DAYTON, Tenn. – Talk about retribution.
Hailing from Michigan, Cooper Jett started fishing the Central Division of the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats last year to gain experience on how southern fisheries work so he could one day fish as a pro. His first event was on Lake Chickamauga, and he bombed, only catching two fish and finishing 123rd.
Guess he’s a quick study, because a year later, the 22-year-old leaves Chickamauga as the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Strike King co-angler champion. He brought in 10 pounds, 15 ounces to get him to 36-3 total, earning him a Phoenix Boat.
“It feels amazing,” Jett said. “I want to get as good as I can and learn from the best. Eventually, I want to be in line with the pros.”
He says he learned plenty from his three pros this week, Grant Galloway, Griffin Heffington and Brody Campbell. But the biggest thing he learned is that when something is working, don’t go away from it.
For him, that meant tossing a drop-shot with a morning dawn-colored Roboworm Straight Tail Worm all three days, leaving a pile of pink worms in the back of the boat as he caught tons of fish.
Though, despite the success, he was worried he might’ve let his win slip away on the final day because he never got a big bite like he had the previous two days. Still, with a tough bite overall, he had more than enough to get the win and earn a new boat to possibly help launch a pro career in the near future.
Top 10 Strike King co-anglers
1. Cooper Jett – 36 – 3 (14) – $34,750
2. Steve Higgins – 31 – 14 (13) – $6,275
3. Jonathan Dagley – 31 – 4 (12) – $4,900
4. Greg Surratt – 29 – 0 (11) – $3,950
5. Gary Greenwood – 27 – 9 (10) – $3,450
6. Chris Hughes – 25 – 15 (9) – $2,950
7. Pop Catalin – 25 – 5 (12) – $2,450
8. Dwaine Williams – 24 – 3 (11) – $1,975
9. Tom Spangler – 24 – 1 (9) – $1,590
10. Steven Jacques – 23 – 10 (11) – $1,350