May 17, 2025, Elberton, Georgia – Lake Russell was the site of the final tournament of the American Bass Anglers Couples Series, South Carolina Division #11. Thirty-five teams participated in the event followed by our year-end banquet and awards ceremony.
The father and daughter team of Trad and Daelyn Whaley took the win with 5 bass for a total weight of 19.11 pounds, earning first place prize money of $998 and 200 points. The Whaleys caught ‘em on a Berkley Sebille, Shakey head with a Berkley max scent hit worm and a Fluke style bait fishing the shad spawn in main lake areas. Trad enjoyed getting back on the water with Daelyn this season.
Daelyn has been away at Emmanuel College and told her dad she wanted to win this one for Coach Pam… Daelyn was one of Pam Martin Wells’ first recruits at Emmanuel. Daelyn remembers Coach Pam as a great mentor, coach, and one of the top anglers around.
In second place were Cole Taylor and Addyson Hale, who weighed 5 bass for a total of 16.20 pounds, earning the team $499 in prize money and 199 points. Cole and Addyson located their catch scoping deep natural standing timber and fishing with a demi-ki rig.
Larry and Whitney Tankersley claimed third place with a total of 15.39 pounds, earning $394 in prize money and 198 points. The Tankersleys fished the main lake and secondary points with topwater walking baits. When the bite slowed, they fished Shakey head baits in those same areas. Early morning shad spawn counted for most of their catch.
Fourth place went to Ben and Ashley Sutton with five bass weighing 15.17 pounds. The Suttons won $263 in prize money and 197 points. The Suttons ran down the lake looking for schooling fish, hitting about 2 places before they found them. By 8:00 AM, they had 14 pounds in the boat. Ashley ended up catching a 3.5, giving them their limit. They ran to a variety of other spots but couldn’t cull up. Ben and Ashley say they enjoyed fishing in our last tournament of the season and would like to thank all of our sponsors who continue to support us.
Fifth place went to John and Donna Branstetter with five bass weighing 13.39 pounds. John and Donna won $208 in prize money and 196 points. The Branstetters fished points and shoals, catching their limit within 40 minutes of blast off. They concentrated on areas where fish were pushing bait into the shallows using Berkley Can Walker 125 in Bone, Choppo 105 in Bone, Dredger 14.5 and 10.5, HD Herring, Texas-rigged worm in green/green, PBJ jig, and Herring Spinnerbaits. They continued to catch fish all day within 3 miles of Richard B. Russell State Park. John fished with Abu Garcia reels and Fenwick Rods while Donna used Abu Garcia rods and reels.
Sixth place went to the team of Chris and Genevra Fields with five bass weighing 13.09 pounds. As an established team, Chris chose to fish solo on Lake Russell and won $184 in prize money and 195 points. Chris fished wind-blown banks and road beds with a Sexy Dawg and a Fluke. Rip rap was also key to catching a good limit.
Seventh place went to Tyler Jackson and Sidney Stevens with five bass weighing 12.44 pounds. Tyler and Sidney won $79 in prize money and 194 points. This was Tyler and Sidney’s first time on Lake Russell, and they planned to fish the lower end of the lake. However, motor trouble forced them to set down 2-3 miles away from the ramp and just fish. They fished long points all the way back to the ramp, catching most of their limit before 9 AM on brush piles. They fished everything from swimbaits, dropshots, top water, to Alabama rigs. Mid-to-late morning, the bite completely stopped. Considering the fact that they had never seen Lake Russell before and having had motor trouble, they did a pretty good job catching what they did.
Lori Ard caught the Ladies Big Bass, weighing in at 4.65 pounds and earning $165.
Trad Whaley weighed in the Men’s Big Bass with a weight of 5.11 pounds and earned $175.
Final Results
The South Carolina Couples is blessed to have many generous sponsors. Our sponsors make our trail weigh-ins more exciting by allowing most teams that are out of the money to go home with a drawing prize. Our members enjoy sponsor items from our Division sponsors: ALX Rods, Berkeley Outdoors, Berkley Baits, Choo Choo Custom Lures, Five Bass Tackle, GLine Batteries, JC’s Outdoors, Lew’s, Kissel Krafts Custom Rods, McElveen GMC Buick, Mule Skinner Baits, Phantom Outdoors, Strike King, TruCarts, and Yo-zuri.
Ben and Ashley Sutton finished in 4th place, earning them the $100 GLine Bounty as the top finishers to power their trolling motor with GLine Batteries.
River Long and Hayley Knutson claimed the $50 Berkeley Outdoors’ Smallest Limit prize. Although they finished in 29th place, they still took home $50, thanks to Berkeley Outdoors!
Gallery Photos
Looking Ahead
The next Couples event will be the National Championship, taking place May 17th out of Russell State Park on Lake Russell. The year-end awards dinner with lots of sponsor giveaways will be located in the Group Shelter immediately following weigh-in. Stay tuned for more exciting action and updates. For more information about the American Bass Anglers Couples Series and upcoming events, visit South Carolina Couples Bass Trail on Facebook or 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.
About American Bass Anglers
American Bass Anglers, committed to providing low-cost, close-to-home tournaments, offers an exciting platform for individual angler progression. With the support of industry-leading companies, ABA continues to advance the sport of bass fishing.
For more information about the American Couples Series, 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.
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
