Georgia Co-Angler Scores Huge $65K Tournament Win

Phillip drew a different boater for all four days of the tournament. On day one, Phillip had three bass, the daily co-angler limit, that weighed 10.68 pounds and was in first place. On day two, Phillip’s three-bass limit weighed 6.25 pounds and he dropped to fourth, but he was comfortably inside the cut line after day two that trimmed the field from 200 anglers to just 100.

On day three, Phillip busted a big three-bass sack that weighed 15.91 pounds and included a 7.57-lb. kicker. That put Phillip well in front of the remaining pack, which was cut down to just 25 anglers, Phillip entered the final day of the tournament with an 8 1/2-lb. lead. And as the No. 1 co-angler, he was paired with the No. 1 boater, Chris Baumgardner, of Gastonia, N.C.

“I only caught one fish on the final day,” Phillip said. “I was definitely stressed. On the last day, they pair off No. 1 boater with No. 1 co-angler, and it’s down to 25, and they weigh-in in reverse, so Chris and I were last. The anglers in first are sitting in the boats, in the ‘hot-seat.'”

When Phillip stepped up to the weigh-in stage with his one bass, there was no one in the co-angler hot seat—his 8 1/2-lb. lead going into the final day would have held up even if he didn’t catch the one bass in his weigh-in bag. Phillip admitted he was nervous with only one bass the final day.

“Anybody can bust a big bag on this lake,” he said.

Chris Baumgardner had 22.71 pounds with his five-bass limit on the last day, and he won the boater championship.

A 7.57-lb. kicker on Day 3 helped Phillip Johnson post a three-bass limit that totaled 15.91 pounds, giving him an 8 1/2-lb. lead going into the final day.

Phillip said the conditions on Chickamauga were fairly tough for this fantastic bass fishing lake.

“The water was going up and down so much. It was like we had four different fronts on four days. One day it was cold early, and the next day it was warm. The first day the water was really low, but by the fourth day you could run areas you could walk across ankle-deep the first day. I did good with a white spinnerbait with white blades, slow-rolling it, throwing it right against the bank and pulling it off, and they’d hammer it. I also caught my fish on a wacky-rigged Senko and a KVD buzz frog on top. The bass were very shallow, but you couldn’t see them. I also caught some of my good fish on the first day on a green-pumpkin shaky head, with the tail dipped chartreuse, of course.”

Philip sits in his new Triton boat with his Co-Angler National Champion trophy.

Lake Chickamauga is on the Tennessee River just northeast of Chattanooga. The tournament launched from the Dayton Boat Dock in Dayton, Tennessee, near the midsection of the lake.