Canadian Evan Kung was surprised to lead the Bassmaster Open standings

Evan Kung exceeds even his own expectations.

The resident of Pickering, Ont. currently leads the Bassmaster Open overall heading into the fifth event June 20-22 at Lake Eufaula in Oklahoma. A top-nine finish after the ninth and final event at South Carolina’s Lake Hartwell in October would send Kung to the Elite Series next season.

He will join Jeff Gustafson, of Kenora, Ont., Chris Johnston, of Peterborough, Ont., Johnston’s older brother Cory, of Cavan, Ont., and Cooper Gallant, of Bowmanville, Ont. Gallant qualified for pro bass fishing’s top circuit in 2022 through the Opens.

“Watching Cooper was definitely the biggest inspiration,” Kung said. “To see him qualify for the Opens was a big part of my desire to go in and do it.

“And also to tell my parents that it’s possible for a Canadian to go there and do it.”

Kung, 24, grew up bass fishing with his father in southern Ontario’s Kawartha Lakes and the family cabin on Six Mile Lake in Muskoka. But he easily pursues smallmouths in both Lake Simcoe and Georgian Bay.

Kung has been a model of consistency this year, finishing no worse than 22nd and cracking the top-10 twice (ninth both times). Last year, Kung’s best finish was 14th on the River St. Lawrence at Waddington, NY, but his best finish was 48th at Toledo Bend.

“If you had said I would be driving right now, I wouldn’t have believed you,” Kung said. “I was hoping to maybe be in the top 20 and then have a chance to get into the second half.

“But it was crazy because after the first day of the first tournament (at Lake Okeechobee in Florida in February) I weighed about nine pounds, but things only went up from there.”

Partly because he’s no longer dazzled by the competition.

“It was hard going to the fishermen’s meetings and seeing people I watched on TV growing up,” he said. “I got really nervous because you can’t believe you’re fishing against these guys and you’re like, ‘Can I compete?’

“But it helped me realize that I can compete, so this year I’ve been in a much better space about it.”

Kung cites another reason for his impressive comeback.

“Last year I ran a lot,” he said. “If I didn’t catch a fish in about 10 minutes, I’d move, but this year I’ve slowed down.

“I’ve been trying to fish like I do at home and I think I’ve become more patient.”

Even more confident in his intuition.

“I have more confidence in the way I fish,” he said. “I go more with my gut.

“Last year, if I found fish in practice, I would only fish those spots. This year I just go out and take it as it comes and try to figure things out on the day.”

Kung has funded more than $28,000 this year. This is important because the Open events are held in the United States and Kung tows his boat to each.

Kung has sponsors, but still has to cover expenses that are mostly from American funds.

“I sleep in my truck, I don’t rent Airbnbs,” he said. “I try to keep it as cheap as possible.”

Kung raced on Lake Eufaula in June 2023, which should help this time.

“It’s a massive lake, much of which is muddy,” he said. “There’s a clear arm that a lot of people focus on, because if you’re not from there, it’s hard to fish in that mud.

“We don’t fish like that (in Ontario), so I’ll probably be in clear water. But it will be a tough tournament.”

The problem is that Kung can’t really afford a bad result.

“It took four really good tournaments to get here, but it only takes one bad one to let me out,” he said. “So I try to take them one at a time.

“But I’m looking forward to this second half after this because we’re coming up north (for three smallmouth events) and it’s not very hot.”

Regardless of the lake, Kung’s approach remains constant. Focus on landing a limit (five fish) before chasing the bigger ones.

“I’d rather catch five little ones than go in with none or one,” he said. “Sometimes it takes longer to get one and I’m a bit stressed, but after I get the first one I’m a lot less stressed and once I have five I feel good.

“Then I can go look for one or two big ones.”

Kung also learned the value of stepping away sometimes.

“If I’ve fished five to 10 days in a row, I only take one day off,” he said. “I might not even get in the boat or do any fishing.

“I find that when I walk too much, things get disorganized and I can spin. I like to take a break just to reset everything.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on June 11, 2024.

Dan Ralph, Canadian Press