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FEBRUARY 5, 2014 | 59

lot to ishing,” he says. “It is a science.”
put together an impressive streak of successful ishing.
But that doesn’t mean Johnston is counting him-
He adds, “There are variables out of your control and
At these tournaments, ishermen are judged on the size self out.
that makes ishing fun. Weather. Mechanical failures. of their ive best ish. The tournaments can last eight “A bass is a bass,” he says, smiling. “You’re only as
Someone ishing in youy best spot. You have to learn to hours a day for three or four days.
good as your next cast. You just have to go ish. Anything
work through all of that. That’s ishing.”
To prepare, Johnston studies the waters, bait and can happen. As long as you’re in the tournament, any-
In 1990 he moved to Montana and got a job with the ishery. He also undergoes a rigorous workout regime.
thing can happen. That’s what’s neat about being there:

A.L.E.R.T. air ambulance based in Kalispell. After 11 After all, anyone who says tournament ishing isn’t Fish it and see where it goes.”
years he moved into his current profession as a nurse an active sport hasn’t competed.
Johnston is only the third angler from Montana to
anesthetist and now commutes between Kalispell and “It’s like swinging a bat for eight hours,” he says.
qualify for the Bassmaster Classic. Stan Fisher from
Plains, where he works at Clark Fork Valley Hospital.
Montana hosts three oicial qualifying tournaments Trout Creek qualiied in 2000 and Jay Evans from Cor-
each year and last summer and fall he was one of 12 nom- vallis made it in 2009.
inated to the oicial state team. That sent him to his na- As a member of the local Western Montana Bass
“YOU’RE ONLY AS GOOD tive state of California for the divisional tournament Masters club, Johnston rose through the ranks and
in April. Johnston was the top inisher from Montana qualiied through the national championship tourna-

AS YOUR NEXT CAST. and third overall, earning him an invite to the national ment in October, emerging as the top angler from the
championship in Arkansas. On Lake Dardanelle in Oc- Western Division and tenth overall.
YOU JUST HAVE TO GO FISH. tober, Johnston inished as the highest scorer in the “It’s quite an elimination process. Literally, there
Western Division and 10th overall, earning him the ex- are hundreds of thousands of guys trying to qualify for
ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN.” ceptional distinction of qualifying for the ultimate tour- those 56 spots,” says Don Collins, president of the West-
nament, the Bassmaster Classic.
ern Montana Bass Masters club.
Kalispell angler Tim Johnston
“I wasn’t nervous during the ishing, but the weigh- “(Johnston) is a strong man of faith. He has a lot of
in kind of gave me some butterlies because you don’t conidence in himself and believes in what he’s doing.

know for sure,” he says. “It was pretty special to be able The guy has a level of concentration that’s really hard to
to qualify. I just feel very blessed. God blessed me a lot to match.”
When he irst came to Northwest Montana, he wasn’t be in that tournament.”
Johnston has developed his prowess as a isherman
sure what the bass ishing would be like.
Though he may be the ultimate underdog in two over a lifetime of casting. He’s been ishing ever since he
“The stereotype is that it’s only a trout ishery,” he weeks, Johnston will be the fan favorite among his wife, was old enough to pick up a rod. Growing up in Southern
says, but to his pleasure that wasn’t the case.
Delane, and two sons, Skeeter and Case, who are attend- California, he would sneak onto a golf course near his
Some local anglers took Johnston out and intro- ing the Classic, Feb. 21-23. He plans to share the entire home at night where a giant pond sat loaded with bass.

duced him to Montana’s bass ishery, which spans from experience with them while enjoying every minute of it, “I would go there every night after the marshal left
east to west and features some bountiful sites, like Fort grateful to be there doing something he loves.
and ish,” he says.
Peck Reservoir and Lake Mary Ronan.
“The event itself is real special,” he says, “but the A true passion surfaced, and at 15 he saved up enough
After joining the Western Montana Bass Masters journey getting there and the people you meet and who money to buy his irst boat. He would regularly watch
club, which is the oldest in the state, he began ishing in help you out, it’s wonderful.”
Bassmasters on television and meticulously study other
tournaments across the region.
[email protected]
ishermen.
To qualify for the Bassmaster Classic, an angler must
“It’s more than just casting and winding. There’s a