SALEM, Va. (WFXR) — Millions of people follow the Bassmaster Elite Tournament Trail in person and on television. The 2025 Elite tournament season begins February 20 at St. John’s River, Florida.
One of the top anglers on the circuit is from Salem, Virginia. John Crews is also the President and owner of Salem-based Missile Baits, one of the top soft plastic fishing makers in the country. Crews has been fishing the Elite trail for more than 20 years. He has 27 top ten finishes in that time, including winning the Elite Series tournament at St. John’s River in 2022.
Crews has been preparing for months, working on his boat, tackle, and logistics.
“You don’t want to waste practice time getting your boat dialed in, said Crews. “The boat is a big part, getting all of those rods and reels like my Cashion rods, my SeVIIn reels, getting all those things dialed back in, getting ready for the season, getting all the Sunline on them; all that stuff takes a long time but we’re pretty much there.”
While he has had great success at St. John’s River in the past, Crews says it never fishes the same way twice. This time, because of recent weather, Crews expects spawning activity to have started.
“Oh man, for the Saint John’s River it’s always different; hat’s the best part about it, Crews said. “I think there will be a lot of fish on beds, I think there will be a lot of fish up shallow. I expect good fishing and I expect some big weights.”
The Elite Series consists of nine tournaments over the course of six months. That means thousands of miles on the road and hundreds of hours on the water. Crews says that means being in shape, physically and mentally.
“I jokingly say there are people who are in shape, and then there are people who are in fishing shape,” said Crews. “It’s really kind of two different things.”
Fishing shape requires core strength, with the ability to spend eight to 12 hours a day on your feet on the bow of a boat. Crews says the only way to attain that is to actually spend time on the water. He does that in practice and in pre-fishing for tournaments.
“A lot of times you’re on one foot or the other,” said Crews. “That is just different than going out and jogging for three miles or lifting weights.”
When he fishes in nationally-televised tournaments Crews says he not only fishes to win, but to also represent southwest Virginia.
You can watch Bassmaster tournaments on various Fox Sports outlets.