Ryan Thomas of Madison, GA, takes the win at the AFT D72 tournament held March 25, 2023, on Lake Sinclair. Â Ryan had an awesome total weight of 24.25 pounds for his five bass limit to take home the first place trophy and $843 cash. Â Â Ryan anchored his sack with a 7.29 pounder to win the optional Big Bass pot of $600 cash and the Big Bass trophy. Â His total earnings for the day were $1,443.
The division had 60 anglers that endured heavy rain during most of the day, but the fish were biting as 48 anglers brought a limit of 5 bass to the scale. Ten anglers had at least one bass over 5 pounds! A total of 252 bass were weighed that went 679 pounds. Payouts totaled $2,940 to the top 9 places.
| PL | Angler | Fish | Big Bass | Total | Points | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ryan Thomas | 5 | 7.29 | 24.25 | 200 | 843 |
| 2 | Grant T. Kelly | 5 | 6.99 | 23.67 | 199 | 614 |
| 3 | Randy Bush | 5 | 7.27 | 20.81 | 198 | 353 |
| 4 | Chad L. Wilson | 5 | 20.40 | 197 | 297 | |
| 5 | Richard Carey II | 5 | 6.34 | 20.37 | 196 | 254 |
| 6 | David H. Lowery | 5 | 6.70 | 19.84 | 195 | 218 |
| 7 | William K. Carter | 5 | 17.72 | 194 | 174 | |
| 8 | William T. Stewart | 5 | 6.17 | 17.44 | 193 | 115 |
| 9 | Zachery l. Bennett | 5 | 17.27 | 192 | 72 | |
| 10 | Dylan K. Davis | 5 | 5.82 | 17.24 | 191 | |
| 11 | Michael D. Burdette | 5 | 5.79 | 16.34 | 190 | |
| 12 | Morris L. Smith | 5 | 16.26 | 189 | ||
| 13 | Lance Collins | 5 | 15.81 | 188 | ||
| 14 | Chris Lumpkin | 5 | 15.66 | 187 | ||
| 15 | Anthony AW J. Widener | 5 | 15.61 | 186 | ||
| 16 | Cole Wilson | 5 | 15.25 | 185 | ||
| 17 | Randall E. Woodham | 5 | 5.52 | 15.22 | 184 | |
| 18 | Aaron E. Batson | 5 | 15.18 | 183 | ||
| 19 | Mark Burns | 5 | 15.10 | 182 | ||
| 20 | Frank A. Burris | 5 | 3.86 | 14.40 | 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 Greg Barwick, Larry Cason, Deron Burdette, Chris Lumpkin, and John Crosby. A $50 gift card to The Pickled Okra was won by Brian Hyde. A custom handmade American flag was won by John Crosby.
Thanks goes to Danny Taylor and Bob Clark for helping with morning registration, boat checks, and weighing fish at the scales.
Our next tournament in this division will be April 8, 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
