Grooms just misses berth to 2012 Bassmaster Classic

Chad Hastings was the big winner at the Berkley/Sebile Big Bass Challenge on Lake Murray in late October.

Conrad Bolt of Seneca will fish in the 2012 BFL All-American thanks to a sixth-place finish in the Lake Hartwell regional.

George Berry of Saluda won the ABA D-96 tournament on Lake Greenwood.

Bonneau angler not going to Classic

Wade Grooms of Bonneau finished second at the Bassmaster Weekend Series national championship on the Santee Cooper lakes on Nov. 9-12, missing the winner’s berth in the Bassmasters Classic by less than a pounds.

Grooms weighed in 5-bass daily limits at 15.59, 19.10, 15.05 and 14.63 pounds for a 64.37-pound total.

Allan Glasgow of Ashville, Ala., won the tournament with 65.10 pounds, protecting a big lead the final day with a 9.35-pound limit.

Glasgow, who won $100,000, will fish in the Bassmasters Classic, scheduled for Feb. 24-26 on the Red River out of Shreveport, La.

Hornet Anglers have busy fall

Dixie High School in Due West won the T.L. Hanna Invitational on Nov. 5 at Lake Hartwell in a tournament that brought together bass-fishing teams from four different high schools: Dixie (from Due West), Hanna (from Anderson), Abbeville H.S. and Bonds Career Center from Greer.

Christopher Bensel and Ben Stone of Dixie’s Hornet Anglers won with a 5-fish limit that weighed 7.73 pounds. Hanna’s Andy Drennon and Chris Vita Jr., were second with a 7.24-pound limit. Brooks Littleton of Bonds was third with one bass that weighed 5.02 pounds and was the tournament’s big fish.

The tournament was the first of its kind in the Youth Bass Fishing League, supported by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources and The Bass Federation of South Carolina.

Dixie High School also held the Lake Russell Halloween tournament on Nov. 11. Branson Chadwick won the 11-14 age group with four fish that weighed 6.88 pounds. Ethan Lee was second with 4.67, and Dylan Powell was third with 4.63. Christopher Bensel won the 15-18 division with a 5-fish limit weighing 7.65 pounds. Parker Cann was second with 5.79, and Ben Stone was third with 5.47. Lee’s 2.95-pound fish won the big fish award.

Nineteen fishermen caught 56 fish weighing 70.58 pounds.

Hastings wins Big Bass Challenge

Chad Hastings and Edward Lewis caught largemouth bass that weighed 4.77 pounds each, and Hastings won the tie-breaker to take first place overall in the Berkley/Sebile Big Bass Challenge on Lake Murray on Oct. 22.

Hastings’ fish, caught on a Sebile Crankster during the noon hour, won because it was caught an hour earlier than Lewis’ fish — weighed in at 1 p.m.

Hastings and Lewis won $1,000 each for winning hourly big-fish prizes.

Hastings multiplied his prize money by drawing a lucky key that opened a box containing $5,000.

Ben Lee, Chris Brunson, Howard Stephens and Matthew Arms also won $1,000 hourly prizes.

Bolt, Tidwell earn All-American berths

Brian Tidwell and Conrad Bolt, two Seneca anglers, finished among the top six at the Walmart BFL regional on Lake Hartwell, Nov. 5, winning berths in the BFL All-American in May on the Potomac River.

Tidwell and Bolt each finished with 30.38 pounds, as part of a 3-way tie for fourth. Tidewell got fourth in the tiebreaker and Bolt got sixth, but both got All-America slots based on their finishes.

Bolt said that he caught all his fish deep because he felt comfortable fishing deep. Bolt was fishing a drop-shot rig with a albino-green Swamp Crawler and half-ounce football Perfect Jig in chocolate crawl.

David Williams of Maiden, N.C., won the event with a 3-day total 39.63 pounds. He won a fully-rigged boat and truck. Kurt Morse of Max Meadows, Va., won the co-angler Division with 23.56 pounds and won a boat/truck package.

BASS TOURNAMENTS

CATT Fall Final
Lake Wateree, Nov. 26

1.Tripp Poplin-Kyle Janny (Sumter), 5 bass, 14.58 pounds, $2,620; 2. Miller Green (Chester)-Jeff Reynolds (Lancaster), 5, 13.76, $1,000; 3. Ron Farrow-Roger Farrow (Rock Hill), 13.18 plus 4.97-pound big fish, $903; 4. Andy Owens (Camden), 5, 12.81, $500; 5. Mark Richardson-William Richardson (Irmo), 5, 12.78, $300; 6. Butch Williams-David Ethridge (Lancaster), 12.61, plus second big fish, 4.92 pounds, $297.

ABA D-96
Lake Greenwood, Nov. 20.

1. George Berry (Saluda), 14.83 pounds, $663; 2. Don Kneecap (Saluda), 12.66, $409; 3. Phil Morris (Saluda), 11.69, $110; 4. Phillip Anderson (Saluda), 10.93, $197. Big fish: Ken Rugger (Lexington), 5.31 pounds, $120.

S.C. Bass Anglers Invitational Trail
Lake Hartwell, Nov. 12

1. Eric Moore-Erin Moore, 5 bass, 17.32 pounds, $1,050; 2. Cliff Talley-Mike Hughes, 15.97, $720; 3. Brad Perkins-Curt Schumann, 15.61, $470; 4. Andy Burgess-Ted Burgess, 15.25, $360; 5. Jake Hendricks-Bradley Rowland, 14.70, $310; 6. Randy Dickson-Kevin Dickson, 14.62, $250; 7. Chris Dorian-Roy Stuart, 14.5, $200; 8. Brian Tidwell-Mike Tidwell, 13.27, $160; 9. Cole Hyde-Randall Eubanks, 13.08, $150; 10. Chase Steward-Chris Areas and Greg Louse-Jamie Ramsey, 12.88, $55 each.