Johnston Way Ahead in ROY Race
The Ontario pro has Rookie of the Year all but wrapped up
The 2016 season ushered in a giant rookie class of 28 anglers to the Walmart FLW Tour. Among them are competitors from many different walks of life, including long-time co-angler standouts, industry veterans and new arrivals from FLW’s other tournament circuits.
Through five events, five rookies remain in the top 50 in the Angler of the Year points, and rookies have accounted for five top-10 finishes and one win. For comparison, last year’s class had one angler in the top 50 in AOY points at this point in the season.
Chris Johnston of Peterborough, Ontario has a hold on the ROY race. He’s amassed 864 points and is eighth in the Angler of the Year race with a 102-point cushion over the next-highest-ranked rookie, Jay Kendrick.
Johnston jumped out to an early lead with a third-place finish at the opener on Okeechobee, and he hasn’t looked back. He’ll be tough to catch at Champlain. The maximum number of points an angler can earn at one event is 200, which goes to the winner. Kendrick would need to finish 103 places ahead of Johnston to win – quite the hurdle.
Lake Champlain is the Tour stop where Johnston has the most experience and past success. He’s fished seven FLW events there and finished in the top 20 four times. With a good mix of smallmouths and largemouths, the lake suits his strengths.
Other contenders
Kendrick, in second, is a Lake Guntersville guru. He’ll likely make the run south to the milfoil mats that offer similarities to his home fishery. The risky run could yield great rewards if Johnston slip ups and Kendrick ends up near the top of the leaderboard.
Chris’s brother, Cory, is also within striking distance at 756 points. Cory needs to finish 109 spots ahead of his younger sibling to take the title. It’d be a tall feat but not out of the question.
In fourth place is Chris Whitson with 706 points. He’d basically have to finish in the top 10 with Chris finishing in the cellar to make up the deficit.
Complete rookie standings
AOY Place Angler AOY Points
8 Chris Johnston 864
23 Jay Kendrick 762
26 Cory Johnston 756
37 Chris Whitson 706
49 Shawn Gordon 676
52 Brian Latimer 667
66 Richie Eaves 632
67 Kurt Mitchell 628
69 Luke Dunkin 620
73 Gerald Spohrer 615
74 Buddy Gross 612
77 Austin Felix 610
82 Jim Jones 602
99 Joshua Weaver 560
110 Tommy Dickerson 534
112 Braxton Setzer 522
113 Kyle Monti 521
119 Timmy Thompkins 506
124 Joe Holland 475
125 Sven Hilland 473
127 Curtis Richardson 465
133 Matt Wittekiend 425
144 Jordan Osborne 386
148 Eric Jackson 373
153 Tim Frederick 349
155 Shane Melton 340
156 Chase Brooks 329
165 Larry Schroeder 204