APPLING, Ga. (June 18, 2018) – Boater Joey Spradley of Gloverville, South Carolina, brought five bass to the scale Saturday weighing 15 pounds, 11 ounces, to win the Bass Fishing League (BFL) Savannah River Division tournament on Clarks Hill Lake. Spradley earned $3,377 for his win.
“I fished offshore in 20 to 25 feet of water on the lower end of the lake,” said Spradley, who earned his second career win on Clarks Hill Lake in BFL competition. “I used a ¾-ounce green-pumpkin-colored Buckeye Lures Mop Jig with a green-pumpkin Zoom Super Chunk trailer and a (Texas-rigged) green-pumpkin Zoom Ol’ Monster Worm with a 3/8-ounce WolfStone tungsten weight.”
Spradley focused on humps and the ends of points, staying within 15 minutes of the takeoff ramp for the majority of his day.
“Instead of using my electronics to scan the structure, I used the jig as a searchbait to find the grass line because the grass is so short,” said Spradley. “I’d use the jig up on rock structure and when I found where the rock and grass met, I put on Spot Lock [on my MinnKota Ultrex] and switched to the worm and made the same cast. I worked through the grass, down into deeper water and back to the boat.”
Spradley said he preferred 16-pound-test Gamma Edge fluorocarbon line with his 7-foot, 3-inch Cashion Elite medium-heavy casting rod.
“All of my quality fish seemed to come from where the rock line met the grass, or in the grass,” said Spradley. “As I worked in the hydrilla, they would hit the worm on the fall, or if it got down into an open patch.”
Spradley said his boat played a large role in his success Saturday.
“The boat traffic was really heavy on the lake. I run a Falcon F215 and it was critical in handling the rough water. I could cover a lot of water, even with the waves, and was able to stand on the deck and be comfortable. It was a big help.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Joey Spradley, Gloverville, S.C., five bass, 15-11, $3,377
2nd: Lee Sidener, Harlem, Ga., five bass, 15-0, $1,989
3rd: Jayme Rampey, Liberty, S.C., five bass, 13-9, $1,328
4th: Scott Browning, Franklin, N.C., five bass, 13-3, $1,146
4th: Sean Hall, North Augusta, S.C., five bass, 13-3, $731
6th: Dan Morrow, Eastanollee, Ga., five bass, 13-1, $719
7th: Michael Maxfield, Hanahan, S.C., five bass, 12-11, $535
7th: Joe Anders, Easley, S.C., five bass, 12-11, $535
9th: Eric Mora, Evans, Ga., five bass, 12-2, $450
10th: Hunter Eubanks, Inman, S.C., five bass, 12-0, $394
Browning brought a 6-pound, 13-ounce bass to the scale – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $415. Joshua Lyko of Greer, South Carolina, won the Co-angler Division and $1,789 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 12 pounds, 8 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Joshua Lyko, Greer, S.C., five bass, 12-8, $1,789
2nd: Stewart Uldrick, Anderson, S.C., five bass, 12-5, $894
3rd: Donnie Davis, Greer, S.C., five bass, 11-14, $771
4th: Ryan Lesley, Williamston, S.C., five bass, 10-14, $394
5th: Dennis Henderson, Ware Shoals, S.C., five bass, 10-10, $338
6th: Lee Montgomery, Hendersonville, N.C., five bass, 10-5, $310
7th: Samson Faulk, Lyman, S.C., five bass, 9-15, $281
8th: Matthew Guffey, Simpsonville, S.C., five bass, 9-12, $253
9th: Christian Joyce, Greer, S.C., four bass, 9-7, $225
10th: John McKinney, Greenville, S.C., five bass, 9-4, $197
Davis caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division weighing in at 4 pounds, 6 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $207.