ANDERSON, S.C. (April 29, 2024) – Boater T.J. Souther of Brevard, North Carolina, caught a five-bass limit weighing 16 pounds, 13 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) tournament on Lake Hartwell. The tournament was the third event of the season for the BFL South Carolina Division. Souther earned $10,247, including the lucrative $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus, for his victory. Not surprisingly, Souther caught his fish targeting the herring spawn. This pattern is prevalent throughout Carolina lakes where blueback herring are present.
“I fished from Andersonville Island to the dam just covering a ton of water,” he said. “It was really, really tough. I only caught seven all day but just got the right bites.”
Souther rotated through 50 to 60 places. They’re mostly shallow, flat rocky points where the herring spawn, and his rotation included a few “sneakier” areas that he felt were getting less pressure.
“Really the key thing this morning was the wind was blowing for the first two or three hours,” Souther added. “Most of the good fish that I had, I had early. I did catch one late that helped me. Winning by an ounce, it definitely helped.”
That late fish weighed about 2¼ pounds and culled out a 1¾-pound fish.
“It was really just about hitting as many places as I could early. I would pull up and make 10 casts, and if I didn’t get bit I was on to the next one just trying to run into some when they were feeding.”
Souther’s key lure was a chrome Ima Little Stik topwater bait. He also caught a couple on a 5-inch swimbait.
“It’s been a cool experience,” added Souther, who works as a boat mechanic. “It’s the first one I’ve ever won, so I’m super excited about it.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: T.J. Souther, Brevard, N.C., five bass, 16-13, $10,247 (includes $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
2nd: Jayme Rampey, Liberty, S.C., five bass, 16-12, $1,623
3rd: Bradley Day, Anderson, S.C., five bass, 16-0, $1,082
4th: Darren Ashley, Calhoun Falls, S.C., five bass, 14-9, $1,148
5th: Scott Browning, Franklin, N.C., five bass, 14-8, $649
6th: Justin Raines, Easley, S.C., five bass, 14-7, $895
7th: John Parker, Gaffney, S.C., five bass, 14-4, $541
8th: Joe Anders, Easley, S.C., five bass, 14-0, $487
9th: Brad Benfield, Demorest, Ga., five bass, 13-13, $433
10th: Lane Clark, Anderson, S.C., five bass, 13-6, $379
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Darren Ashley of Calhoun Falls, South Carolina, caught a bass that weighed 4 pounds, 15 ounces, and earned the Big Bass Boater award of $390. Trent Killian of Bostic, North Carolina, won the co-angler division and $1,818 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 16 pounds, 3 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers finished:
1st: Trent Killian, Bostic, N.C., five bass, 16-3, $1,818
2nd: Gibson Huntley, Inman, S.C., five bass, 11-12, $812
3rd: Darren Jeter, Candler, N.C., five bass, 11-11, $541
4th: Brennan Gunther, Johns Island, S.C., five bass, 11-7, $379
5th: Wayne Smelser, Wytheville, Va., five bass, 10-12, $325
6th: Mark Lee, Gastonia, N.C., four bass, 10-9, $298
7th: Austin Leroy, Inman, S.C., five bass, 10-3, $271
8th: Dustan Hudson, Grover, N.C., five bass, 10-1, $244
9th: Thomas Pennell III, Boiling Springs, S.C., five bass, 10-0, $216
10th: Gregory Haverlock, Indian Trail, N.C., four bass, 9-15, $189
Killian also earned the Big Bass co-angler award of $195 by catching a bass that weighed in at 4 pounds, 15 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After three events, Kevin Chandler of New London, North Carolina, leads the Fishing Clash South Carolina Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 718 points, while Todd Huntley of Inman, South Carolina, leads the Fishing Clash South Carolina Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 723 points.
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