Co-angler Whisenhunt Holds on at Chickamauga
Late-day switch to a crankbait seals it for the Alabama angler
In only his fifth FLW event, Chase Whisenhunt ended up at the top of the co-angler leaderboard in the Costa FLW Series Southeastern Division finale on Lake Chickamauga presented by Lowrance. The angler from Trussville, Ala., picked up a check for $28,100, his first time ever to be in the money.
The tournament was cut from three days to two by bad weather. On Friday’s first day of competition Whisenhunt brought in a limit of five bass weighing 21 pounds, 14 ounces. However, on Saturday he only managed three bass for a cumulative total of 28 pounds, 7 ounces. He was one of the very first to weigh-in Saturday and says the wait was nerve-wracking.
"Having to weigh in at 2:45 was early," he says. "Waiting until 4:45 [when the last co-angler weighed in] was probably the longest two hours of my life."
In the end he squeaked out the win by only 15 ounces. Whisenhunt fished a jig all morning Saturday and had two fish. But around noon he decided to switch to a crankbait, picked up a Strike King 6XD (sexy shad) and managed to pick up his third fish.
"Without that fish I probably would have finished second or third," he says. "I'm a jig fisherman. I love flipping and throwing a jig, but sometimes you've just got to pick up something different."
While waiting for checks and trophies to be handed out, Whisenhunt said he had absolutely no idea how much his win would be worth.
"I have no idea. I don't know what I'll do with it," he says. "I'm too nervous. It hasn't really sunk in yet."
Top 10 Co-anglers
1. Chase Whisenhunt – Trussville, Ala. – 28-7 (8) – $28,100
2. James Wegmann – Fruitland Park, Fla. – 27-8 (8) – $6,050
3. James Stowers – Narrows, Va. – 26-6 (10) – $4,800
4. Mark Guhne – Hixson, Tenn. – 25-10 (10) – $3,900
5. Nick Cupps – Chattanooga, Tenn. – 25-1 (9) – $3,400
6. Craig Rozema – Simpsonville, S.C. – 24-13 (8) – $2,900
7. Bruce Griffin – Jasper, Ala. – 24-11 (10) – $2,400
8. Zac Smith – Cleveland, Ala. – 24-9 (7) – $1,950
9. Eddie Walker – Pinson, Ala. – 24-1 (8) – $1,580
10. Ray Puckett – Wetumpka, Ala. – 23-14 (6) – $1,530