MANNING, S.C.Hometown angler Will Smith proved that one mans junk can also be treasure winning the BASS Federation Nation Southern Divisional bass fishing tournament at Santee Cooper Lakes.
I went junk fishing, said Smith of his winning strategy that produced a three-day catch of 63 pounds, 1 ounce. I was going to areas that I had fished before but it was just running and gunning and looking for dark spots. The dark spots were stumps in deeper water that he thought other anglers were overlooking.
Most of his fish were holding 2 to 3 feet deep along stumps on points leading into the spawning flats. I keyed on the darker targets a little bit away from the bank, said Smith, a 37-year-old process technician at a blow molding company. If you could find a stump off to the side of some green vegetation there was usually a fish in it.
The Goose Creek Bass Club member relied on Texas-rigged junebug and green pumpkin Gambler Flappy Daddy plastic craws and watermelon Zoom Craw worms to catch most of his fish. He delivered both lures with a medium-heavy 6-foot, 10-inch All Star rod and Pflueger President baitcast reel filled with Berkley Big Game line. He used 20-pound test line for the Flappy Daddy and 15-pound test for the craw worm.
Whenever he spotted a dark spot, Smith pitched his lures as close as he could to the stump and let it fall straight down. I would shake it a couple of times and if the fish was there it was going to eat it, he disclosed.
During practice, Smith stayed away from the area where he thought he could win the tournament. Since I am a local I had fished the area before and I knew the fish were there, said Smith, who did find a couple of spots during practice that also produced for him during the competition days.
His strategy the first day was to go to his best spot and try to blow away the competition early but he had to change plans when the area fizzled. So he went running and gunning, which he calls junk fishing. Yesterday I went into a backwater pond that was closer to deeper water and it had some good fish in it, revealed Smith, who weighed in a 24-4 limit to take over the lead on Day Two.
Today Smith went back to his primary spot and caught a 5-pounder on his second cast and then completed a 21-9 limit by running around again. The local angler caught most of his fish on his home waters of Moultrie Lake but he did catch two kicker fish the last day on Marion Lake.
The tournament champ along with six other state leaders advanced to the BASS Federation Nation Championship, the premier event for amateur bass anglers throughout the world. Joining Smith at the championship will be the following competitors who finished at the top of their state teams standings: Roy Galbraith, Alabama; Larry Cahan, Florida; Waine Pittman, Georgia; Bradley Roy, Kentucky; Jeff Hager, North Carolina; and Chris Barnett, Tennessee.
The 12-member South Carolina team claimed the top prize of a Triton/Mercury boat rig, valued at $30,000, with a cumulative weight of 348 pounds, 14 ounces. Finishing second was North Carolina with 338-2.
It is tough to win at home because these guys all have their spots and it is tough to share them, said Harry Wallace, South Carolina BASS Federation Nation president, of his teams win. This group did get together though and shared information and that is what you get out of that. I appreciate every one of them.
The Southern Divisional is the first of six regional qualifiers for the Federation Nation Championship. Next on the schedule is the Western Divisional next month at Coeur dAlene Lake in Idaho. At the Federation Nation Championship, the top six finishers in their respective divisions will qualify for the 2009 Bassmaster Classic.
Added to this years divisional slate will be regional contests for Bassmaster CastingKids and the Junior Bassmaster program. Both contests for the Southern Divisional will be held tomorrow at Santee Cooper. The CastingKids competition will begin at 12:30 p.m. at the John C. Land III Ramp and the weigh-in for the Junior Bassmaster divisional will start at 3 p.m. at the same location.
2008 Federation Nation - 2008 Southern Divisional 04/02-04/04 Santee Cooper Lakes
(BOATER) Standings Day 3Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1. William Smith Moncks Corner, S.C. (S 15 63-01
2. Larry Cahan East Palatka, Fla. (FL 14 60-01
3. Ray Winans Manning, S.C. (SC) 14 52-01 $1,000.00
4. Jeff Hager Alexis, N.C. (NC) 12 51-00
5. Phil Bain Youngsville, N.C. (NC) 15 49-04
6. Bradley Roy Lancaster, Ky. (KY) 13 47-11
7. Roy Galbraith Winfield, Ala. (AL) 9 45-09
8. Jonathan Edwards Lawrenceburg, Tenn. (A 12 45-04
9. Stanley Gunter Saluda, S.C. (SC) 11 42-10
10. Jeff Narron Sims, N.C. (NC) 14 40-08
11. Waine Pittman Villa Rica, Ga. (GA) 13 36-03
12. Rickie Harp Cottondale, Ala. (AL) 11 35-04
13. Tony Holliday Piedmont, S.C. (SC) 12 34-07
14. Tony Beck Social Circle, Ga. (GA 11 33-13
15. Bruce Eskow Fayetteville, N.C. (NC 13 33-11
16. Tracy McCready Concord, N.C. (NC) 11 32-04
17. Mitch Driggers Olanta, S.C. (SC) 11 31-09
18. Richard Messer Opelika, Ala. (AL) 10 31-02
19. Gary Bonnet Borden, Ind. (KY) 12 30-12
20. Mark Robertson Henderson, N.C. (NC) 8 29-14
21. Patrick Tierney Denver, N.C. (NC) 10 29-09
22. Waylon Koehler Lakeland, Ga. (GA) 9 28-02
23. Bud Thacker Defuniak Springs, Fla. 9 26-09
24. Mark Lamb Wake Forest, N.C. (NC) 8 26-03
25. Bill Forney Southside, Ala. (AL) 8 25-12
26. Kyle Colley Ashville, Ala. (AL) 8 25-09
27. Chris Pope Pensacola, Fla. (AL) 10 25-02
28. John Hendry Lakeland, Fla. (FL) 11 24-14
29. Johnny Roth West Harrison, Ind. (K 7 24-02
30. Jeff Brooks Lake Worth, Fla. (FL) 9 23-10
31. Darrel High Opelika, Ala. (AL) 9 23-08
32. Joe Wikoff Phenix City, Ala. (AL) 7 23-04
33. Glen Rowe Louisa, Ky. (KY) 6 23-02
34. Scott Platt Andrew, S.C. (SC) 7 22-12
35. Tommy Chapman Kings Mountain, N.C. ( 8 22-08
36. Sean Dassau Helena, Ala. (AL) 8 22-01
37. Scott Jones Louisville, Ky. (KY) 7 20-15
38. Bradley Enfinger Colquitt, Ga. (GA) 8 20-02
39. Colby Cotterill Lakeland, Fla. (FL) 7 19-14
40. Chris Blair Newnan, Ga. (GA) 6 19-08
41. Michael Carson Gastonia, N.C. (SC) 7 19-00
41. Kevin White Camilla, Ga. (GA) 4 19-00
43. Chris Barnett Harrogate, Tenn. (TN) 7 18-07
44. Carl Wilson Varnville, S.C. (SC) 6 18-04
45. Gregory Weber Louisville, Ky. (KY) 6 17-01
45. Justin Lord Summerville, S.C. (SC) 5 17-01
47. Dustin Powell Lake City, S.C. (SC) 8 17-00
48. Tony Jackson Little Mountain, S.C. 8 16-02
49. Roger Morrow Griffin, Ga. (GA) 7 16-00
50. Dwaine Williams Greenup, Ky. (KY) 5 15-04
51. Brian Rodriguez Orlando, Fla. (FL) 6 15-03
51. Barry Ward Louisville, Ky. (KY) 6 15-03
53. Ted Kyle Bailey Greer, S.C. (SC) 6 14-15
53. Ashley Stanford Smyrna, Tenn. (AL) 5 14-15
55. Rick Sharp Florence, Ala. (AL) 5 14-13
56. Charles Graybeal, Jr Erwin, Tenn. (TN) 5 14-03
57. Ronnie Garrison Griffin, Ga. (GA) 7 13-06
58. Gerald Rose Orlando, Fla. (FL) 5 12-07
59. Lester Cloud Mulberry, Fla. (FL) 3 11-09
60. Bobby Headrick Hartford, Ky. (KY) 6 11-07
61. Mark Pierce Clarksville, Tenn. (TN 4 11-02
62. Sonny Layton Springhope, N.C. (NC) 3 11-01
63. Karl Schreiber Georgetown, Ky. (KY) 5 10-13
63. Nick Kelly Brownsville, Tenn. (TN 3 10-13
65. Richard Steiner St Cloud, Fla. (FL) 4 10-03
66. Lenny Smathers Granite Falls, N.C. (N 4 10-00
67. Randall Christopher Irvine, Ky. (KY) 3 9-14
67. Richard Morrison Bristol, Tenn. (TN) 2 9-14
69. Sam Moody Leesburg, Ga. (GA) 3 9-06
70. Jason Oliver Brownsville, Tenn. (TN 3 9-00
71. Kevin Brown Owensboro, Ky. (KY) 3 8-14
72. Paul Tyre Tallahassee, Fla. (GA) 3 8-13
73. Stephen Edmonds Jacksonville, Fla. (FL 3 8-03
74. Jeffrey Statzer Kingsport, Tenn. (TN) 2 7-10
75. Danny Lea Columbia, Tenn. (TN) 2 7-01
76. Stephen Nalder Snellville, Ga. (GA) 1 4-15
77. Mark Laporte Spring Hill, Tenn. (TN 1 4-04
78. Marlyn Hill Cumberland, Tenn. (TN) 2 3-15
79. Linda Paul Cape Coral, Fla. (FL) 2 2-06
80. Stephen Dyer Mt Pleasant, N.C. (NC) 1 2-04
81. Johnny Pickett Cleveland, Tenn. (TN) 1 1-08
82. Lonzie Brewer Clarksville, Tenn. (TN 0 0-00
82. Jack Comparoni Middlesboro, Ky. (TN) 0 0-00
82. Tom Mahoney Lutz, Fla. (FL) 0 0-00
82. Angelo Roundourakis Bainbridge, Ga. (GA) 0 0-00
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Ray Winans Manning, S.C. (SC) 7-15 $1,000.00
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 10 187 501-02
2 17 199 674-11
3 11 189 600-08
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38 575 1776-05
TEAM STANDINGS Day 3
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State Lbs-Oz
1 SOUTH CAROLINA 348-14
2
NORTH CAROLINA 338-02
3
ALABAMA 332-03
4
KENTUCKY 235-02
5
FLORIDA 214-15
6
GEORGIA 209-04
7
TENNESSEE 97-13
INDIVIDUAL STANDINGS Day 3
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SOUTH CAROLINA
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1 William Smith Moncks Corner, S.C. 15 63-01
2 Ray Winans Manning, S.C. 14 52-01 $1,000.00
3 Stanley Gunter Saluda, S.C. 11 42-10
4 Tony Holliday Piedmont, S.C. 12 34-07
5 Mitch Driggers Olanta, S.C. 11 31-09
6 Scott Platt Andrew, S.C. 7 22-12
7 Michael Carson Gastonia, N.C. 7 19-00
8 Carl Wilson Varnville, S.C. 6 18-04
9 Justin Lord Summerville, S.C. 5 17-01
10 Dustin Powell Lake City, S.C. 8 17-00
11 Tony Jackson Little Mountain, S.C. 8 16-02
12 Ted Kyle Bailey Greer, S.C. 6 14-15
NORTH CAROLINA
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1 Jeff Hager Alexis, N.C. 12 51-00
2 Phil Bain Youngsville, N.C. 15 49-04
3 Jeff Narron Sims, N.C. 14 40-08
4 Bruce Eskow Fayetteville, N.C. 13 33-11
5 Tracy McCready Concord, N.C. 11 32-04
6 Mark Robertson Henderson, N.C. 8 29-14
7 Patrick Tierney Denver, N.C. 10 29-09
8 Mark Lamb Wake Forest, N.C. 8 26-03
9 Tommy Chapman Kings Mountain, N.C. 8 22-08
10 Sonny Layton Springhope, N.C. 3 11-01
11 Lenny Smathers Granite Falls, N.C. 4 10-00
12 Stephen Dyer Mt Pleasant, N.C. 1 2-04
ALABAMA
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1 Roy Galbraith Winfield, Ala. 9 45-09
2 Jonathan Edwards Lawrenceburg, Tenn. 12 45-04
3 Rickie Harp Cottondale, Ala. 11 35-04
4 Richard Messer Opelika, Ala. 10 31-02
5 Bill Forney Southside, Ala. 8 25-12
6 Kyle Colley Ashville, Ala. 8 25-09
7 Chris Pope Pensacola, Fla. 10 25-02
8 Darrel High Opelika, Ala. 9 23-08
9 Joe Wikoff Phenix City, Ala. 7 23-04
10 Sean Dassau Helena, Ala. 8 22-01
11 Ashley Stanford Smyrna, Tenn. 5 14-15
12 Rick Sharp Florence, Ala. 5 14-13
KENTUCKY
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1 Bradley Roy Lancaster, Ky. 13 47-11
2 Gary Bonnet Borden, Ind. 12 30-12
3 Johnny Roth West Harrison, Ind. 7 24-02
4 Glen Rowe Louisa, Ky. 6 23-02
5 Scott Jones Louisville, Ky. 7 20-15
6 Gregory Weber Louisville, Ky. 6 17-01
7 Dwaine Williams Greenup, Ky. 5 15-04
8 Barry Ward Louisville, Ky. 6 15-03
9 Bobby Headrick Hartford, Ky. 6 11-07
10 Karl Schreiber Georgetown, Ky. 5 10-13
11 Randall Christopher Irvine, Ky. 3 9-14
12 Kevin Brown Owensboro, Ky. 3 8-14
FLORIDA
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1 Larry Cahan East Palatka, Fla. 14 60-01
2 Bud Thacker Defuniak Springs, Fla. 9 26-09
3 John Hendry Lakeland, Fla. 11 24-14
4 Jeff Brooks Lake Worth, Fla. 9 23-10
5 Colby Cotterill Lakeland, Fla. 7 19-14
6 Brian Rodriguez Orlando, Fla. 6 15-03
7 Gerald Rose Orlando, Fla. 5 12-07
8 Lester Cloud Mulberry, Fla. 3 11-09
9 Richard Steiner St Cloud, Fla. 4 10-03
10 Stephen Edmonds Jacksonville, Fla. 3 8-03
11 Linda Paul Cape Coral, Fla. 2 2-06
12 Tom Mahoney Lutz, Fla. 0 0-00
GEORGIA
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1 Waine Pittman Villa Rica, Ga. 13 36-03
2 Tony Beck Social Circle, Ga. 11 33-13
3 Waylon Koehler Lakeland, Ga. 9 28-02
4 Bradley Enfinger Colquitt, Ga. 8 20-02
5 Chris Blair Newnan, Ga. 6 19-08
6 Kevin White Camilla, Ga. 4 19-00
7 Roger Morrow Griffin, Ga. 7 16-00
8 Ronnie Garrison Griffin, Ga. 7 13-06
9 Sam Moody Leesburg, Ga. 3 9-06
10 Paul Tyre Tallahassee, Fla. 3 8-13
11 Stephen Nalder Snellville, Ga. 1 4-15
12 Angelo Roundourakis Bainbridge, Ga. 0 0-00
TENNESSEE
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1 Chris Barnett Harrogate, Tenn. 7 18-07
2 Charles Graybeal, Jr Erwin, Tenn. 5 14-03
3 Mark Pierce Clarksville, Tenn. 4 11-02
4 Nick Kelly Brownsville, Tenn. 3 10-13
5 Richard Morrison Bristol, Tenn. 2 9-14
6 Jason Oliver Brownsville, Tenn. 3 9-00
7 Jeffrey Statzer Kingsport, Tenn. 2 7-10
8 Danny Lea Columbia, Tenn. 2 7-01
9 Mark Laporte Spring Hill, Tenn. 1 4-04
10 Marlyn Hill Cumberland, Tenn. 2 3-15
11 Johnny Pickett Cleveland, Tenn. 1 1-08
12 Lonzie Brewer Clarksville, Tenn. 0 0-00
12 Jack Comparoni Middlesboro, Ky. 0 0-00