Gregory Yarbrough of Milledgeville, GA takes the win at the American Fishing Tour Georgia Division 72 tournament held February 25, 2023, on Lake Oconee. Â His five bass topped the scale at 16.61 pounds to put $905 cash in his pocket and win the first-place trophy. Â Gregory anchored his sack with a 5.40 pounder.
Randy Bush of McDonough, GA took the second place trophy and $659 cash with 5 bass totaling 16.49 pounds. Randy caught a 5.29 pound bass during the tournament.
Zachery Bennett of Loganville, GA followed closely with an even 16.00 pounds to take the third-place trophy and $415 cash.
Director Benny Howell of Union Point, GA caught an awesome 7.65 pounder to win the Big Bass trophy and the optional Big Bass Pot worth $730 cash!
We had 73 anglers competing for the top 11 places to win payouts totaling $3,577. Over 40 anglers brought a 5 bass limit to the scale. A total of 266 bass were weighed which went 658 pounds. Ten of those bass went over 5 pounds each!
Special thanks to Danny Taylor and Jason Cheek for working the scales, and Bob Clark for morning boat checks.
Top 20 Anglers
| PL | Angler | Fish | Big Bass | Total | Points | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gregory C. Yarbrough | 5 | 5.40 | 16.61 | 200 | 905 |
| 2 | Randy Bush | 5 | 5.29 | 16.49 | 199 | 659 |
| 3 | Zachery l. Bennett | 5 | 16.00 | 198 | 415 | |
| 4 | John B. Stalnaker | 5 | 4.24 | 15.77 | 197 | 347 |
| 5 | Joshua M. George | 5 | 5.10 | 15.18 | 196 | 306 |
| 6 | Grant T. Kelly | 5 | 14.77 | 195 | 261 | |
| 7 | Lance Collins | 5 | 14.65 | 194 | 218 | |
| 8 | Jim C. Windham | 5 | 5.46 | 14.44 | 193 | 169 |
| 9 | Frank Speedy A. Burris | 5 | 5.43 | 14.25 | 192 | 127 |
| 10 | Chris Lumpkin | 5 | 14.17 | 191 | 99 | |
| 10 | Niles Murray | 5 | 6.00 | 14.17 | 191 | 72 |
| 12 | David H. Lowery | 5 | 5.34 | 14.07 | 189 | |
| 13 | Jerry N. Jones | 5 | 3.38 | 13.78 | 188 | |
| 14 | Larry W. Cason Jr | 5 | 13.77 | 187 | ||
| 15 | Cole Wilson | 5 | 13.32 | 186 | ||
| 16 | Andy E. Tippens | 5 | 13.28 | 185 | ||
| 17 | Tommy N. Cooper | 5 | 13.27 | 184 | ||
| 18 | Brian W. Garner | 5 | 13.18 | 183 | ||
| 19 | Brian C. Hyde | 5 | 13.11 | 182 | ||
| 20 | Steve A. Phillips | 5 | 12.87 | 181 |
After the awards of trophies and cash payouts, five $50 bills were given as draw prizes to the anglers present. The lucky winners were Chris Saunders, Buck Eubanks, Greg Colburn, Steve Phillips, and Carl Hayes. A $50 Sugar Creek Marina gift card was won by Oliver Brooks. A $50 gift card to The Pickled Okra was won by Jason Lott. A custom handmade American flag was won by Wayne Garner, and a Kissel Krafts custom rod certificate was won by Buck Eubanks.
Our next tournament in this division will be March 25, 2023, on Lake Sinclair running out of Dennis Station DNR ramp. If you have any questions, please contact Director Benny Howell at 770-365-4795.
Georgia Central Division 72 is the home of the current reigning King of the Hill, Benny Howell, and his team.
Visit Division 72’s Home Page at This Link
Benny Howell was the 2022 King of the Hill, an award presented at the end of each season to the top director of that season.
These anglers earn valuable points toward the divisional angler of the year title. The points champion from each division will compete in the annual American Bass Anglers AFT Angler of The Year Final Round at the AFT Championship. In addition, the top 500 anglers from the various divisions will earn the right to compete in the three-day ABA, AFT National Championship tournament.
American Bass Anglers is sponsored by Caymas Boats, Mercury Marine, T-H Marine, Power Pole, RT Outdoors, Optima Batteries, Hotel Planner.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
