It’s been a busy summer on the water for Greenfield’s Ben Johnston.

The soon-to-be sophomore at Greenfield High School spent the summer traveling and competing in bass fishing tournaments around the country and came away with numerous pieces of hardware.

Competing on the high school circuit for the first time, Johnston won the 2025 Student Anglers Federation Angler of the Year in Massachusetts and also took home the Bass Nation Massachusetts High School team trial title to secure a spot at Nationals in Georgia with his teammate, Will Canada of Townsend.

“It’s been a ton of fun,” Johnston said. “This year has been great. To win high school leagues and do decent in adult events around here as a freshman has been great.”

The Angler of the Year title was awarded thanks to his performance at three tournaments this summer against 35 high school aged competitors. The first tournament took place at Quaboag Pond in East Brookfield and Johnston came out with a second place finish.

The second tournament took place at Lake Cochituate in Natick, where Johnston dominated the field and earned a first place finish.

Johnston went into the third and final tournament at Manchaug Pond in Sutton with a large lead and despite an eighth place finish, finished the campaign in first place overall by one point to win Angler of the Year.

“I love doing this but it gets stressful sometimes,” Johnston said. “The last one for the B.A.S.S. Federation there were 35 kids and four were close to me in points going into it. That was stressful. There’s a five fish limit and I only caught four. Thankfully I had a good enough lead and was able to hold on.”

Johnston had qualified and competed in the Bassmaster Junior National Championship after placing first in the Massachusetts qualifier each of the last two years but now in high school, Johnston — competing with his partner, Canada — was stepping up a level this year. That didn’t stop him from qualifying to compete with the best in the country.

“It’s been a ton of fun. This year has been great. To win high school leagues and do decent in adult events around here as a freshman has been great.”

Greenfield’s BEN JOHNSTON

Competing in qualifiers at White Hall Pond, Manchaug Pond and in Harwich, Johnston and Canada took first place overall to qualify for Nationals, which took place at Clark Hill Lake in Georgia. Johnston previously competed at Nationals in Oklahoma in 2023 and in Tennessee last summer.

“Will and I were very consistent,” Johnston said. “We were never below the top five in any of the qualifiers.”

The trip to Georgia proved to be a success. As one of 10 teams comprised of freshmen out of the 250 boat field, Johnston and Canada still finished in 171st place after snagging nine fish.

“We did decent,” Johnston said. “It went much better than last year. It was an awesome experience. You really have to capitalize at these national events.”

The event also served as a learning experience for Johnston and Canada, as they got to see what some of the more experienced boats did to find success.

Johnston said lakes are much different in the South than New England, and it takes reps and practice to learn the tricks of the trade.

“I’d say we fit in more than we did last year,” Johnston said. “Last year we didn’t know how to catch fish. After experiencing the week, if we went down and did it again I feel like we could get into the top 20 with how much we learned that week. We got to see what the top guys were doing and know we know how to do it ourselves.”

While competing is the best part, Johnston said he also enjoys meeting competitors from around the country, picking up tips and making friends along the way.

“I look forward to these events every week,” Johnston said. “The boat ramp is one of my favorite things. I try to talk to almost everyone who is competing just to see what they’re doing and wish them luck.”

The type of success Johnston has enjoyed doesn’t come without putting in hard work to improve throughout the week, not just at tournaments.

Johnston and his dad, Bill, get out on the lake as often as possible to practice and that work has paid off.

“My dad and I are getting out there as much as we can,” Johnston said. “Sometimes [the success] feels deserved but sometimes I just feel super blessed.”

The sacrifice also comes in the form of missing out on other activities due to travel, though Johnston said he wouldn’t change a thing.

“It takes up almost my whole summer,” Johnston said. “I see friends here and there but not as much as I would if I wasn’t fishing. I love it though. I love fishing. I’m usually out there four times a week. The long car rides can get to me but it’s been an amazing experience.”

With more tournaments upcoming, Johnston has also been learning through the Pioneer Bass Fishing Club, getting to pick the brains of those in the area who have been doing this for a long time.

“It helps build confidence,” Johnston said. “The guys there are great and they know a ton. I’ve learned a ton from them.”