ANDERSON, S.C. (April 13, 2015) – Brock Taylor of Pendleton, South Carolina, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 21 pounds, 1 ounce Saturday to win the Bass Fishing League Savannah River Division tournament on Lake Hartwell. For his victory, Taylor earned $4,830.
“Anytime you can come home with a check it’s awesome,” said Taylor. “The anglers out here are very talented so it feels good to come out on top.”
Taylor said his strategy was to imitate the blueback herring which were spawning along mid-lake red clay points. He used a white Zoom Super Fluke to attract bass that feed on the small baitfish.
“We caught them mostly in shallow water,” Taylor said. “The fish were hovering in the 5-foot depth range while we sat in the 10-foot depths.”
Taylor said that he also explored spawning beds where bass were active and caught a 4-pounder.
“The bed was near the spot I was fishing,” Taylor said. “It was in a location that I knew people hadn’t been looking.
“It was the only fish that I caught off a bed, but it was important,” Taylor continued. “I culled out a 2-pound fish which I know helped get me the weight I needed to win.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Brock Taylor, Pendleton, S.C., five bass, 21-1, $4,830
2nd: Jerry Kotal, Elberton, Ga., five bass, 17-7, $2,415
3rd: Jim Smith, Bowersville, Ga., five bass, 17-4, $1,368
3rd: Joe Thompson, Clayton, Ga., five bass, 17-4, $1,368
5th: Kameron Harbin, Abbeville, S.C., five bass, 17-3, $966
6th: Jayme Rampey, Liberty, S.C., five bass, 17-2, $885
7th: Brian Tidwell, Seneca, S.C., five bass, 16-13, $805
8th: Cason Nickles, Due West, S.C., five bas, 16-11, $724
9th: Matthew Roesch, Toccoa, Ga., five bass, 16-10, $603
9th: Sean Skey, Sumter, S.C., five bass, 16-10, $603
Thompson caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division, a fish weighing 6 pounds, 11 ounces, and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $720. Gerald Glouse of Easley, South Carolina, weighed in a five-bass limit totaling 15 pounds, 15 ounces Saturday to win $2,415 in the co-angler division. The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Gerald Glouse, Easley, S.C., five bass, 15-15, $2,415
2nd: Collin Willis, Easley, S.C., five bass, 14-12, $1,207
3rd: Kaleb Turner, Hartwell, Ga., five bass, 14-3, $806
4th: Harley Ross, Taylors, S.C., five bass, 13-3, $563
5th: Luke Barton, Landrum, S.C., five bass, 12-12, $463
5th: Brad Gambrell, Seneca, S.C., five bass, 12-12, $463
7th: Derrick Wilson, Simpsonville, S.C., five bass, 12-1, $402
8th: Jim Morris, Anderson, S.C., five bass, 11-12, $362
9th: Brandon Brock, Honea Path, S.C., four bass, 11-9, $322
10th: Derek Freeman, Anderson, S.C., five bass, 11-4, $256
10th: Jason Hueble, Whitmire, S.C., five bass, 11-4, $256
10th: Keith Lewis, Franklin, N.C., five bass, 11-4, $256
Willis caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $360.
The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 15-17 Regional Championship on Lake Wateree in Camden, South Carolina. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.