Closing time for Christie

GREENVILLE, S.C. — Jason Christie has twice been so close to winning the GEICO Bassmaster Classic Presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods that no one would’ve blamed him if he’d already cleared a place for it in his house. Both of those times he left Grand Lake disappointed, with 7th and 2nd place finishes that would provide valuable points in a regular season event, but which signify nothing but disappointment during Classic week.

No one remembers second place finishers in the Bassmaster Classic for their valiant efforts. They’re only remembered for heartbreak.

Christie, whose stoicism never allowed the certain disappointment to show in 2013 or 2016, is once again within sniffing distance of the title. He leads the field heading into the final day at Lake Hartwell, with close friend Edwin Evers sitting in 2nd, trailing by 4 pounds, 11 ounces – one good bite. Evers may be a friend, but he was also the one who closed the door on him in 2016 with a massive final day catch.

Steve Bowman and I watched Christie all day, and while there were no theatrics – no monster bass caught or landed, not a single “never give up” moment – he stuck to the plan and it has him in the right place. He culled incrementally – from 8 to 9 to 10 to 11, and so on – until slowly but suddenly he had 16-06 in the well.

Despite his skills and his proven track record on the water, Christie has reached the gut check threshold now. He’s fished decently on several Classic Day threes, but he’s yet to have that “day of a lifetime” he needed to get over the hump.

Every proven Classic closer was at one time an unproven closer. Until he won at the Louisiana Delta in 2001, Kevin VanDam, had 10 Classic “failures” to his name. Seventeen years later, he has more Classic trophies than anyone not named Rick Clunn. Two years ago, Evers was in the running for the “best pro never to win the title” – fishing’s equivalent of kissing your sister — when he got that monkey off his back.

No one has ever doubted Jason Christie’s athleticism, his ability to catch fish, or his ability to win tour level events. Until he does it, though, there will always be doubts in everyone’s minds, including probably his own, about his ability to close out a Classic. I was right there in 2010 and 2011 when KVD caught the winning fish. Same in 2012, 2013 and 2015, with Chris Lane, Cliff Pace and Casey Ashley, respectively. I’ve also watched Christie on the water in three Classics (2013, 2016, and now 2018) and I know that those others don’t have anything that he doesn’t – except the trophy. If anything, he seems more unflappable than the rest, and that should serve him well. In 2013, a spectator told him that Evers had a 25 pound bag, and except for a quick shoulder slump, it was immediately back to business on the water. Today he lost one about 5 pounds early in the afternoon, but rebounded with a bass nearly as big on his last stop.

All of that leads me to believe that if Christie does not win tomorrow, it will not be because he “loses” the title, but rather because someone else wins it. He can manage his fish, manage his spectators, manage his emotions and even manage his expectations, but the 24 other pros on the water are a variable outside of his control. There are currently four anglers within 6 pounds of Christie’s lead, and six more 9 or fewer pounds out, so no one is going to backslide into the winner’s circle. The hump of winning is in front of Christie, and he’s driving the bus, but his rear view mirror is chock full of hammers.

If we’ve learned anything from the past couple of Classics, it’s that virtually no lead is safe.

Could it be a prior Classic champ, like Evers, Jordan Lee or Casey Ashley? Could it be Gerald Swindle, Jacob Wheeler or Brent Ehrler, all of whom have won titles but not this title. Into this mix insert young strivers like James Elam and Micah Frazier. Everyone is catching fish, as evidenced by the fact that no one in the top 25 has caught less than a limit either day, but strange things happen on Championship Sunday. Two 7-pound bites, mechanical problems, or a fish that makes one last awkward surge at boatside could change someone’s life. Jason Christie would really like to close one door that has remained stubbornly open.

“I can kind of forget about that,” he told Dave Mercer on stage. “But there’s people like you who keep bringing that up.”

We could be less than 24 hours away from never hearing about it again. 

I hope that I’m there if and when he lofts the winning fish into his boat. Chances like this are likely to arise again for an angler of Christie’s talents, but even so, they only come around once a year, at most.