Gage Backman’s NWT Season: Finding a Way to Compete

Tournament fishing has a way of testing an angler. Sometimes it’s finding the right presentation, sometimes it’s adjusting to changing conditions, and sometimes the challenge has nothing to do with fishing at all.

For JT Pro Gage Backman, the 2026 National Walleye Tour season became a test of all three.

Throughout the season, Gage found consistent success with a handful of presentations that became the backbone of his approach. Tungsten jigs, Berkley Finishers, and Jigging Raps all played important roles. Depending on the situation, he paired his jigs with either plastics or live crawlers.

“Whether I had a plastic paired with the jig or a crawler, they were both extremely deadly this season. All four of these presentations reflected on my success throughout the season.”

Confidence in the JTX Lineup

Matching those presentations with the right rod was equally important. Two rods stood out throughout Gage’s NWT season: the JT JTX Light and JTX Mag Light, particularly in the 7'6" and 7'1" models.

The sensitivity needed to detect subtle bites combined with the ability to keep fish pinned proved valuable not only for Gage, but for other anglers putting the rods to work throughout the NWT season.

As Gage puts it:

“You truly don’t lose fish on these rods.”

That confidence would become especially important heading into Stop #3 at Green Bay.

A Season-Changing Accident

Just before the Green Bay event, Gage was involved in a serious car accident. He suffered a broken femur, multiple broken fingers, and torn tendons in his right hand. The injuries left him in a wheelchair and severely limited the use of his dominant hand.

For most anglers, simply recovering would have been the priority.

Gage still wanted to compete.

It meant completely changing the way he fished. He couldn't fight fish the way he normally would or rely on the movements he'd spent years developing. Instead, he adapted his technique around his injuries and leaned heavily on his equipment.

Using his non-dominant hand, Gage was able to underhand pitch the JTX rods, feed fish the bait, detect the bite, and set the hook.

Then he had to get them into the boat.

Despite everything working against him, Gage brought 72 pounds of walleye to the scales over 10 fish at Green Bay.

“After breaking my femur and multiple fingers, along with tearing tendons in my right hand, I wasn’t able to fight fish exactly how I would choose. I could pitch with these rods underhand, feed the fish, and set the hook all with my non-dominant hand and still managed to put up 72 pounds for 10 fish on the scales.”

More Than a Number on the Scale

Tournament results tell part of the story, but sometimes they don't tell the most important part.

Gage's NWT season showed what happens when preparation, confidence in your equipment, and determination come together. The same JTX rods he relied on throughout the season became even more important when he was forced to completely change how he fished.

Broken femur. Injured hand. Wheelchair. Non-dominant hand. 72 pounds of walleye.

That's a tournament performance worth remembering and a pretty powerful example of what it means to Be Legendary.