Every bass angler who has competed in a tournament has dreamed of a late day flurry that wins them the tournament, especially when the fishing is slow. It only takes five casts to put the winning fish in the boat, right? Those five casts could happen in the last hour of the day just as easily as the first hour. That’s exactly what Preston “Kojak” Cook and Micah Littlejohn experienced en route to winning the inaugural Costa Bass Derby held on Grand Lake, October 13, 2024.
Littlejohn and Cook junk-fished their way to a limit of over 19-pounds, most of which was caught in the final hour after sitting on only two bass in their livewell until 1:30PM. The northeast Oklahoma natives and Grand Lake locals won the $15,000 grand prize payout and chose Friends of Reservoirs to receive an additional $1,000 donation from Costa.
The Conservation payout is a core component of Costa’s popular Compete + Conserve contingency program, which pays a bonus to the highest placing angler wearing Costa Sunglasses in over 300 bass tournaments across the country each year. In addition, each Compete + Conserve winner chooses one of five conservation partners to receive an allotted donation from Costa that directly benefits freshwater conservation.
This was the first annual Costa Bass Derby, hosted in partnership with Academy Sports + Outdoors, which drew 150 amateur teams, like Cook and Littlejohn, who have been wearing Costa Sunglasses for years, and were eager for the chance to support the brand and fish a high-payout event on one of their home lakes.
“I bought my first pair of Costas over fifteen years ago and I bet I’ve had at least 10 pairs since,” Cook shared. “Both Micah and I have several different lens colors and just like we’ve heard the pros talk about, we change lenses based on the conditions. My favorite frame is the Cat Cay and Green Mirror is my favorite lens color, unless it’s low light, then Sunrise Silver Mirror is the deal for me.”
Cook owns a meat processing plant in Miami, Oklahoma and Littlejohn works as a physical therapist assistant. The duo fish several tournaments together each year; they also do a lot of fishing with their spouses, who are equally as passionate about fishing and the culture that revolves around bass tournaments. Like many recreational bass anglers across the country, they look forward to getting on the water during the weekends and fish as many tournaments as possible.
“I’m sure my wife will want to fish this with me next year… this event had such an awesome atmosphere,” Littlejohn said. “There is nothing like this that comes to Grand Lake for us weekend anglers. We fish dozens of tournaments in the area as well as several tournament trails on Grand Lake. From the gift bags at registration, having pros like Jason Christie hanging out with us and the payouts being good from top to bottom, it was truly a great experience.”
For information on future Costa Bass Derby events, or to learn more about Costa Compete + Conserve, visit https://www.costacompeteandconserve.com/. If you own a pair of Costa Sunglasses, it’s completely free to register and you can win extra payouts if you compete in supported tournaments.
To shop Costa Sunglasses’ full collection of performance, lifestyle and optical eyewear, and learn more about its commitment to conservation, visit costasunglasses.com.
About Costa Sunglasses
More than 40 years ago, a group of anglers created Costa Sunglasses to stand up to the harsh light, unforgiving salt and rough conditions of a day at sea. The gear they made was up to the task, and it’s been on the water ever since. Today, Costa combines its superior 580® lens technology with unparalleled fit and durability to make the highest-quality sunglasses and prescription eyewear for adventures on the water. Committed to protecting the watery world it calls home, sustainability and conservation is woven throughout everything they do. From building products made of responsible materials, to Costa-owned initiatives like Kick Plastic® and #OneCoast, and its partnerships with 40+ mission-aligned conservation organizations, Costa inspires its community to help protect the earth’s resources and #SeeWhatsOutThere. Find out more on Costa’s website and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter at @CostaSunglasses.
