May 3, 2025, McCormick, South Carolina—Clark’s Hill was the site of the 9th tournament of the American Bass Anglers Couples Series, South Carolina Division #11. Twenty-six teams were greeted with partly cloudy and mild temperatures.
Tom and Missy Bancroft took the win with five bass for a total weight of 12.96 pounds, earning first-place prize money of $878 and 200 points. Tom and Missy had a ½ day of practice starting at 11:30 and catching a quick limit on a Texas rigged worm, cementing our game plan for tournament day. With an earlier start on tournament day, we tried to catch an early topwater bite, but with no success, we returned to the worm bite we found in practice. Although Clark’s Hill is noted for being a shad and herring bite, we were catching bass feeding on bream using watermelon or scuppernong worms with dyed ultra-vibe tails to imitate bream. Fortunately, Tom was able to catch a 5-pounder, and Missy put a 3-pounder in the boat to anchor their bag. We caught lots of keeper,s but most were on the small side. We fished painfully slow in one creek all day.
In second place were Bart and Che Gore, who weighed five bass for a total of 12.63 pounds. Earning the team $488 in prize money and 199 points. Bart shared that they had a decent practice, especially since they had never been on Clark’s Hill before. They just did some old-school worm fishing and let the good lord handle the rest. Thanks to our directors for the work they put in and to the great group of people to fish with.
Cole Taylor and Addyson Hale claimed third place with a total of 11.73 pounds, earning $291 in prize money and 198 points. Cole and Addy started their day fishing the herring spawn with flukes, doing most of their damage. Then, that bite went away, and they fished wind-blown banks with spinnerbaits and offshore brush.
Fourth place went to John and Susan Mills with five bass weighing 10.58 pounds. The Mills won $195 in prize money and 197 points. John and Susan fished shallow crank baits, shaky head, and Texas rigged trick worms in shallow depths to 14 feet of water to catch their bag.
Fifth place went to Troy Crippen and Tina Berg with five bass weighing 9.33 pounds. Troy and Tina won $98 in prize money and 196 points. This is the first year for Troy and Tina fishing tournaments together, and the first time they’ve placed in any tournament. They are hoping they’re getting better.
Missy Bancroft caught the Ladies Big Bass weighing in at 3.41 pounds and earned $130.
Bart Gore weighed in the Men’s Big Bass with a weight of 6.44 pounds and earned $130.
Final Results
The South Carolina Couples is blessed to have many generous sponsors. Our sponsors make our trail weigh-ins more exciting by allowing most teams that are out of the money to go home with a drawing prize. Our members enjoy sponsor items from our Division sponsors: ALX Rods, Berkeley Outdoors, Berkley Baits, Choo Choo Custom Lures, Five Bass Tackle, GLine Batteries, JC’s Outdoors, Lew’s, Kissel Krafts Custom Rods, McElveen GMC Buick, Mule Skinner Baits, Phantom Outdoors, Strike King, TruCarts and Yo-zuri.
Tom & Missy Bancroft finished in 1st place, earning them the $100 GLine Bounty as the top finisher to power their trolling motor with GLine Batteries.
Robert and Sally Young claimed the $50 Berkeley Outdoors’ Smallest Limit prize. They finished in 21st place but still took home $50 thanks to Berkeley Outdoors!
Photo Gallery
Looking Ahead
The final event for South Carolina Division 11 will take place May 17th at Russell State Park on Lake Russell. The year-end awards dinner with lots of sponsor giveaways will be held in the Group Shelter immediately following weigh-in. Stay tuned for more exciting action and updates. For more information about the American Bass Anglers Couples Series and upcoming events, visit South Carolina Couples Bass Trail on Facebook or www.americanbassanglers.com.
In the American Couples Series, anglers pair up for a team effort. Most teams consist of a husband and a wife, but that’s not a rule. Teams can consist of a boyfriend and girlfriend combination, a father and daughter duo, or any combination of one male and one female. The teams compete in several regional or state divisions throughout the year. Once a pair forms a team, however, the two must fish together as a team throughout the season to be eligible to accumulate points and qualify for the annual national championship.
The entry fee for the American Couples Series one-day events is $100, and the top teams are invited to compete in the championship each fall.
About American Bass Anglers
American Bass Anglers is dedicated to organizing affordable, local tournaments for weekend anglers while offering opportunities for individual angler advancement. To learn more about American Bass Anglers, including the Team Series, American Fishing Tour, American Couples Series, annual Military Team Bass Tournament, ABA Team Series, Top 150 Solo Tour, and Professional League, all presented by Caymas Boats, please visit www.americanbassanglers.com or call (256) 232-0406.
American Bass Anglers is proud to be sponsored by Caymas Boats, Mercury Marine, T-H Marine, Power Pole, WattCycle Batteries, Hotel Planner.com, and LurePartsOnline.com.
For more information, visit www.americanbassanglers.com or call (256) 232-0406
