Team dominates Federation’s Six-Man event
The Gaffney Bassmasters No. 3 took bragging rights at the Oct. 12-13 South Carolina B.A.S.S. Federation’s Six-Man Tournament on Lake Hartwell.
Gaffney beat 41 other state teams with a weight of 120.39 pounds for the 2-day tournament. Three members of they Gaffney team qualified for the state team.
Nuts & Bolts Bassmasters No. 1 took second with 110.95 pounds, followed by Greenwood Bassmasters No. 1 with 104.87. Easley Bassmasters No. 2 was fourth with 93.91, and Cooper River Bassmasters No. 1 was fifth with 85.60.
Larry Martin of Anderson took top individual honors with 10 fish that weighed 29.17 pounds. He caught fish off points and ledges in 10 to 15 feet of water — almost all by 10 a.m. daily — on a white Sebile Magic Swimmer.
Rusty Turner of the Greenwood Bassmasters No. 1 had the big fish of the tournament at 5.45 pounds.
Bryan Gunter of Greenwood Bassmasters No. 1 took second with 23.32, followed by Roy Stuart and Blake Campbell, both of Gaffney Bassmasters No. 3 with 21.70 each. Those three, plus Martin, qualified for the state team. The top four anglers from the Pro-Am standings also made the state team: Conrad Bolt of Seneca, Chris Blanchette of Irmo, Sidney Weaver of Cherryville, N.C., and Jad Willis.
Saluda angler wins at Clarks Hill
Phil Morris of Saluda won the Oct. 14 American Bass Anglers Division-96 on Clarks Hill Lake and took home big-fish honors in the process.
Morris caught four fish that weighed 8.48 pounds, including the tournament’s big fish, a 4.48-pound bass.
Morris fished the backs of creeks in the upper end of the lake, catching his fish on spinnerbaits and soft plastics around stumps and brush. First place was worth $365, and big fish was good for another $70.
Russ Padgett of Saluda was second with five bass that weighed 8.17 pounds for $215. Bo Chappell of Turbeville was third with four fish and 6.22 pounds, winning $71.
Rikard cashes big BFL check at Clarks Hill
Greg Rikard of Leesville caught 10 bass over two days for a total of 31 pounds, 8 ounces, to win the BFL South Carolina Division super tournament Sept. 29-30 on Clarks Hill.
Rikard, who won $6,400, said all of his fish came out of five feet of water or less.
“I threw three main baits this week,” he said. “I alternated throwing a shad-colored and a white-colored Santone Lures spinnerbait. I also threw a chartreuse shad-colored Ima Bill Lowen Square Bill crankbait and a homemade buzzbait.”
Mark Abbott of Ninety Six took home $2,200 for his second-place finish with 30-2; Lyn Langston of Timmonsville was third with 26-1 for $1,466; Tim Jones of North Augusta was fourth with 24-14 for $1,027, and Michael Murphy of Lexington rounded out the top five with 24-13 for $880, plus a $1,000 Evinrude bonus.
Tim Moore of Newton, N.C., won the co-angler division with 10 bass weighing 20 pounds, netting $2,200. Rounding out the top five were: Jeff Rikard of Leesville, second with 18-8 for $1,100; James Spivey of Whiteville, N.C., third with 17-5 for $734; Keith Thomasson of Abbeville, fourth with 17-1 for $734; and Todd Lawrence of Rock Hill, fifth with 16-13 for $440.
Murphy, McEachern qualify for All-American
Michael Murphy of Lexington and D.J. McEachern of Columbia have qualified for the BFL All-America through a regional tournament Oct. 11-13 on North Carolina’s Kerr (Buggs Island) Lake.
Murphy finished fifth in the boater division with 15 bass weighing 33-4, winning $900. McEachern took fourth in the co-angler division with 12 bass weighing 23-13 and won $500.
T.L. Hanna duo is second in high-school tournament
Two fishermen from Anderson’s T.L. Hanna High school finished second in the High School Southeastern Conference Championship tournament Sept. 29 on Lake Wylie.
Hamilton Anderson and Eli Rowland teamed up to check in five bass weighing 9.9 pounds to take second.
Bandys High School from Catawba, N.C., won the event with 10.7 pounds.
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