SUMMERTON, S.C. (Feb. 28, 2022) – Boater Jason Burroughs of Hodges, South Carolina, caught five bass Saturday weighing 30 pounds, 11 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Tournament on Santee Cooper . The tournament was the second event for the Bass Fishing League South Carolina Division. Burroughs earned $13,463, including the lucrative $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus, for his victory.
Burroughs, who now has four Phoenix Bass Fishing League wins, said during practice he had found areas that held 3½- to 4½-pound bass, and he expected to net 19 pounds at weigh-in. During the tournament, he said he focused on the edges of grass on the lower lake using a ½-ounce shad-colored Buckeye Lures Double Willow Spinnerbait.
“When I got to my first area, my first fish was probably 5½ pounds and jumped off,” Burroughs said. “But by 9:30 I had five fish – including one that weighed 1½ pounds – that went 20 pounds. Then I culled that 1½-pounder with one that weighed 9-6, so that was a pretty big upgrade.
“I had the rest of the day to catch one more big one, and I ended up culling a 4-pounder with a 7-pounder, and that’s what pushed me over 30 pounds,” Burroughs added.
Burroughs said he fished in just one area throughout the day.
“The females had moved up, and the fish were the right size, so I wasn’t going to run to another area,” Burroughs said. “I knew there were big ones where I was, so I chose to stay. That’s definitely out of character for me. I’m normally moving more than everybody.
“This win is very special to me,” Burroughs added. “It’s been 10 years since I was on Santee, and I only practiced two days. There were some absolute local hammers there that could have pulled off the win. So, winning there is a whole lot more special than winning on your home lake where you fish all the time.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Jason Burroughs, Hodges, S.C., five bass, 30-11, $13,463 (includes $7,000 Phoenix Bonus)
2nd: Corey Casey, Moncks Corner, S.C., five bass, 26-4, $2,214
3rd: Wade Grooms, Bonneau, S.C., five bass, 25-9, $1,478
4th: Brent Riley, Cross, S.C., five bass, 25-1, $1,033
5th: Daniel Jordan, Hartsville, S.C., four bass, 24-2, $886
6th: Ross Burns, Columbia, S.C., five bass, 21-15, $812
7th: Tanner Fletcher, Hartsville, S.C., five bass, 21-13, $738
8th: Sean Anderson, Leesville, S.C., five bass, 20-13, $664
9th: John Duarte, Middle River, Md., five bass, 20-12, $590
10th: Bradford Beavers, Summerville, S.C., five bass, 20-4, $517
Burroughs’ 9-pound, 6-ounce largemouth was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and also earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $635. Hunter Bailey of North Augusta, South Carolina, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,531 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 19 pounds, 12 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:
1st: Hunter Bailey, North Augusta, S.C., five bass, 19-12, $2,531
2nd: Jacob Barfield, Conway, S.C., five bass, 17-11, $1,107
3rd: Lonnie Drusch, Sumter, S.C., four bass, 15-1, $738
4th: Brennan Gunther, Mount Pleasant, S.C., three bass, 14-4, $455
4th: Kiel Kelly, Moore, S.C., four bass, 14-4, $455
4th: Gordon Owens, Summerton, S.C., five bass, 14-4, $455
7th: Eddie Hall, Inman, S.C., five bass, 12-10, $369
8th: Sammy Evans, Donalds, S.C., three bass, 11-4, $332
9th: Christopher Helton, Greer, S.C., three bass, 10-0, $295
10th: Mack Martin, Clinton, S.C., four bass, 9-15, $258
Bailey also caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 8 pounds, 3 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $317.
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