Some teenagers stare at their phones, scrolling thousands and thousands of clips on social media sites during their free time. More often than not, Greenfield’s Ben Johnston would prefer the peace and tranquility of clutching a fishing pole with a line in the water at a local fishing hole.
The water provides an effective sanctity for the mind.
“It leads to a lifestyle that’s easier,” Johnston said. “There’s not as much noise going around. It’s more that I am going out fishing either by myself or with my dad and I am going to have a calm time. I know it’s going to be a good time…it’s calming out there. But there’s a lot of strategy that goes into it too. There’s really no bad days out fishing.”
The earliest memories fishing memories stem from a lake house on the shores of Lake Mattawa in Orange. A dock protruding into the water provided a perfect backdrop for the beginning stages of his fishing career with the help of his father, Bill Johnston.
“My father and I used to always go to Lake Mattawa,” Johnston said. “We had a lake house. We would fish off the dock. I would find myself fishing off the dock most of the time.”
Ben Johnston drives his father Bill Johnston up the Connecticut River in their boat. PAUL FRANZ / Staff Photo 
Ben Johnston and his father Bill fish the Connecticut River recently. PAUL FRANZ / Staff Photo 
Ben Johnston, 16, of Greenfield with a large mouth bass he caught in Barton Cove recently. PAUL FRANZ / Staff Photo 
Bill Johnston with his son Ben Johnston, 16, on Barton Cove recently. PAUL FRANZ / Staff Photo 
Ben Johnston keeps a tight line on a jumping bass on Barton Cove recently. PAUL FRANZ / Staff Photo 
Bill Johnston and son Ben Johnston cruise up the Connecticut River. PAUL FRANZ / Staff Photo
The father-son due bonded and learned the basics together.
“It was an opportunity for us to hang out,” Johnston said. “See him a little more. So, he started to get into it too.”
Bill Johnston watched his son start simple on that dock, just like any other kid fishing for the first time.
“It’s like any kid growing up,” Bill Johnston said. “You get a dock; you throw bobbers and worms. Catch sunfish or little bluegills off that dock. From there you go out on a canoe or a little jon boat.”
Some purchases of boats followed as the hobby grew. But then the hobby that began as a small ripple in the water morphed into a tidal wave. There was a trip to a Candlewood Fishing Camp in Connecticut at 10-years old. The fishing never stopped, and in middle school he got into local competition.
“I used to go to the youth tournaments with 50 kids in them,” Johnston said. “If I had a bad day on the water I would still come in top five. If I had a good day I would win it by a lot. It kind of got to me that I knew a lot about the sport and I was pretty good at it.”
On July 30, Johnston will be in Paris, Tennessee to compete in the Bassmaster High School Championship. It’s the third year in a row he’s competed at the national event for the best high school-age fishermen in the country.
For three days, Johnston has an opportunity to practice fishing at Kentucky Lake. The competition spans two days, starting at 6 a.m. until 2 p.m. The five biggest fish caught during these times crowns the winning team. The top 25 teams move onto the third day of the event.
There is a big difference between a day out on the boat at Lake Mattawa and the pressure of competitive bass fishing at a national tournament. Timeliness and efficiency matter greatly in a tournament setting. It is a timed situation, but rushing the process can lead to missteps and negative results.
“It’s more of a sport,” Johnston said. “I like the pressure of tournament fishing. It makes you want to catch fish even more.”
Johnston’s resume is plush with accolades. Last year, he won the Student Anglers Federation Angler of the Year in Massachusetts and the Bass Nation Massachusetts High School Team Trial with teammate Will Canada. At this season’s event, Johnston said he would probe the locals for more information.
“Every year we go we learn more and more about being down there,” Johnston said. “We are going to a lot more asking around. What works down there and what we can do differently. There’s going to be more thought put into it. This year is more about doing well.”
Lake Mattawa and Barton Cove are two good fishing spots for Johnston. But an under the radar spot includes a short trip to Guilford, Vt. A small spot named Weatherhead Hollow Pond can yield high numbers with a small boat. There’s not favorite bait for Johnson.
“I throw just about anything” Johnston said. “Whatever the fish want, I throw.”
A lot has changed since the dock at Lake Mattawa. From fishing with worms to a more cerebral and methodical approach into his teenage years.
“It’s fun to see,” Bill Johnston said. “He’s as good as some of the adults. The skill between his eyesight and his feel and the technique. It’s being at the right place with the right bait and having the right movement.”
The Johnston family now has access to a fleet of four different boats to keep the line in the water for years to come.
