TROUT CREEK, Mont. — While everyone else was heading toward the popular flats of Noxon Reservoir at launch each day, Montana’s Tim Johnston was going in the completely opposite direction upriver. It proved to be key to his win at the 2014 B.A.S.S. Nation Western Divisional.
“No one was there,” said Johnston. “There was less pressure.”
He was simply cranking a bank during his practice days, but Johnston found something there that was special — a “magic tree.”
“I caught 10 or 11 of my fish there during the tournament,” he said, “and I weighed in eight of those. The rest came from other trees just like it on other parts of the lake.”
The main one was a fallen tree off a bank with current going by, and the current held the fish. When he would leave his main tree, he would work other trees for at least 20 minutes before deserting them. He also threw a ChatterBait into grassy areas that were spawning flats. That said, he probably fished less time than any other competitor. All his limits came in the first two hours of competition each day, and he would cull up later in the day if he felt like he was in a good spot.
He flipped a Yamamoto Flappin’ Hog (green pumpkin) into the trees for his best bites. Johnston was using a Dobyns 795 flipping stick and Abu Garcia Revo Premier reel with 20-pound-test Berkley Trilene fluorocarbon line. Some of his other fish came on a 3/8-ounce white Z-Man ChatterBait with a 3-inch Keitech swimbait as a trailer. Johnston’s winning weight of 39 pounds qualified him for the 2014 B.A.S.S. Nation Championship, Nov. 6-8, on Louisiana’s Ouachita River. He qualified last year, too, and went on to compete in the 2014 Bassmaster Classic.
“Going to the championship or to the Classic doesn’t make you any better,” said Johnston, “but it does give you a confidence and a competitiveness that you didn’t have before. It’s helped me have some expectations and work a little harder.”
Johnston gives a lot of credit to his boat partner for Day 3, Keegan Graves of Idaho. The pair both qualified for the championship last year and shared a cabin for the whole week they were there. Today, that friendship resulted in Graves encouraging Johnston to lead the way all day.
“He just let me have the boat because he knew I had a chance to win,” said Johnston. “There’s no way I would have won today if that didn’t happen.”
Johnston, who will represent Montana at the championship, will be joined by the following state winners: Steve Lund, Arizona; Ronald Welch, California; Scott Sheldon, Colorado; Jason Hickey, Idaho; Kevin Wiggins, Nevada; Earl Conway, New Mexico; Cody King, Oregon; Mike Lavallee, Utah; Clint Johanson, Washington; and Bill Golightly, Wyoming. In the competition between the states, Idaho beat the host team, Montana. Idaho’s cumulative weight was 304 pounds, 2 ounces, and Montana’s was just a touch behind at 303 pounds, 3 ounces. Harrison Bertsch, Idaho’s team captain, said the competitiveness among the team members helped the team be successful.
“Our guys work hard and put in the time,” said Bertsch. “That’s how we eked out a win.”
On the high school side, though, it was the home team that brought home the trophy. Tyler Evans and Dylan Josey of Montana brought in a two-day weight of 16-14. The teammates were coached by Montana B.A.S.S. Nation member Shane Baertsch.
“They were both really great,” said Baertsch, “and a joy to spend the time on the water with.”
Dejon Lewis of California won the Carhartt Big Bass of the tournament for his 5-8 largemouth he caught on Day 2. Johnston, in addition to taking home the overall divisional trophy, won the Livingston Lures Leader Award for leading on the second day.
2014 BASS Nation Western Divisional 5/21-5/23
Noxon Reservoir, Trout Creek, Mont.
(ANGLER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts
1. Timothy Johnston Kalispell , MT (MT) 15 39-00 0
2. Jason Hickey Weiser, ID (ID) 15 36-08 0
3. Harrison Bertsch Rathdrum, ID (ID) 15 36-08 0
4. Clint Johanson Benton City, WA (WA) 15 36-03 0
5. Cody King Island City, OR (OR) 15 34-10 0
6. Mike Lavallee Sandy, UT (UT) 15 34-08 0
7. Jay Evans Corvallis, MT (MT) 15 34-05 0
8. Randy Gust Osburn, ID (MT) 15 32-04 0
9. Sean Minderman Spokane, WA (WA) 15 31-10 0
10. Mitch Ratchford Kennewick, WA (WA) 15 31-01 0
11. Denton L Crofts Meridian, ID (ID) 15 30-13 0
12. Leroy Starling Whitefish, MT (MT) 15 30-13 0
13. Don Allphin Provo, UT (UT) 14 30-12 0
14. Brent Shores Boise, ID (ID) 15 30-10 0
15. Leon Stiffarm Columbia Falls, MT (MT) 14 30-03 0
16. Larry Hutchens Hillsboro, OR (OR) 13 28-14 0
17. Earl Conway Albuquerque, NM (NM) 15 28-14 0
18. William Gibbs John Day, OR (OR) 15 28-05 0
19. Mike Dominick Alberton, MT (MT) 14 27-04 0
20. Chris Felty Caldwell, ID (ID) 12 27-02 0
21. Chase Ratchford Kennewick, WA (WA) 14 27-02 0
22. Kevin Wiggins Las Vegas, NV (NV) 13 27-00 0
23. Steve Lund Glendale , AZ (AZ) 15 26-06 0
24. Ronald Welch Corona, CA (CA) 15 25-14 0
25. Scott Sheldon Loveland, CO (CO) 10 25-12 0
26. Michael Gibney Gresham, OR (OR) 12 25-10 0
27. Randy Campbell Sandia Park, NM (NM) 11 25-06 0
28. Bill Golightly Preston, ID (WY) 11 25-06 0
29. Nicholas Fitzsimmons Lyle, WA (OR) 14 24-15 0
30. Franco Vallejos Albuquerque, NM (NM) 13 24-14 0
31. Randell Bell Elephant Butte, NM (NM) 11 24-09 0
32. Dan Wells Yuba City, CA (CA) 12 24-05 0
33. Casey Welch Arvada, CO (CO) 12 24-04 0
34. Toby Robinson Henderson, NV (NV) 12 24-03 0
35. Chris Dombkowski Cibolo, TX (CO) 14 23-14 0
36. Jeff Colwell Windsor, CO (CO) 14 23-14 0
37. Patrick J Davis Henderson, NV (NV) 13 23-12 0
38. Nate Caldwell Ft Collins, CO (CO) 14 23-08 0
39. Richard Shaff Richland, WA (WA) 11 23-07 0
40. Keegan Graves Meridian, ID (ID) 9 23-06 0
41. Sam Laurence Martin Moscow, ID (MT) 12 23-03 0
42. Gene Batey Jr. Pasco, WA (WA) 11 23-02 0
43. Jeremiah Hofstetter Aurora, CO (CO) 11 23-02 0
44. Mike Powell Heber City, UT (UT) 13 23-01 0
45. Kyle Price Las Cruces, NM (NM) 11 21-13 0
46. Broc Lindauer Honeyville, UT (UT) 14 21-12 0
47. Mike Coleman Pinoeer, CA (CA) 13 21-07 0
48. David Vega McCammon , ID (WY) 13 21-04 0
49. Gerald Kimzey Willcox, AZ (AZ) 12 20-13 0
50. Stephen Pike Las Vegas, NV (NV) 12 20-12 0
51. Michael R Kitts Flora Vista, NM (NM) 11 20-11 0
52. Dejon Lewis Ventura, CA (CA) 10 20-01 0
53. Jeremy Metcalf Payette, ID (ID) 11 20-00 0
54. Earl Wells Payette, ID (ID) 11 19-15 0
55. TJ Hiatt Vernal, UT (UT) 11 19-14 0
56. Eric Hammer Peoria, AZ (AZ) 10 19-10 0
57. Kory Ray Lebanon, OR (OR) 10 19-09 0
58. Gary Collins Moorpark, CA (CA) 10 19-09 0
59. Robert Wysong Hauser Lk, ID (MT) 10 19-06 0
60. Seth Garrison Las Cruces, NM (NM) 11 19-00 0
61. Matt France West Valley City, UT (U 10 18-06 0
62. Jake Cook Pasco, WA (WA) 12 18-02 0
63. David Bertsch Harrison, ID (ID) 10 18-01 0
64. Tim Myers N Las Vegas, NV (NV) 11 17-15 0
65. Kevin J Gray Hermiston, OR (OR) 8 17-14 0
66. Bink Desaro Meridian, ID (ID) 10 17-08 0
67. Tyler Wilson Carlsbad, NM (NM) 9 17-08 0
68. Martin Brian Oxnard, CA (CA) 10 17-08 0
69. Robert Peixotto Albuquerque, NM (NM) 11 17-06 0
70. Joseph Gamboa Albuquerque, NM (NM) 8 16-14 0
71. MT HS Evans / Josey Corvallis, MT (MT) 10 16-14 0
72. Brian Bolander Scottsdale, AZ (AZ) 10 16-12 0
73. Jack E Phelps Aztec, NM (NM) 11 16-12 0
74. Dan Jordan Camas, WA (OR) 9 15-14 0
75. Dwayne Fochler Camarillo, CA (CA) 7 15-13 0
76. CO HS Deakin Fuller Broomfield, CO (CO) 8 15-11 0
77. Matthew F Antonich Post Falls, ID (ID) 10 15-10 0
78. Jason Hemminger Oxnard, CA (CA) 11 15-09 0
79. Curtis Spindler Missoula, MT (MT) 8 15-06 0
80. Chris Lambert Olympia, WA (WA) 9 15-05 0
81. Zackery Shaff Richland, WA (WA) 11 15-02 0
82. Todd Woolard Salem, OR (OR) 11 14-15 0
83. Jason Hooper Salem, OR (OR) 9 14-14 0
84. Mark Powers Platteville, CO (CO) 9 14-12 0
85. Levi McNeill West Valley, UT (WY) 7 14-05 0
86. Nate Crofts Star, ID (ID) 9 14-05 0
87. Randy Wilde Ft Duchesne, UT (UT) 8 14-03 0
88. Dave Lee Mesa, AZ (AZ) 7 14-02 0
89. ID HS - Torok / Payne Hayden, ID (ID) 9 13-12 0
90. Joe Cole Coalville, UT (WY) 8 13-10 0
91. Jim Armstrong Missoula, MT (MT) 6 13-03 0
92. Courtney Adams Nibley, UT (UT) 8 13-01 0
93. Paul Hemsley North Las Vegas, NV (NV 8 13-00 0
94. AZ HS Epley / McCoy Tucson, AZ (AZ) 8 12-13 0
95. David Mays Portland, OR (OR) 8 12-07 0
96. Ellison Hubbard Las Vegas, NV (NV) 7 12-02 0
97. Jeff Jones Thousand Oaks, CA (CA) 6 11-14 0
98. Curtis Welch Arvada, CO (CO) 6 11-12 0
99. NM HS - Sosa-Carver / Monroe Mesilla Park, NM (NM) 7 11-01 0
100. Don Collins Kalispell, MT (MT) 5 10-14 0
101. Kevin Sherry Ojai, CA (CA) 6 10-09 0
102. Jim Conlin Thompson Falls, MT (MT) 6 10-08 0
103. Danny Longoria Tucson, AZ (AZ) 6 10-08 0
104. Randy Pierson Grand Junction, CO (UT) 6 10-06 0
105. UT HS - Northrup / Cole Henefer, UT (UT) 7 10-03 0
106. "Chief" Torrez Camarillo, CA (CA) 6 10-02 0
107. OR HS - Brey / Garrison Carlton, OR (OR) 6 09-14 0
108. Trace Myers Santaquin, UT (UT) 5 09-10 0
109. Pat Hanning Tucson, AZ (AZ) 5 09-09 0
110. Larry Triplett Castle Rock, CO (CO) 5 09-08 0
111. Vinnie Macchirella Las Vegas, NV (NV) 5 09-07 0
112. Rick White Herriman, UT (UT) 5 09-06 0
113. Jesse Milicevic Henderson, NV (NV) 7 09-05 0
114. WA HS - Plank / Scroggins Longview, WA (WA) 4 09-04 0
115. Trevor Scott Firestone, CO (CO) 6 09-04 0
116. Heather Stiegelmeyer Spokane Valley, WA (WA) 6 09-02 0
117. James Cope Las Vegas, NV (NV) 4 08-09 0
118. Dale Howard Las Vegas, NV (NV) 5 08-07 0
119. Becca Golightly Preston, ID (WY) 5 08-04 0
120. Brent Thompson Pendleton, OR (OR) 5 07-10 0
121. Chad Hullinger West Valley City, UT (W 4 07-06 0
122. Ken Landry Tucson, AZ (AZ) 4 07-06 0
123. Joe Griffin Tucson, AZ (AZ) 4 06-08 0
124. Dwayne Gregory Tucson, AZ (AZ) 4 06-06 0
125. Donald Welch Morgan Hill, CA (CA) 5 06-05 0
126. Mark Warren Castle Rock, CO (CO) 4 06-04 0
127. Kelvin Ratchford Kennwick, WA (WA) 3 06-01 0
128. Lance Tillotson Aurora, CO (CO) 4 05-15 0
129. Andy Bravence Globe, AZ (AZ) 3 05-12 0
130. Bret Nagelhout Red Rock, AZ (AZ) 3 04-07 0
131. Taylor Tucker Mountain View, WY (WY) 3 03-15 0
132. Dominic Amato Las Vegas, NV (NV) 3 03-14 0
133. Dave Cole Heber, UT (WY) 2 03-12 0
134. Donald Peters Las Cruces, NM (NM) 1 02-15 0
135. Rick Culver Taylor, UT (UT) 2 02-12 0
136. Jacob Anderson Richland, WA (WA) 1 01-06 0
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 64 466 876-14
2 44 390 736-03
3 48 422 815-15
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156 1278 2429-00
TEAM STANDINGS Day 3
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State Lbs-Oz
1 IDAHO 304-02
2 MONTANA 303-03
3 OREGON 255-07
4 NEW MEXICO 247-11
5 WASHINGTON 246-15
6 UTAH 217-14
7 COLORADO 217-08
8 CALIFORNIA 199-00
9 NEVADA 178-06
10 ARIZONA 161-00
11 WYOMING 97-14
INDIVIDUAL STANDINGS Day 3
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WASHINGTON
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz
1 Clint Johanson Benton City, WA 15 36-03 0
2 Sean Minderman Spokane, WA 15 31-10 0
3 Mitch Ratchford Kennewick, WA 15 31-01 0
4 Chase Ratchford Kennewick, WA 14 27-02 0
5 Richard Shaff Richland, WA 11 23-07 0
6 Gene Batey Jr. Pasco, WA 11 23-02 0
7 Jake Cook Pasco, WA 12 18-02 0
8 Chris Lambert Olympia, WA 9 15-05 0
9 Zackery Shaff Richland, WA 11 15-02 0
10 WA HS - Plank / Scroggins Longview, WA 4 09-04 0
11 Heather Stiegelmeyer Spokane Valley, WA 6 09-02 0
12 Kelvin Ratchford Kennwick, WA 3 06-01 0
13 Jacob Anderson Richland, WA 1 01-06 0
IDAHO
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz
1 Jason Hickey Weiser, ID 15 36-08 0
2 Harrison Bertsch Rathdrum, ID 15 36-08 0
3 Denton L Crofts Meridian, ID 15 30-13 0
4 Brent Shores Boise, ID 15 30-10 0
5 Chris Felty Caldwell, ID 12 27-02 0
6 Keegan Graves Meridian, ID 9 23-06 0
7 Jeremy Metcalf Payette, ID 11 20-00 0
8 Earl Wells Payette, ID 11 19-15 0
9 David Bertsch Harrison, ID 10 18-01 0
10 Bink Desaro Meridian, ID 10 17-08 0
11 Matthew F Antonich Post Falls, ID 10 15-10 0
12 Nate Crofts Star, ID 9 14-05 0
13 ID HS - Torok / Payne Hayden, ID 9 13-12 0
OREGON
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz
1 Cody King Island City, OR 15 34-10 0
2 Larry Hutchens Hillsboro, OR 13 28-14 0
3 William Gibbs John Day, OR 15 28-05 0
4 Michael Gibney Gresham, OR 12 25-10 0
5 Nicholas Fitzsimmons Lyle, WA 14 24-15 0
6 Kory Ray Lebanon, OR 10 19-09 0
7 Kevin J Gray Hermiston, OR 8 17-14 0
8 Dan Jordan Camas, WA 9 15-14 0
9 Todd Woolard Salem, OR 11 14-15 0
10 Jason Hooper Salem, OR 9 14-14 0
11 David Mays Portland, OR 8 12-07 0
12 OR HS - Brey / Garrison Carlton, OR 6 09-14 0
13 Brent Thompson Pendleton, OR 5 07-10 0
ARIZONA
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz
1 Steve Lund Glendale , AZ 15 26-06 0
2 Gerald Kimzey Willcox, AZ 12 20-13 0
3 Eric Hammer Peoria, AZ 10 19-10 0
4 Brian Bolander Scottsdale, AZ 10 16-12 0
5 Dave Lee Mesa, AZ 7 14-02 0
6 AZ HS Epley / McCoy Tucson, AZ 8 12-13 0
7 Danny Longoria Tucson, AZ 6 10-08 0
8 Pat Hanning Tucson, AZ 5 09-09 0
9 Ken Landry Tucson, AZ 4 07-06 0
10 Joe Griffin Tucson, AZ 4 06-08 0
11 Dwayne Gregory Tucson, AZ 4 06-06 0
12 Andy Bravence Globe, AZ 3 05-12 0
13 Bret Nagelhout Red Rock, AZ 3 04-07 0
WYOMING
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz
1 Bill Golightly Preston, ID 11 25-06 0
2 David Vega McCammon , ID 13 21-04 0
3 Levi McNeill West Valley, UT 7 14-05 0
4 Joe Cole Coalville, UT 8 13-10 0
5 Becca Golightly Preston, ID 5 08-04 0
6 Chad Hullinger West Valley City, UT 4 07-06 0
7 Taylor Tucker Mountain View, WY 3 03-15 0
8 Dave Cole Heber, UT 2 03-12 0
NEW MEXICO
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz
1 Earl Conway Albuquerque, NM 15 28-14 0
2 Randy Campbell Sandia Park, NM 11 25-06 0
3 Franco Vallejos Albuquerque, NM 13 24-14 0
4 Randell Bell Elephant Butte, NM 11 24-09 0
5 Kyle Price Las Cruces, NM 11 21-13 0
6 Michael R Kitts Flora Vista, NM 11 20-11 0
7 Seth Garrison Las Cruces, NM 11 19-00 0
8 Tyler Wilson Carlsbad, NM 9 17-08 0
9 Robert Peixotto Albuquerque, NM 11 17-06 0
10 Joseph Gamboa Albuquerque, NM 8 16-14 0
11 Jack E Phelps Aztec, NM 11 16-12 0
12 NM HS - Sosa-Carver / Monroe Mesilla Park, NM 7 11-01 0
13 Donald Peters Las Cruces, NM 1 02-15 0
CALIFORNIA
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz
1 Ronald Welch Corona, CA 15 25-14 0
2 Dan Wells Yuba City, CA 12 24-05 0
3 Mike Coleman Pinoeer, CA 13 21-07 0
4 Dejon Lewis Ventura, CA 10 20-01 0
5 Gary Collins Moorpark, CA 10 19-09 0
6 Martin Brian Oxnard, CA 10 17-08 0
7 Dwayne Fochler Camarillo, CA 7 15-13 0
8 Jason Hemminger Oxnard, CA 11 15-09 0
9 Jeff Jones Thousand Oaks, CA 6 11-14 0
10 Kevin Sherry Ojai, CA 6 10-09 0
11 "Chief" Torrez Camarillo, CA 6 10-02 0
12 Donald Welch Morgan Hill, CA 5 06-05 0
MONTANA
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz
1 Timothy Johnston Kalispell , MT 15 39-00 0
2 Jay Evans Corvallis, MT 15 34-05 0
3 Randy Gust Osburn, ID 15 32-04 0
4 Leroy Starling Whitefish, MT 15 30-13 0
5 Leon Stiffarm Columbia Falls, MT 14 30-03 0
6 Mike Dominick Alberton, MT 14 27-04 0
7 Sam Laurence Martin Moscow, ID 12 23-03 0
8 Robert Wysong Hauser Lk, ID 10 19-06 0
9 MT HS Evans / Josey Corvallis, MT 10 16-14 0
10 Curtis Spindler Missoula, MT 8 15-06 0
11 Jim Armstrong Missoula, MT 6 13-03 0
12 Don Collins Kalispell, MT 5 10-14 0
13 Jim Conlin Thompson Falls, MT 6 10-08 0
UTAH
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz
1 Mike Lavallee Sandy, UT 15 34-08 0
2 Don Allphin Provo, UT 14 30-12 0
3 Mike Powell Heber City, UT 13 23-01 0
4 Broc Lindauer Honeyville, UT 14 21-12 0
5 TJ Hiatt Vernal, UT 11 19-14 0
6 Matt France West Valley City, UT 10 18-06 0
7 Randy Wilde Ft Duchesne, UT 8 14-03 0
8 Courtney Adams Nibley, UT 8 13-01 0
9 Randy Pierson Grand Junction, CO 6 10-06 0
10 UT HS - Northrup / Cole Henefer, UT 7 10-03 0
11 Trace Myers Santaquin, UT 5 09-10 0
12 Rick White Herriman, UT 5 09-06 0
13 Rick Culver Taylor, UT 2 02-12 0
COLORADO
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz
1 Scott Sheldon Loveland, CO 10 25-12 0
2 Casey Welch Arvada, CO 12 24-04 0
3 Chris Dombkowski Cibolo, TX 14 23-14 0
4 Jeff Colwell Windsor, CO 14 23-14 0
5 Nate Caldwell Ft Collins, CO 14 23-08 0
6 Jeremiah Hofstetter Aurora, CO 11 23-02 0
7 CO HS Deakin Fuller Broomfield, CO 8 15-11 0
8 Mark Powers Platteville, CO 9 14-12 0
9 Curtis Welch Arvada, CO 6 11-12 0
10 Larry Triplett Castle Rock, CO 5 09-08 0
11 Trevor Scott Firestone, CO 6 09-04 0
12 Mark Warren Castle Rock, CO 4 06-04 0
13 Lance Tillotson Aurora, CO 4 05-15 0
NEVADA
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz
1 Kevin Wiggins Las Vegas, NV 13 27-00 0
2 Toby Robinson Henderson, NV 12 24-03 0
3 Patrick J Davis Henderson, NV 13 23-12 0
4 Stephen Pike Las Vegas, NV 12 20-12 0
5 Tim Myers N Las Vegas, NV 11 17-15 0
6 Paul Hemsley North Las Vegas, NV 8 13-00 0
7 Ellison Hubbard Las Vegas, NV 7 12-02 0
8 Vinnie Macchirella Las Vegas, NV 5 09-07 0
9 Jesse Milicevic Henderson, NV 7 09-05 0
10 James Cope Las Vegas, NV 4 08-09 0
11 Dale Howard Las Vegas, NV 5 08-07 0
12 Dominic Amato Las Vegas, NV 3 03-14 0