PROSPERITY, S.C. (March 12, 2007) - Boater Roger Pope of Statesville, N.C., won the Bass Fishing League South Carolina Division bass fishing tournament on Lake Murray Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 22 pounds, 7 ounces. The victory earned Pope $4,691 plus an $827 Ranger bonus and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Clarks Hill Lake Regional Championship in Appling, Ga., Oct. 11-13, where he could ultimately win a new 519VX Ranger boat and a Chevy truck. Pope caught his limit fishing pockets with as and crankbaits.
Rounding out the top five boaters are Neil Huffstetler of Pomaria, S.C., (five bass, 20-13, $2,760); Richard Bystrzycki of Moncks Corner, S.C., (five bass, 20-0, $1,837); Greg Atkinson of Ridgeway, S.C., (five bass, 19-0, $1,288) and Shannon Jordan of Wagener, S.C., (five bass, 18-10, $1,104).
Rock Monteith of Columbia, S.C., took home the Boater Division Big Bass award, earning $885 for a 7-pound, 1-ounce bass.
Lorenzo Portee of Ridgeway, S.C., earned $2,728 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass weighing 17 pounds, 9 ounces that he caught while fishing a spinnerbait around rocks and on points.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Bo Price of Seneca, S.C., (five bass, 16-4, $1,364); James Freeman of Gastonia, N.C., (five bass, 13-2, $911); Jeff Rikard of Leesville, S.C., (five bass, 13-0, $591) and Jeff Penland of Leicester, N.C., (three bass, 13-0, $591).
Penland earned $437 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 6-pound, 5-ounce bass.
The South Carolina Division's next event will be May 12 on Santee Cooper Lakes in Summerton, S.C., followed by a tournament June 9 on Lake Wateree in Camden, S.C. The final event of the regular season will be a two-day Super Tournament held Sept. 22-23 on Lake Wylie in Lake Wylie, S.C.