Run for the Border

Posted by Pete Robbins on Sep 13th 2021

The Johnston brothers’ historic run of St. Lawrence River dominance that I’ve been writing about for the past month continued this past weekend as Cory grabbed his first B.A.S.S. trophy by winning the third and final Northern Open of the year. While the lack of a fourth day of competition prevented him from amassing the still-mythical hundred pounds of bronze, his 78-00 over three days marked their best single tournament daily average over the three most recent pro-level derbies. They’ve both made every cut and here are their stats:

Elite Series (4 days):

Chris: 5th place, 20 bass, 85-00 ($40,000)
Cory: 4th place, 20 bass, 88-00 ($35,000)

Toyota Series (3 days):

Chris: 1st place, 15 bass, 77-15 ($39,048)
Cory: 2nd place, 15 bass, 72-10 ($14,550)

Bassmaster Open (3 days):

Chris: 7th place, 15 bass, 71-03 ($9,200)
Cory: 1st place, 15 bass, 78-00 ($43,433)

For the math averse:

They’ve averaged a finish between 3rd and 4th place.
Average daily weight combined: 23-10
Total winnings: $181,231

Remember, they split their expenses and earnings, but they’ve won approximately the same amount -- $88,248 for Chris, $92,983 for Cory. Depending on who spent the most on boat gas, that might be pretty much a wash.

It’s been a hell of a month and they’re probably upset that there won’t be any more near-term opportunities to cash in bigtime, but thrilled that they’ll be headed back to this watery ATM next year.