February 25, 2023, Greenwood, SC. Russ & Brittin Padgett of Saluda, SC won the American Couples Series South Carolina Division tournament presented by American Bass Anglers. Running out of One Stop Marina near Greenwood, SC.
Russ & Brittin of Saluda, SC, brought back 5 bass that locked in the scales at 19.33 pounds anchored by a 5.01-pound kicker. For the victory, Russ and Brittin took home a check for $930.
Brittin says, “Russ and I thoroughly enjoy our time on the lake together fishing the ABA Couples Trail! It’s always a fun time! Yesterday, I put 4 in the boat fishing a shaky head before Russ ever caught one. Russ wasn’t having any luck until he got a Rapala DT10 Demon out of the box.
Everything we caught came from the State Park area of the lake. The only thing that would have made the day better was if the sun had made an appearance to warm my fingers!”
Second place was claimed by Zach Waddell and Sophie Gibson with 5 bass weighing a total of 18.83 pounds. For their efforts, Zach and Sophie took home $465 in prize money.
Zach tells us, “We had a rough morning only having 3 fish until about noon. We knew we needed to make a change, so we ran down the lake and managed to find a couple of the right ones under some docks. Our tournament directors do an awesome job to make the tournaments fun.”
Harry and Kim Johnson took third with 5 bass and a total weight of 16.17 to earn $349 in prize money.
Kim shared that they started the day close to One Stop Marina and fished their way down to mid-lake working the shallows with red/orange colored crank and chatter baits. By 8 am they had their limit.
Jim and Julie Collins of Townville, SC, took 4th place with five bass limit weighing 14.88 pounds and took home $233 for their efforts.
“Lake Greenwood’s muddy water and low lake levels seemed intimidating at first so we started in the lower part of the lake and moved further down during the day. Most of our fish came off red and orange crankbaits fished shallow in rock and red clay banks. Then we stopped up the lake on the way back and caught one good one off a sea wall that helped us. We had a mixed bag of spots and largemouths. It was great seeing all our fishing couples again and we enjoyed the burgers at Harris Landing afterward. Thank you Tom and Missy and all the ABA sponsors for a great tournament.”
The Men’s Biggest Bass of the tournament was caught by Zach Waddell. His fish locked in the scales at 5.58 pounds earning him $155.
The Ladies Biggest Bass of the tournament was caught by Sophie Gibson. Her fish locked in the scales at 5.15 pounds earning her $150.
Top Ten Finishers
| PL | Angler | Fish | Big Bass | Total | Points | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russ Padgett-Brittin Padgett | 5 | 5.01 | 19.33 | 200 | 930 |
| 2 | Zach Waddell-Sophie Gibson | 5 | 5.58 | 18.83 | 199 | 465 |
| 3 | Harry Johnson-Kimberly Johnson | 5 | 5.07 | 16.17 | 198 | 349 |
| 4 | Jim Collins-Julie Collins | 5 | 4.11 | 14.88 | 197 | 233 |
| 5 | Thomas Bancroft-Melissa Bancroft | 5 | 13.34 | 196 | 186 | |
| 6 | Will Price-Ashley Price | 5 | 2.58 | 12.67 | 195 | 163 |
| 7 | John Branstetter-Donna Branstetter | 5 | 12.40 | 194 | ||
| 8 | Jeremiah Armstrong-Taylor Armstrong | 5 | 4.04 | 12.17 | 193 | |
| 8 | William Thomas-Joanne Greyling | 5 | 3.78 | 12.17 | 193 | |
| 10 | Bill Beard-Kathy Beard | 5 | 3.41 | 11.48 | 191 |
Tom and Missy Bancroft won the G-Line $100 Bounty for being the highest finisher powering the trolling motor with a G-Line Lithium Battery.
Everyone has those days on the water when you catch fish but they all seem to be fanners or you just never get that kicker you’ve been looking for. Well, thanks to Berkeley Outdoors, one of our generous sponsors, our couples can still get a payday if they weigh in the smallest 5-fish limit. David and Candace Lanier were the recipients of the Berkeley Outdoors $50 Smallest Limit Award with 5 bass weighing 6.72 lbs.
Thanks to our sponsors we can provide drawings for those teams that do not earn a paycheck. Our sponsor items for this event included McElveen GMC Buick, Yo-zuri, Phantom Outdoors, Berkley Baits, Five Bass Tackle, Choo Choo Custom Baits, and JC’s Outdoors products.
The next tournament for the South Carolina Division will take place on March 11th on Lake Hartwell launching from Gum Branch.
For more information on this event or division please contact your local directors Tom Bancroft at (843) 697-6232 or Missy Bancroft at (843) 697-3441 or visit 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.
American Bass Anglers is sponsored by Caymas Boats, Mercury Marine, T-H Marine, RT Outdoors, Atlas Hydraulic Jackplate, Power Pole, Optima Batteries, HotelPlanner.com, and LurePartsOnline.com.
About American Bass Anglers: American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low-cost, close-to-home tournaments for the weekend angler and, at the same time, offering each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression.
For more information about American Bass Anglers, the Open Series, the American Fishing Tour, the American Couples Series, the annual Military Team Bass Tournament, and the Top 150 Solo Tour, all presented by Caymas Boats, visit www.americanbassanglers.com or call (256) 232-0406
