Whitaker catches $5,000 bass

Jake Whitaker may have caught a $5,000 bass on one of his last casts of the day. It filled his five-bass limit, finally. Whitaker made only a few more casts before pulling up his trolling motor and heading to the check-in point.

The bass might have been worth $5,000 because it moved him from fourth place to third in the BASSTrakk standings. Third place pays $20,000 and fourth through 10th places pay $15,000.

Amazingly, Whitaker caught a limit each day from the same marina. Lee Livesay is the only other angler to catch a limit each day.

“I may not win this tournament, but I am proud of what I’ve done,” said the 28-year-old Whitaker, the 2018 Elite Series Rookie of the Year.