Whatley wins first BassTrakk Contingency Prize

Brad Whatley takes home $1,000 for winning the first BassTrakk Contingency Prize.

At the St. Johns River Elite tournament Brad Whatley’s BassTrakk estimates were only 2 ounces shy of his official weight. That level of accuracy earned Whatley the very first BassTrakk Contingency Prize of $1,000.

“I wasn’t trying to win the prize, I was focused on winning the tournament,” said Whatley. “But it feels good. I can use $1,000 any day.”

Whatley uses his own scale to weigh fish in the boat. He had a Marshal on Days 1 and 2, and then ran his own BassTrakk on Day 3, where he finished 41st.

“The BassTrakk app is easy to use,” said Whatley. “Once you get in the rhythm it’s no big deal.”

Jamie Hartman and Chad Pipkens tied for second place. Both of their BassTrakk estimates were 5 ounces off their official weights. Here is the top 10 for St. Johns, and how much their two day BassTrakk estimates were off from their official weights:

  • Brad Whatley: 0-2
  • Jamie Hartman: 0-5
  • Chad Pipkens: 0-5
  • KJ Queen: 0-9
  • Tyler Carriere: 0-10
  • Mark Menendez: 1-0
  • Carl Jocumsen: 1-2
  • Drew Cook: 1-3
  • Matt Robertson: 1-5
  • Mike Huff: 1-6

The BassTrakk Contingency Prize was designed to incentivize Elite anglers to give relatively accurate estimates to their Marshals, and to encourage the use of BassTrakk when Elites don’t have a Marshal. Here’s how the Prize works:

  • The angler whose BassTrakk estimates are closest to his official weight will be awarded $1,000. 
  • Weights are considered official after any penalties have been applied. 
  • The BassTrakk Contingency Prize will be awarded for every Elite Series tournament. Events that are catch-weigh-release will not have this contingency prize.
  • The prize is based on the first two days of fishing when the full field is competing.
  • In the case of ties, the standard Elite tiebreakers will be used to determine the winner. Those include: 1) the individual with the heaviest single day catch, 2) the individual with the second heaviest single day catch, and 3) the individual with the largest number of legal fish weighed during competition.
  • To be eligible, an angler or his Marshal must use BassTrakk every day he competes in the tournament.
  • The winning angler must catch a limit on Days 1 and 2. Which of course means an angler who zeros (no keepers) on Days 1 and 2, or both days, does not qualify.