ATHENS, Ala. – Payton Morgan and Joe Morgan claimed victory at the inaugural Team Series Championship, presented by Caymas Boats, held April 16–18 on South Carolina’s Santee Cooper Lakes. The event, hosted by the Town of Santee and Santee Cooper Country, launched from the John C. Land Ramp.
The Morgans delivered an outstanding three-day performance, weighing in a total of 69.21 pounds. Their standout effort came on Day 2, when they brought over 31 pounds to the scales—giving them such a commanding lead that they didn’t need to weigh a single bass on the final day to secure the title of Team Series National Champions.
“Practice was tough for us—we only got one decent bite the day before the tournament and decided to run with it,” they said. “Most of our fish came out of the grass on a 3/4 oz chatterbait. That’s how we caught the big bag on Day 2, in just a couple of hours. On Day 3, we stayed in the same area and made a slight adjustment to fill our limit. For never having fished here before, it was a blast!”
Finishing second was the team of Augustus Adcock and Caleb Bennett with a three-day total of 49.20 pounds. “Practice went well, but the bite slowed down a lot during the tournament,” they shared. “We were bed fishing with a Tokyo Rig on Days 1 and 2. When that dried up, we switched to new water and fished a topwater frog all day to catch what we brought in.”
In third place, Ottis Darnell Jr. and Ron Jennings posted a solid 48.87 pounds over three days—an effort that also earned them the coveted Team of the Year title.
Rounding out the top five were Todd Pearson and Johnny Hancox in fourth with 48.33 pounds.
Gregory Crisp and Conner Nichols took fifth with 47.02 pounds. Crisp and Nichols also brought in the event’s overall big bass—a hefty 7.93-pound Santee stud.
Elvin Jennings of Nathalie, VA won a set of WattCycle Trolling motor 100Ah batteries.
About American Bass Anglers
American Bass Anglers is dedicated to organizing affordable, local tournaments for weekend anglers while offering opportunities for individual angler advancement. To learn more about American Bass Anglers, including the Team Series, American Fishing Tour, American Couples Series, annual Military Team Bass Tournament, ABA Team Series, Top 150 Solo Tour, and Professional League, all presented by Caymas Boats, please visit www.americanbassanglers.com or call (256) 232-0406.
American Bass Anglers is proud to be sponsored by Caymas Boats, Mercury Marine, T-H Marine, Power Pole, WattCycle Batteries, Hotel Planner.com, and LurePartsOnline.com.
For more information, visit www.americanbassanglers.com or call (256) 232-0406
