest fall was experienced by Bob Downey, who went from 6th to 9th.
No Time to Rest — In the famous 2007 Elite tournament at Champlain where Tim Horton ate pizza at the dock, he “only” won by 12-13. Of course, he entered the day with a lead of 9-13 and quickly sacked a 19-pound limit. Champlain does not have the same comeback potential as Santee Cooper and Johnston’s Day 3 lead this week was just over 3 pounds. Even if he’d caught today’s 30-pound bag early it seems unlikely he would’ve returned to the dock. Johnston ended up winning by far more than Horton did.
Seasonal Twenties – There were 135 bags of 20 pounds or more in the Elite season (plus the Classic) this year heading into Santee Cooper. Santee added 58. Was that the high water mark? It produced more than a frosty Guntersville (51) but fewer than Lake Murray (74). The two South Carolina events made the Palmetto State’s fisheries look very good. The vast majority of the Elite field is on the list of 20-pound catchers – 82 of them. Dylan Nutt (2x) and Dillon Falardeau are the two non-Elite anglers on the list.
Chris Johnston – “I’m not a Coike expert, let me tell you, but man have they ate it this week.”
Downtown — Justin Hamner was the only angler who started in Moultrie (the lower lake) today.
Brotherly Togetherness – Chris and Cory have yet to finish one and two in an Elite event. Their prior best combined finish in the Elites was the 2024 tournament at the St. Lawrence River: Cory won and Chris was 4th. Today they switched those spots.
Greg Hackney (10th, 71-2) — “I figured the fish come out of the womb here at least a pound and a half.”
Muskogee Madness – Six members of this week’s top 10 had their best Elite tournament of the year (heading into this week) at the Arkansas River. The other four were spread among the other four fisheries. Eight members of the top ten had their best finish of the year (so far) this week. The lone exceptions were Tucker Smith (8th, 82-8) and Pat Schlapper.
Looks Can Be Deceiving – Based on age and appearance, many fans might presume that Tucker Smith is primarily a “scoper” but not only did he win a $500,000 no-FFS tournament last fall, but he’s made top tens in the most recent two no-FFS Elite events – here at Santee and at the Tennessee-Tombigbee.
Sea Urchin Fact #1 – Sea urchins can regenerate spines that are torn off or otherwise damaged. It’s unclear if Coikes can do the same or if they respond well to Super Glue.
Sea Urchin Fact #2 – Purple sea urchins can live over 50 years, and some red sea urchins may live 100 years. I could find no data on the Green Pumpkin or Junebug specimens.
Sea Urchin Fact #3 – Sand dollars are essentially sea urchins that have been flattened. How soon until we see a sand dollar bait? I bet it would skip well.
Full Circle – It would be poetic if the Johnstons celebrated their finishes with a meal at Beef O’Brady’s tonight.
And if you like tournaments won by big margins, don’t forget that the Elites are headed back to the Pasquotank next. That’s where Kyle Welcher effectively lapped the field last year.
Three events left to go. Things are far from over.
