APPLING, Ga. (March 5, 2018) – Boater Bart Blackburn of North Augusta, South Carolina, caught a five-bass limit weighing 17 pounds, 6 ounces, to win the FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Savannah River Division tournament on Clarks Hill Lake. Blackburn earned $4,319 for his win.
Blackburn said he began his day fishing ditches with a green-pumpkin-colored Zoom Trick Worm. He said he caught a limit for about 12 pounds, including one that he weighed in.
“I figured 12 pounds wouldn’t be enough to win so I ended up switching patterns,” said Blackburn, who logged his first career win in FLW competition. “I realized the fish had pulled out into deeper water from where they were last week because of a cold front, so I went out into 7 to 12 feet of water and threw a crankbait.”
Blackburn used a ½-ounce Red Craw-colored Daiwa Flat Flash Crank to scour humps that had rock piles. After a while, he was able to find an area loaded with bait and fish.
“I look for loons diving for food this time of year, and the area had one loon that was really active,” said Blackburn. “I culled three fish, and picked up another good keeper from similar structure to finish out my day.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Bart Blackburn, North Augusta, S.C., five bass, 17-6, $4,319
2nd: Dustin Henson, Landrum, S.C., five bass, 17-3, $2,059
3rd: Woody Parks, Lincolnton, Ga., five bass, 14-13, $1,474
4th: Morne Duvenhage, Whigham, Ga., five bass, 14-9, $961
5th: Jason Duncan, Commerce, Ga., five bass, 13-15, $824
6th: Benny Rigney, Williamston, S.C., five bass, 13-14, $720
6th: Chris Nelson, Social Circle, Ga., five bass, 13-14, $720
8th: Chris Hadden, North Augusta, S.C., five bass, 13-11, $618
9th: Jerry Morgan, Inman, S.C., five bass, 13-7, $1,114
10th: Brad Gambrell, Seneca, S.C., five bass, 13-4, $456
10th: Charles Doyle, Augusta, Ga., five bass, 13-4, $456
Morgan caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 11 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $565. Stewart Uldrick of Anderson, South Carolina, won the Co-angler Division and $2,300 Saturday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 12 pounds, 5 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Stewart Uldrick, Anderson, S.C., five bass, 12-5, $2,300
2nd: Caleb Hudson, Evans, Ga., five bass, 12-3, $999
2nd: Don Johnson, Townville, S.C., five bass, 12-3, $858
4th: Brandon Graham, Greer, S.C., five bass, 11-11, $530
5th: Ronnie Cutshall, Piedmont, S.C., five bass, 11-3, $412
6th: Dennis Henderson, Ware Shoals, S.C., five bass, 11-2, $378
7th: Dale Ball, Asheville, N.C., five bass, 10-10, $343
8th: Bill Hawkins, Piedmont, S.C., four bass, 10-8, $309
9th: Joshua Lyko, Greer, S.C., five bass, 10-6, $275
10th: Brandon Brock, Honea Path, S.C., five bass, 9-11, $240
Uldrick also caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a 5-pound, 15-ounce fish. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $141.