Tennessee angler’s lunker takes overall lead in Bill Dance Nationwide Giant Bass Open

Chattanooga resident Kevin Drake is widely considered one of the best anglers on Chickamauga Lake. His thousands of dollars in career earnings and the dozens of largemouth bass he’s caught over 10 pounds back up that statement quite nicely.

But none of the fish he’s caught from the world-famous big-bass factory have ever counted quite like the one he weighed in Saturday, Oct. 18.

Drake was fishing the Chattanooga Bass Association end-of-season Classic when he landed a 10.22-pound tank that took big-fish honors in that day’s tournament. But because he recently paid for a $44.99 annual membership in the Bill Dance Nationwide Giant Bass Open, he took the overall lead in those standings as well.

Louisiana angler Max Swayze had previously held the lead in the Nationwide GBO event with a 9.08.

“I’ve caught a lot of big fish in my life — and that’s not me bragging,” Drake said. “I live right here on Chickamauga, so I get a lot of time on one of the best fisheries in the world.

“When I heard about the Nationwide Giant Bass Open, I thought it would be silly not to sign up when you’re talking $44.99 for a full year. Now, I’m sure glad I did.

Drake will earn a commemorative coin and decal signifying his membership into the Bill Dance Giant Bass Club. If no one catches a bass larger than Drake’s, he has a chance to earn four more prizes for the fish — the Southeast Region winner for October, the overall winner for October, the Southeast Region winner for the year and the overall winner for the year. Prize value will be determined by the number of entrants in the contest when each prize is awarded.

“That’s why I thought this was such a neat deal when they started it,” Drake said. “It gives guys a chance to win multiple times for one fish in a tournament — and when you’re out practicing for a tournament or just fishing for fun, it gives you a chance to win something for a fish that you wouldn’t have won anything for.”

Ironically, Drake missed his opportunity to join the Giant Bass Club a week earlier.

The Bill Giant Bass Open began in 2023 as a series of two-day tournaments held only on Tennessee fisheries that award prizes for the biggest fish caught every hour. Though organizers have expanded to include the nationwide format with fish uploaded through the Fishing Chaos app, they’re still holding several of the two-day tournaments each year, including one on Chickamauga, a Bill Dance Signature Bass Lake, Oct. 11-12.

Drake caught a 9.33-pound bass that won one of the hourly weigh-ins in that event, but he released the fish without remembering to upload it through Fishing Chaos for the nationwide event.

“When they asked me if I’d uploaded it, I felt pretty silly,” said Drake, who caught the 10.22 and the 9.33 from the same 15-yard stretch of water on the same glidebait. “I’m not used to getting paid twice for one fish, but I won’t make that mistake again.”

Drake has one final tournament on Chickamauga this year, the Volunteer Bass Trail State Championship scheduled for Nov. 1.

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Media info

Who we are: The Bill Dance Giant Bass Open was founded in 2023 with a series of two-day, big fish tournaments on Bill Dance Signature Lakes in Tennessee. The format has been expanded this year to include a nationwide competition with fish catches entered through Fishing Chaos.

Bill Dance Giant Bass Open Sponsors: Bill Dance Signature Lakes, Bass Pro Shops, Tracker Boats, BlueOval City Ford, Tennessee Valley Authority, FirstBank, Strike King, Lew’s, Zebco, Bigs Only. Blue Water Resort, Mossy Oak, Halo Fishing, BaitFuel. Power-Pole, Frogg Toggs, Athens Paper-Packaging-Wide Format, Tennessee State Parks, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, Fish Tennessee, Tennessee Sounds Perfect.

Websites: giantbassopen.com; gbonationwide.com; fishingchaos.com.

Social media: Instagram — @billdancegiantbassopen; Facebook — facebook.com/giantbassopen

Contact info (not for publication): Shane Frazier (423) 421-6022; Brent Brady (423) 718-0326;