February 24th, Greenwood, SC. Rusty and Misti Satterfield of Knoxville, TN, won the American Couples Series South Carolina Division tournament presented by American Bass Anglers. Running out of Gateway Landing in Greenwood, SC. Rusty and Misti brought back 5 bass that locked in the scales at 16.36 pounds, anchored by a 4.92-pound kicker. Rusty & Misti took home a check for $945 for the victory.
Rusty told us, “We caught all our fish on a crankbait on main channel points where the wind was blowing in. I don’t know the lake that well, but we ran down the lake, probably the middle lake by the looks of the GPS. We had a great day except for fighting the wind. However, the wind did help us. Every fish we caught was 1ft to 7ft deep. But just had to be a certain kind of rock with the wind blowing straight in on it. Like i said we really enjoyed fishing with you. Y’all run a tournament the way it’s supposed to be run.”
Second place was claimed by Keith Camak and Angie Beaty with 5 bass weighing a total of 14.09 pounds. For their efforts, Keith & Angie took home $525 in prize money.
Keith shared, “We caught our fish today on crankbaits and spinner baits. The key pattern was deeper rocky points and isolated rocks. Mouth of Reedy and Saluda River were our target areas. Just rotating the fishing spots. Fishing very, very slow.”
Chase McClain & Brittany Dodd took third with 5 bass and a total weight of 14.01 to earn $315 in prize money.
When Chase & Brittany were asked about their catch, Chase shared, “We caught them all mostly on a red, flat-sided crank bait & a ned rig. On rocky banks and points. The wind was rough out there, but we had a great time!”
Ben and Ashley Sutton took fourth with 5 bass and a total weight of 13.78 to earn $210 in prize money.
Ben shared, “We made a run down the lake to a few pockets where Ashley caught the first 2 fish on a crankbait, we then went out to the main lake and started running main lake pockets and rock and she caught the 3rd fish. All I could catch on the crankbait were shells or fishing line, so I picked up a black and blue chatterbait and the first spot I threw on was rock and caught a 3-pounder, so we just kept running rocks and boat ramps with a chatterbait and I was able to catch another 3 pounder and lost a 5 pounder at the boat. The wind had a big part in our pattern, and because I had to fight the wind to stay on the trolling motor, I felt like a karate kid. Thankfully, with the help of our GLine batteries, we were able to stay on the pattern we found the fish seemed to be on despite the wind. We are very proud to be part of the Division 11 ABA with the best tournament directors and couples, we could not do it without y’all and the great sponsors including the ones we used today: JC Outdoors, ALX Rods, Lew’s, and GLine batteries. But also thankful for all the support of our other sponsors that we have used and will continue to use.”
Mike & Kinzie Criminger took fifth with 5 bass and a total weight of 12.93 to earn $105 in prize money.
Mike stated, “We started on a point and put 3 in the boat, then went to fishing docks the rest of the day. We caught our biggest fish off of docks, throwing Spinnerbaits all day. When the wind got up, it just killed the bite for us. A huge thank you to Tom and Missy for running these tournaments so smoothly and for all your hard work!”
The Ladies Biggest Bass of the tournament was caught by Susan Mills. Her fish locked in the scales at 5.08 pounds, caught on a shakey head black finesse worm on a shallow dock, earning her $135.
The Men’s Biggest Bass of the tournament was caught by Chase McClain. His fish locked in the scales at 4.96 pounds caught on a red flat-sided crankbait on a rocky bank in the dirt, earning him $140.
Ben and Ashley Sutton 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. Eric and Alicia Simpson were the recipients of the Berkeley Outdoors $50 Smallest Limit Award with 5 bass weighing 7.53 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 Yo-Zuri, Phantom Outdoors, Five Bass Tackle, McElveen Buick GMC, TruCarts, ALX Rods, Choo Choo Custom Baits, Gline Batteries, Berkley Baits, StrikeKing, and JC’s Outdoors products.
The next tournament for the South Carolina Division will take place March 9th on Santee Cooper Lakes, launching from Black’s Camp, 1370 Black’s Camp Rd, Cross, SC.
Top 25 Couples
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, ABA Team Series, and the Top 150 Solo Tour, all presented by Caymas Boats, visit www.americanbassanglers.com or call (256) 232-0406
