Jim Shunamon of Quincy, Massachusetts, correctly picked three of the top 10 anglers in last week’s Walmart FLW Tour event on Lake Chickamauga presented by Igloo Coolers. For his picks, Shunamon won $5,000 by playing FLW Fantasy Fishing, held in conjunction with the FLW Tour fishing tournament.
“I was very surprised when I found out I won,” said Shunamon. “It’s not every day you’re rewarded with this kind of money for playing a Fantasy game.”
In order to choose his team, Shunamon said he studied Lake Chickamauga’s conditions and compared the angler’s skillsets using FLW’s Fantasy Fishing tools.
“I went back and forth for about a week trying to decide who I was going to round off my team with,” said Shunamon. “I really looked at seasonal conditions and how certain anglers performed in those conditions. I’ll be honest, some picks were blind guesses, but for the most part I had specific reasons for why I picked who I did.
“With the salary cap, you really need to think critically about past statistics on that particular body of water,” continued Shunamon. “For me, the salary cap is what makes playing FLW Fantasy Fishing both fun and interesting. Without it, I’m sure I’d have the same team every tournament.”
When asked if he had any plans for the prize money, Shunamon said he could use a new computer as well as some more fishing gear.
“When you’re blessed with a surprise like this a little upgrading never hurts,” Shunamon said. “Now I need to figure out who I’m picking for my team at the Potomac River.”
Finishing in second place on the fantasy side for the Lake Chickamauga event was Mike Neff of Owingsville, Kentucky, who won $1,000, and in third place was Jacob Sessums of Duncan, Oklahoma, who won $500. Several other winners from across the globe took home prizes including cash, ShopFLW gift cards, hats and baits.
The 2015 Fantasy Fishing season consists of seven tournaments surrounding the Walmart FLW Tour regular season as well as the season-ending Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing. Fans compete for more than $7,000 in cash and prizes from each of the six tournaments and a top prize of $5,000. The cumulative grand prize for the highest ranked player at the end of the season is $10,000.
To begin playing, visit FantasyFishing.com and sign up. Select a team of 10 anglers against an allocated $200 salary cap and select your guess for the tournament winning weight as a tiebreaker. Create a league to play against your friends and compete for bragging rights. Player’s modifications to their teams must be finalized by 11:59 p.m. ET the night prior to the tournament.
ABOUT FLW
FLW is the industry’s premier tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money nationwide in 2015 over the course of 240 tournaments across five tournament circuits, four of which provide an avenue to the sport’s richest payday and most coveted championship trophy – the Forrest Wood Cup. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.
By: Brian Johnson, FLW
