Longtime industry insider Alan McGuckin is in Waddington, N.Y., this week as the Bassmaster Elite Series resumes at the St. Lawrence River. He passed along this piece about reigning Classic champion Jordan Lee.
If life’s goodness were measured in pounds and ounces right now for reigning Bassmaster Classic Champion Jordan Lee, it’d be the equivalent of a monstrous 27-pound, 4-ounce limit of bass.
Since his dramatic come-from-behind Classic win at Lake Conroe, he threatened to win the Bassmaster Toyota Texas Fest last month, where he finished 4th.
Away from the water, Lee recently got engaged to his girlfriend of three years, Strike King launched a signature series remake of his Classic-winning football jig at ICAST, and he discovered his new favorite fishing reel.
Diamond Rings
Lee first became smitten with Kristen Agnew at his first-ever Bassmaster Southern Open at Lake Toho in Florida where Agnew was working the tournament registration as a marketing assistant for Power-Pole.
After dating for three years, Lee bought his bride-to-be a pear-shaped diamond engagement ring at Ed White Jewelers in his hometown of Cullman, Ala.
“We actually looked at rings a year ago, but I’m proud to say I never pressured him to get married,” Agnew said. “I wanted him to propose when he was truly ready, not because so many other people were telling him he should, or asking us when we would get married.”
Lee was logical in his approach to making a lifetime commitment, often assuring Kristen he loved her, but wanting to make sure he was financially secure and standing on stable ground in the fishing industry before he asked her to be his wife.
His Classic win obviously brought the career stability the humble 25-year-old desired.
So on a trip home to North Georgia to see Kristen’s parents, that included a fishing trip to Lake Lanier, the two planned a date to a local vineyard where Lee popped the question.
Sapphire Washers
In terms of where natural gems minerals rank on the hardness scale, a diamond ranks just above sapphire. Right now, Lee is enjoying the best of both worlds. Fresh off diamond shopping, Lee discovered a sapphire-jeweled spool tension washer inside his favorite new fishing reel at ICAST.
The new $199 Quantum Tour S3 features a super-hard sapphire plated washer inside the spool tension knob, creates a smoother, harder surface for the spool shaft to turn against. That leads to much improved longevity in the reel Lee couldn’t keep his hands off during his time in the Quantum booth at ICAST.
Football Jigs
When not in the Quantum booth, Lee and his fiancee could often be found at the Strike King booth proudly showing off the new “J Lee Comeback Jig” for media members and retail dealers.
“It’s made of round, old school, living rubber strands as opposed to the silicone strands that most jigs are made of,” Lee said.“Living rubber has more action than silicone, even when the jig is sitting still on the bottom of the lake, and I think that played a big role in getting so many quality bites that final day on Lake Conroe.
“Living rubber just ‘breathes’ better, and big fish can’t stand not to bite it,” he added. “This is a structure jig for casting in 8 to 30 feet of water, and dragging slowly across the bottom. We’re making it in 1/2, ¾ and 1-ounce.”
When asked to choose just two favorite colors of the new jig, he chose peanut butter and jelly, and plain old brown. He ties the jig to 15-pound fluorocarbon, and fishes it on a 7.3:1 Quantum Tour S3 for speedy line pickup when a bass bites in deep water.
