'I Have To Do It My Way': Former BassMaster Champion Discusses Career Ahead Of Competition

The BassMaster Classic is back in Oklahoma. Anglers from the U.S. and other countries will start fishing Friday to become the ultimate bass fishing champion.

Practice fishing starts Wednesday and the competitions starts on Grand Lake Friday morning.

Two of Oklahoma's Own will be fishing in the Classic: Luke Plamer from Colgate and Jason Christie from Welling, near Tahlequah.

This is Christie's 10th Classic. He won it all two years ago in South Carolina.

He invited News On 6's Tess Maune to his place on Lake Tenkiller to describe what it takes to get to the top.

Tess Maune: When did you start fishing?

Jason Christie: Gosh, I mean, literally this tall. My whole family fished. We fished, we hunted. You know, we didn't have the cell phones back then to keep us busy. But I think I remember catching my first fish, three or four years old.

Tess Maune: What was that moment like for you, winning the Classic?

Jason Christie: When '22 happened, and I won, gosh, it just. For the last seven or eight years, there's been these giant boulders on my shoulders, and those were lifted. I mean, they were taken away. Going back to '16. '16 was heartbreaking. The next one at Hartwell was heartbreaking. You know, both of those events I led, but '22 would not have been special without those. There's only one thing that would be more special than '22, and that's the win in Oklahoma.

Tess Maune: And here you're getting to fish in the greatest event, the Super Bowl of bass fishing, in your home state. Is there a con to having it be your home? Like you know too much about it?

Jason Christie: That's kind of the home lake curse. It had been a lot of years that they had the Classic that the hometown guy did not win.

Tess Maune: Do you feel the pressure of that?

Jason Christie: The only pressure that I feel this week is the pressure from within. It's the people that I represent, you know, out there practicing the past three days. You know, it didn't matter where I went, what pocket I pulled into. Somebody would come out and just be like, 'Let's go,' you know, and 'We're rooting for you.' That puts a little pressure on you. But at the end of the day, it's really hard. I mean, to win one, all of the stars and the moon and everything has to line up perfectly.

Tess Maune: On your Garmen, it says, 'Be you.'

Jason Christie: That's just a reminder that in fishing, every one of these trophies in here have come from me doing it my way. For me to win at Grand Lake, I have to do it. I have to do it my way.