Skeeter, an industry leader in performance fishing boats, welcomes anglers Jason Christie, Caleb Kuphall and Justin Atkins to the 2023 Pro Fishing Team. All three will fish the Bassmaster® Elite Series and serve as Skeeter Boats ambassadors. This season marks the first time 2022 Bassmaster Classic® Champion Christie will compete in a Skeeter® boat.
“All three of these anglers bring talent, experience and exceptional sportsmanship to the Skeeter Boats team,” said JoAnne O’Bryant, Skeeter Boats. “We look forward to watching them compete and wish them the best of luck during the tournament season.”
Christie, Kuphall and Atkins will run the proven power of Yamaha Marine’s V MAX SHO® 250 outboard on the Skeeter FXR20 platform.
In addition to holding the 2022 Bassmaster Classic® Champion title, Christie is a five-time Bassmaster® Elite series champion, including a 2022 win at Chickamauga. With 101 tournaments under his belt, the Park Hill, Oklahoma native has 30 top ten finishes and placed second in the 2017 Angler of the Year race.
Kuphall, now entering his second year on the Elite Series, won the 2021 Berkley Bassmaster® Elite at Lake Guntersville by the second-largest margin of victory in Elite Series history (17-14). A 2022 Bassmaster Classic® qualifier, he has six top ten finishes and works as a fishing guide covering 30 lakes near his hometown of Mukwonago, Wisconsin, when he is not competing.
Atkins hails from Florence, Alabama, and is entering his sixth year as a full-time professional angler. In 2017, he won the Forrest Wood Cup ®, becoming only the third angler in FLW® history to win the Cup during a rookie season. In his first season on the Elites, Justin finished second at the 2021 Farmers Insurance® Bassmaster ® Elite at St. Lawrence River.
