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Feb 4th 2021 | Morgan Lea

Chris Whisenant, native Kansan, started his fishing career early with weekend trips to the family cabin at the Lake of the Ozarks, MO, which offers year-round angling and a wide variety of fish to catch. Chris remembers a family friend showing him the different lures to use and where to fish to get the best results. And slowly, as he became more successful at catching fish, so his passion for the sport grew.

As his love for fishing began to take hold, a different love also entered the picture. Chris married his high school sweetheart, Shannon, not long after graduating high school and joining a local club called Team Concepts for tournament bass fishing.

Fishing & Family

CW Fishing

As time went on, Chris got more confident in his skills and abilities, competed in larger competitions, and tried new lakes. When a family of his own came into the picture, however, bass fishing took a back seat.

That was until his son expressed an interest in competitive fishing. This curiosity turned out to be a blessing for both father and son. Being able to share this passion has fostered newfound avenues of respect and joy between the two, and it has also sparked a return to competitive fishing for Chris.

CW Fishing Gets Back Into It

Chris has accepted an offer to fish in the National Professional Fishing League (NPFL), which kicks off in March 2021. The NPFL is a new angler-centric professional bass-fishing league that allows anglers to compete in national-level events. The tournaments consist of six three-day tournaments with an opportunity to qualify for a no-entry-fee championship.

The focus of the NPFL is to bring simplicity back to the sport. Each tournament takes place on one lake with 125 anglers - the winner is the fisherman with the heaviest combined three-day weight.

Chris says, "This has been an awesome journey so far, and I can't wait to see what the future holds.” And we’re looking forward to watching the tournaments!


Want to show your support to Chris? Get your CW Fishing merchandise from the KEY Apparel partner store, and follow Chris on Facebook and Instagram @chriswhisenantfishing.

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