The Midlands Striper Club held tournaments on June 11 on Lake Murray and July 9 on Clarks Hill Lake, and TeamCatchall came away with first- and third-place finishes.
Team Catchall — Lee Thomas and Kreg Frady of Leesville and Weston Thomas of Lexington — won the tournament on Clarks Hill with four stripers that weighed 32.56 pounds, including the tournament’s big fish, a 12.19-pound striper.
James Lindler of West Columbia, Rick Kellemeyer of Chapin and Gary Heichelbeck of Lexington, fishing as Team Cowcatcher, took second with 19.8. Tommy and Jaimy Richardson of Swansea and David and Tristan Richardson of Aiken, fishing as Team Laid Back, took third with 13.69 pounds.
At Lake Murray, Team Catchall finished third with 30.75 pounds. Shawn Gearhart of Lexington and his Team Gar-Heart — John Sightler of Lexington and Tod Riviere of Charlotte, N.C. — won with a 4-fish limit that weighed 35.56 pounds, including an 11.75-pound striper that was the big fish of the tournament, which doubles as an annual fund-raising event that benefits the S.C. Department of Natural Resources.
Warren Turner and Glenn Pittman of Greer took second for Team Hiz Witness with 32.63 pounds, including the second-big fish, a 10.63-pound striper.
Total prizes for the tournament totaled more than $5,000. The annual event for the SCDNR is the club’s largest fund-raiser of the year, assisting the agency in its efforts to manage and enhance striped bass fisheries in South Carolina.
Big flathead wins at Hartwell
Brad McCall of Anderson and Mike Durham of Liberty took first place overall and had the big fish at the Twelve Mile Catfish Club’s July 3 tournament on Lake Hartwell.
McCall landed a 35-pound flathead that was the tournament’s big fish, and it helped the team to a winning weight of 83.14 pounds for five fish. They caught their fish anchoring up over points on the main channel, using cut bream for bait.
Terry Burrell of Central and Greg Maher of Walhalla took second with 55.04 pounds.
Three days later, Chad Roper and Justin Smith of Central won the July 7 tournament with five fish that weighed 51.01 pounds. Sam Holder and David Holder of Six Mile took second with 46.07. Ken Hansen and Matt Whitman of Easley were third with 34.01, a catch that included the day’s big fish, an 18.02-pounder.
For more information on the weekend tournaments, call Sam Holder at 864-637-8241.
Ashley makes Final Four in All-Star event
Casey Ashley of Donalds made it to the semifinals in the BASS All-Star Championship tournament on the Alabama River in late July before finally losing to Oklahoma pro Edwin Evers.
Evers weighed in 14.1 pounds to Ashley’s 8.0 pounds to reach the championship match, where he lost to Ott DeFoe.
Ashley defeated Skeet Reese in the quarterfinals, 7-14 to 7-1 after qualifying for the final eight by finishing first in the first half of All-Star Week, taking the 2-day event with 25.8 pounds. The top eight of 12 Bassmaster Elite pros qualified for the All-Star event. Davy Hite of Ninety Six was not among the top eight finishers and was eliminated.
Gagliardi, Auten place at Pickwick
Two pros from South Carolina finished in the money at the season-ending FLW Tour event on Alabama’s Pickwick Lake in mid-July.
Anthony Gagliardi of Prosperity finished 49th with 26.04 pounds, and Todd Auten of Lake Wylie was 50th with 25.08 pounds. Both won $7,892.
Mark Rose of Marion, Ark., won the event with 77.11 pounds and received a check for $125,000. David Dudley of Lychburg, Va., clinched his second FLW Angler of the Year title at Pickwick, finishing 14 points ahead of runnerup Brent Ehler.
Auten was the only South Carolina pro to finish in the top 50 in Angler of the Year standings. He wound up 25th with season winnings of $47.125.
BASS TOURNAMENTS
Carolina Anglers Team Tournaments, Lake Wateree, July 9
1. Chad Gainey (Hartsville)- Mack Kitchens (Aiken), 5 bass, 16.5 pounds, plus bonus, $540, and big fish, 5.25 pounds, plus bonus, $4,399; 2. Jimmy McFarland-Calvin Griggs (Hartsville), 5, 14.19, 1,000; 3. Richard Smith-Derrell Coleman (Sumter), 5, 13.06,$796, and second big fish, 4.75; 4. Alan Fletcher-Danny Johnson (Hartsville), 5, 11.31, $500; 5. Barry Holloman (Florence)-Lin Langston (Bishopville), 10.56, $300; 6. Max Price (Winnboro), 5, 10.25, $150.
Waccamaw River, July 2
1. Timmy Barfield-Joel Barfield (Conway), 5 bass, 9.55 pounds, $625; 2.Hunter Dickerson (Conway), 9.30, $700; 3. Rodney Hardee-Scott Todd (Conway), 8.40, $250; 4. Mark Johnson-Mandy Johnson (Plantersville), 8.35, $130; 4. Chris Jones-Ed Owens (Conway), 8.25, and big fish, 4.0, $320; 6. Mac Cooper-Ron Terwilliger (Conway), 7.75, $100; Second big fish, John Proctor-Mike Gerald, 3.25 pounds, $90.
American Bass Anglers,Division 96, Lake Russell, July 17
1. Kevin Fulmer (Prosperity), 5 bass, 8.47 pounds, $515; 2. Paul Koon (Saluda), 5, 8.19, $380, plus 3.55-pound big fish, $84. 3. Steve Christie (Gray Court), 5, 8.07, $78; 4. William Hooker (Appling, Ga.), 5. 7.91; 4. Jay Treon (Greenwood), 5, 7.57.
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