By David A. Brown
Special to BassFan
At age 25 and 6-foot-1, Luke Johns often is one of the youngest and tallest pros at Western bass tournaments. But if we’re using measurable stats, we also have to use terms like “most successful” and “most promising” – both of which the pro from Folsom, Calif. recently justified.
Capping the maiden season of the Bass Angler Magazine (BAM) Pro Tour, Johns turned in an impressive performance during a challenging event and won the trail’s inaugural Tournament of Champions in late October at the California Delta.
As Johns points out, his weights were a far cry from Delta norms. He reached the final round after posting daily limits of 14.74 and 16.36 pounds. With weights zeroed for Day 3, Johns added 16.42 and claimed the top prize – a fully-rigged $65,000 Bass Cat boat with Mercury, Garmin and Eternal Lithium equipment.
Admitting he was surprised with the winning bag, Johns said he blamed the Delta’s lower-than-normal productivity on weather patterns.
“We’ve had unusually warm weather going into fall,” said Johns, who has fished the Delta for 10 years. “That was the first week that it really cooled down. We were getting into the upper 60s to low 70s for our highs. It was our true fall transition.
“Typically, the topwater (action) is key for getting one or two big bites a day, but that did not come into play for anybody in the event.”
Also absent was the punch bite. Those hyacinth and grass mats that offer the ideal mix of shade and feeding opportunities during hotter times saw their attraction in much lower demand.
“A lot of those fish get sucked out during the cooler weather,” Johns said. “During the tournament, the fish were more dispersed and lethargic.”
Path to Victory
Fortunately, tournament weekend offered a tide schedule that Johns favored. It’s all about managing those Delta water levels and he was able to work a familiar and friendly scenario.
“It was a tide I enjoy; it was low, for the most part,” Johns said. “We had an extremely low tide, but it made fishing pretty easy, because when the tide drops out, you can visually pinpoint your targets like a grass line or a drop-off.
“That allows you to be more efficient, but it’s a little weird looking at some of these banks where you’d normally be fishing 15 feet closer to a shoreline or a tule line and there’s 6 inches of water the whole way there.”
With the tournament launching out of Big Break Marina, Johns quickly determined that his best opportunities were to the south. Spending his tournament between Victoria Island and Tracy, he caught the majority of his fish on a wacky-rigged Senko and a Picasso Shock Blade with a Yamamoto Zako trailer.
Johns says he'll be ready to move east after he notches one or two more big wins in his native region.
“The first day I had visually found a big group of fish, so I told myself I didn’t need to chase the tide,” Johns said. “I could live in the area and if I fished clean, the bites would come.”
As Johns explained, his TOC win provided much-needed redemption for a tougher-than-expected year. He held his own, but facing top-tier Western talent was like pursuing a masters degree in tournament competition.
“It means a lot to me, because this year was a bit of a bigger learning experience,” Johns said. “I felt that I had become more of a veteran on the pro side, but the start of the year was kind of humbling. I’d been on kind of a streak the last couple of years and I started out with some rough finishes.
“To be able to end the year with a couple of really good finishes in some other events and then to cap it off with a win – especially against the group of Delta rats in that Top10 – it meant a lot to me.”
Working His Way Up
Johns also owns trophies from his 2022 win at the Apex Cup Championship on Folsom Lake and a 2020 victory at the Wild West Pro-Am on New Melones Lake. He won the 2021 Wild West Pro-Am Pro Angler of the Year title.
Appreciating Johns’ achievements is not hard to do, but looking at the humble pie that nourished his early years of tournament fishing seems to amplify his story.
Essentially, he cut his teeth in tournament fishing in a 1996 Skeeter that he ran all the way through his APEX win on Folsom. Johns then upgraded to the 2015 Skeeter ZX225 with a 225-hp Yamaha he now runs.
“I ran that older boat for many years and proved that it not’s not about the boat, it’s what you can do on the water,” Johns said.
Many are the factors a tournament angler must manage, but perhaps none so powerful as their own ambition. Johns believes a steady growth process has kept him grounded and has rewarded his efforts with several important building blocks.
“I’d say the whole time that I’ve been fishing, the biggest key was to never get ahead of myself,” he said. “I worked my way up through high school, co-angler stuff, smaller team tournaments and just tried to graduate myself into these bigger events, where I felt comfortable financially, so I wasn’t stressed about having to make a check at an event.
“Being able to fish freely and have confidence in myself has been the biggest thing. As far as winning, it’s all about your mindset each day. You have to believe you’re going to win or else you’re already behind the ball.
Ask Johns what makes him tick and he’ll tell you it’s nothing complicated. He just wants to go fishing and come home a champion.
“Winning, as basic as that is, that’s what motivates me,” Johns said. “I’m a competitor at heart and I’m passionate about fishing, so I’ve blended those two things.
“I want to be in this for a long time, so I want to be relevant and stay at the top of my game.”
Looking Ahead
Johns said his recent win has stoked his competitive fire. His goal list is not new, but perhaps a little closer.
“I definitely want to win the U.S. Open; that’s a West Coast legend,” he said. “I also want to take a stab at the Bassmaster Opens and make the Elites.
“I want to win blue trophies, win a Bassmaster Classic and win Angler of the Year.”
How’s that timing looking? Still relatively young at the pro level, Johns isn’t necessarily on a clock, but youthful enthusiasm burns a hot fire. He’s playing a patient, but goal-centered game.
“Maybe one or two more big (Western) wins might set me up to make a move out east. Also, I’m continuing to build my relationships with sponsors and the people that support me.
“That’s all very important, but I also have to focus on doing my job. You have to catch fish and if you do that consistently, everything else will fall into place.”
