Kevin Drake isn’t exactly a stranger to big bass. The Chattanooga hammer has spent years picking apart Chickamauga Lake and stacking up double-digit largemouths like it’s just another Saturday. But the 10.22-pound tank he hauled in on October 18 may end up being the most valuable fish he’s ever caught.
Drake stuck the fish during the Chattanooga Bass Association’s end-of-season Classic, and while it locked up big fish honors in that derby, it did something even bigger — it shot him straight to the top of the Bill Dance Nationwide Giant Bass Open leaderboard.
All because of a $44.99 decision.
“When I heard about the Nationwide Giant Bass Open, I figured, why not?” Drake said. “You’re already fishing — why not give yourself a shot at something more?”
The deal is simple: anglers across the country can enter fish through the Fishing Chaos app, and the biggest bass submitted in each region — and across the nation — earn prizes. Drake’s 10.22 overtook the previous nationwide leader, Louisiana’s Max Swayze, who was holding it down with a 9.08.
Drake will now receive a commemorative coin and decal as part of the Bill Dance Giant Bass Club, and if his fish holds up, he could sweep the month and regional categories — not to mention the overall win for the year. Prize payouts scale with the number of anglers signed up, so the pot just keeps getting juicier.
“That’s what makes this deal so cool,” said Drake. “You can win multiple prizes off one fish — even if you’re just fun fishing or practicing for a tournament.”
Ironically, he nearly missed out on the whole thing the week before. During the Oct. 11–12 Bill Dance Signature Series event on Chickamauga, Drake weighed a 9.33 that won an hourly big fish prize. But in the post-tourney chaos, he forgot to upload it for the nationwide side of things.
“Yeah, I felt pretty dumb,” Drake admitted with a laugh. “Same glidebait, same little 15-yard stretch — I just didn’t log it. Won’t make that mistake again.”
That’s two monsters off the same spot in back-to-back weeks, and Drake still has one more crack at Chickamauga this season — the Volunteer Bass Trail State Championship on Nov. 1.
If he keeps this heater going, we might not have heard the last of Kevin Drake in the Nationwide GBO standings.
