PROSPERITY, S.C. (Feb. 16, 2015) – Kyle Giella of Columbia, South Carolina, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 25 pounds, 8 ounces Saturday to win the first Bass Fishing League South Carolina Division tournament of 2015 on Lake Murray. For his victory, King earned $5,514.
“It’s a great feeling to win a tournament like this,” said Giella, who earned his first victory in FLW competition. “I had a lot of fun fishing out there.”
Giella spent his day on the south end of the lake fishing shallow docks and throwing up to the crayfish-filled banks. Using a Crawdad-colored Rapala Shad Rap, Giella boated his first two keepers around 9 a.m.
“The fish will pull up underneath those floating docks this time of year when it’s warm,” said Giella. “I don’t think I caught anything in more than six or seven feet of water.”
After exploring other spots in the same area, Giella returned to the docks. He switched his bait to an umbrella rig rigged with watermelon pearl-colored Berkeley Havoc Subwoofers. The tactic proved successful as Giella netted three more bass before noon to seal the deal.
“This is the biggest five-bass limit I’ve ever weighed,” Giella said.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Kyle Giella, Columbia, S.C., five bass, 25-8, $3,514 + $2,000 Ranger Cup bonus
2nd: Ross Burns, Columbia, S.C., five bass, 24-10, $1,757
3rd: Christopher Sample, Lexington, S.C., five bass, 23-1, $1,172
4th: Brock Taylor, Pendleton, S.C., five bass, 21-12, $820
5th: Scott Guyot, Wagram, N.C., five bass, 20-10, $703
6th: Maurice Freeze, Concord, N.C., five bass, 19-10, $644
7th: Kameron Harbin, Abbeville, S.C., five bass, 18-0, $586
8th: Chris Marshall, Forest City, N.C., five bass, 17-15, $527
9th: Chris Epting, Chapin, S.C., five bass, 17-4, $469
10th: Cole Huskins, Mount Holly, N.C., four bass, 16-3, $410
Roy Beneteau of Swainsboro, Georgia, weighed in a five-bass limit totaling 13 pounds, 11 ounces Saturday to win $1,757 in the co-angler division. The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Roy Beneteau, Swainsboro, Ga., five bass, 13-11, $1,757
2nd: Clint Jackson, Seneca, S.C., five bass, 12-5, $879
3rd: Mark Osborne, Union, S.C., three bass, 9-10, $585
4th: Adam Beckum, Martinez, Ga., three bass, 7-15, $410
5th: Donnie Stouffer, Rock Hill, S.C., one bass, 7-13, $351
6th: Christopher Cook, Fort Mill, S.C., one bass, 6-9, $322
7th: Carluss King, Galivants Ferry, S.C., two bass, 6-6, $293
8th: Dwayne Condrey, Denton, N.C., three bass, 6-1, $264
9th: Mark Wingate, Gaston, S.C., three bass, 5-13, $234
10th: Darvin Cannon, Columbia, S.C., two bass, 5-8, $205
The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 8-10 Regional Championship on Lake Sinclair in Milledgeville, Georgia. 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.