Kip Carter of Eatonton, GA takes the win at the AFT D72 tournament held January 28, 2023, on Lake Sinclair. His five bass topped the scale at 20.83 pounds to put $820 cash in his pocket and win the first place trophy. Kip anchored his sack with an awesome 7.73 pounder to win additional cash of $560 for the optional Big Bass pot and the Big Bass trophy. Earnings for his day totaled $1,380.
Aaron Batson of Mansfield, GA took the second place trophy and $591 cash with 5 bass totaling 17.94 pounds. Aaron caught a 6.21 pound bass during the tournament.
We had 56 anglers competing for the top 9 places to win payouts totaling $2,744. Take a look at the D72 website for lots of great photos of some really nice bass over 4 pounds.
The Top 20 Anglers
| PL | Angler | Fish | Big Bass | Total | Points | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | William K. Carter | 5 | 7.73 | 20.83 | 200 | 820 |
| 2 | Aaron E. Batson | 5 | 6.21 | 17.94 | 199 | 591 |
| 3 | Lance Collins | 5 | 5.32 | 16.01 | 198 | 324 |
| 4 | Brian C. Hyde | 5 | 4.79 | 12.35 | 197 | 274 |
| 5 | William Thomas | 5 | 5.17 | 11.97 | 196 | 231 |
| 6 | Sean E. Capes | 4 | 5.92 | 11.89 | 195 | 195 |
| 7 | William T. Glawson | 5 | 4.53 | 11.85 | 194 | 151 |
| 8 | Carl H. Hayes III | 5 | 4.26 | 11.75 | 193 | 86 |
| 9 | Mike G. Beck | 5 | 3.85 | 10.84 | 192 | 72 |
| 10 | Niles Murray | 5 | 9.70 | 191 | ||
| 11 | Randall E. Woodham | 5 | 9.25 | 190 | ||
| 12 | Randy Bush | 4 | 3.70 | 8.86 | 189 | |
| 13 | Dakota Kelly | 5 | 8.22 | 188 | ||
| 14 | Tim Johnson | 5 | 8.12 | 187 | ||
| 15 | Jamie M. Fountain | 5 | 7.93 | 186 | ||
| 16 | Chris Lumpkin | 5 | 7.74 | 185 | ||
| 17 | James R. Golden | 4 | 7.62 | 184 | ||
| 18 | Darren l. Taylor | 5 | 7.19 | 183 | ||
| 19 | Mike D. Blackshear | 3 | 4.46 | 6.93 | 182 | |
| 20 | Jim C. Windham | 2 | 4.97 | 6.08 | 181 |
Thanks go to Les Charles and Bob Clark for helping with the tournament. After the awards of trophies and cash payouts, five $50 bills were given as draw prizes to the anglers present. The lucky winners were Alan Swink, Cole Yarbrough, Willie McMullen, Tim Johnson, and Randy Bush. A custom handmade American flag was won by David Simmons, and a Kissel Krafts custom rod certificate was won by Jerry Jones. A custom handmade American flag was presented to our local sponsor, Jim Lumpkin at Lake Country Fishing.
Our next tournament in this division will be February 25, 2023, on Lake Oconee running out of Sugar Creek Marina. 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
This story was written by ABA staff writer John N. Felsher. To submit articles of interest email [email protected].
