SPRING CITY, Tenn. (May 17,1999) – Chris Whitson of Ten Mile, Tennessee, took first place, $2804, plus 50 CITGO Challenge Points for winning the Red Man Choo Choo Division qualifier held Sunday on Watts Bar. Whitson brought in a five bass limit totaling 11 pounds, to top a field of 169 anglers competing for $9872.50.
Whitson fished a Carolina-rigged spook two miles from the ramp to catch his quarry of bass. Second place and $1402 went to Scott Winchester of Heiskell, Tennessee, for his five bass limit weighing 10 pounds, 15 ounces. Heiskell caught his bass around lay downs in the Louden area with a spinnerbait.
Rounding out the top positions were: (3) Vince Botts, Bluff City, TN, five bass, 10-7, $823; (4) Keith Iddins, Knowville, TN, five bass, 10-4, $527; (5) Rod Colyer, Wise, VA, four bass, 9-15, $500. Benny Human of Spring City, TN, won the Abu Garcia Big Bass Award of $1,000 for a 6 pound, 15 ounce bass.
At the completion of the six Red Man qualifying events, the top 30 anglers, determined on a basis of pounds and points, will move onto Regional Championship competition. There they will compete against the top 30 fishermen from three other divisions for a Dream Rig consisting of a Chevy truck and a full-rigged Ranger bass boat powered by an Evinrude or Johnson outboard (only two divisions compete in the Western Regional for a
fully-rigged Ranger bass boat) and a spot in the Red Man All-American in Hot Springs, Arkansas, May 8-13, 2000, where the winner will receive $100,000. The rookie advancing farthest along the Red Man Trail will win the Old Milwaukee NA Rookie-of-the-Year Award.
Red Man Choo Choo Division
All Red Man tournaments are catch and release events. Operation Bass historically maintains a 98 percent live release rate throughout the tournament season.
Sponsors of the 1999 Red Man Tournament Trail include: Evinrude Outboards, Evinrude Electrics, CITGO Petroleum, Ranger Boats, Humminbird Fishfinders, Stren Fishing Lines, Abu Garcia Rods and Reels, Chevy Trucks, ENERGIZER Marine Batteries, Old Milwaukee NA, Black & Decker, David Seeds, Coleman Products, Land O’Lakes, BC Powder, Eveready, Wheaties, Chex Mix, Hamburger Helper, Wrangler, US Bank-VISA, Powerbait, and Frenzy.