We’re starting something new today: Tournament Intel, a series we are building with Bass365 to break down a tournament win straight from the source — no script, no hindsight or heavy edits, just the angler walking through what actually happened.

First episode goes to Jason Christie, fresh off a week where he weighed 19 bass and missed a limit only once. Eighteen of those fish came on what he called a “spike ball” — a bait he’d caught exactly two fish on before the tournament even started.  Tune in to learn more about the Hideup Coike, or “Urchin” Craze that is sweeping bass fishing!

“It’s a confidence deal,” Christie said. “Most of the tournaments I’ve won have come on one bait all week. I think that’s just me getting confidence in something and then figuring out how to catch them.”

The setup: a 7’2″ Falcon Cara swim jig rod with a fast — meaning limber — tip, 22-pound Sunline Shooter, and an SPRO MG baitcaster at 8.1:1. The soft tip did the work. It let fish load up on the bait mid-retrieve instead of getting ripped off it.

The fish that mattered most wasn’t even on the spike ball. Christie idled across the lake, spotted something sitting over a brush pile, and fired a spook — same bait, same color he’d thrown at the Arkansas River. That bite is what convinced him he could win.

Watch the full breakdown below. More Tournament Intel episodes are coming from Anglers Channel and Bass365.