Minnesota’s Jon Englund got hooked on bass later in life than most anglers who fish Bassmaster tournaments at any level. He grew up on a hog farm, and the little fishing he did was for open-water crappie and ice fishing for walleye.
Prior to tournament fishing, Englund was into hunting, dirt biking, ATV riding and snowmobiling. He often traveled to western mountains where he and fellow snowmobile riders would assault steep, snow-covered hills to see who could climb highest before their machines bogged down.
A lifelong friend, Kyle Wicklund, is the one who refocused Englund’s competitive juices on tournament bass fishing. That happened when Englund was 35 years old.
“Kyle invited me to fish some local tournaments about 10 years ago,” Englund said. “The competiveness of it really intrigued me.”
Englund initially put his emphasis on beating everybody else.
“Little did I realize that I had to beat the bass, as well,” Englund said.
In 2007 Englund bought his first bass boat and began fishing local tournaments in earnest. As his bass fishing knowledge and skill improved, Englund enjoyed more success.
He began to wonder if he could turn his fishing passion into a profession. To do that, he knew the Bassmaster Elite Series was the place to be, and the Bassmaster Open tournaments were the path to the Promised Land.
In 2011 Englund tested the water by fishing the Bassmaster Central Opens as a co-angler. He pocketed checks in two of the three events, which included a fifth place finish at Lake Lewisville and 18th place at Table Rock. The following year he signed on to fish the Central Opens as a pro.
Given Englund’s background of fishing Minnesota’s natural lakes, the Northern Opens would have better suited him. At that time, he opted for the Central Opens because of his work in the construction industry.
The Central Opens begin in spring before Englund’s work gets into full swing in Minnesota. The Northern Opens happen in the summer and early fall and conflict with Englund’s work schedule.
Englund was also five years into growing his own business, Jon Englund Construction, LLC, and it required his oversight. Once Englund’s business got on firmer ground, he was able to take time off to fish the Central and the Southern Opens, which he did in 2013 and 2014.
“I generally take a week off to fish an Open tournament,” Englund said. “I leave home Friday night after work.”
Going from Minnesota bass waters to tournaments from Texas to Florida challenged Englund with a “huge learning curve.” He claims that bass in Minnesota are far easier to catch because they receive much less fishing pressure. The walleye is Minnesota’s premier gamefish.
“You don’t have to resort to finesse to catch bass up here,” Englund said. “It’s a bad day of fishing if you don’t catch 50 or more. It takes 19 to 20 pounds to win most local bass tournaments.”
Another hard reality that slapped Englund is that one bad day in an Open tournament kills any chance of qualifying for the Elite Series in a given division.
For the 2015 season, Englund is fishing all three Open divisions to increase his odds of making the Elites. In the Northern division, the first tournament at the James River is an imposing hurdle for him. Englund has never fished a tidal river.
Then again, Englund prefers fishing shallow, stained water. The James will give him plenty of opportunities to fish his strengths.
Kelli, Englund’s wife of 25 years, supports his fishing and usually travels with him to two or three Open tournaments each year.
Englund’s current sponsors include APF (Alexandria Pro Firearms), Stubs Marine and Dobyns Rods.