Kills 82 Fish to Win National Championship
After spending 2 days underwater, Justin Lee became the national freshwater spearfishing champion for 2022.In two days of competition on Lake Powell in Arizona, Lee bested 67 other spearfishers from across the country by catching 82 invasive fish.
“Have I always dreamed of this? Yes. Have I always pushed hard toward it? Yes.
But for this to finally come together and get my hand raised at the end of the day.-it was surreal.” says Lee. In the team competition, Lee’s team, including GR Tarr and Mike Jutt, placed second.
“At the end of the day, as much as it’s an individual award, it’s truly a team effort that makes it happen,” Lee said.
The guys are dealing with literally 1,000 pounds of carp on the boat getting sloshed around with fish slime. On the second day of the competition, Lee speared a 20.4-pounder that put him and his team at the top of the leaderboard.
Carp are invasive to Lake Powell, so the competition helped reduce their numbers. Lee is an avid bowhunter on land and a spearfisherman in the waters of his hometown, Big Island.
His spearfishing videos serve as a platform to advocate for the conservation of natural resources like fish and game.
The recognition he has gained from winning the national championship hasn’t disconnected Lee from his roots; he instead expresses his passion for local culture through his appreciation for Honoka’a’s top fishermen:
“Having Uncle Justin as an example maybe inspires some young kids [from Honoka’a or Hamakua Coast] to chase their own fish, and celebrate our way of life!”
As a sport of competitive freedive spearfishing, the Underwater Society of America (USOA) governs it in the United States, and the Confederation Mondiale Des Activites Subaquatiques (C.M.A.S.) governs it worldwide.
The next goal for Lee is to win a world championship. At the moment, though, he’s content with his national victory.
“As of right now, it’s still fresh,” he said. “Just thinking about hearing my name gave me chicken skin.”
Sources; Youtube, Fieldstream
