{"id":15813,"date":"2026-04-16T16:52:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T22:52:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americanbassanglers.com\/news\/?p=15813"},"modified":"2026-04-16T16:53:51","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T22:53:51","slug":"joey-outlaw-and-abbigale-minors-claim-victory-on-wylie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americanbassanglers.com\/news\/index.php\/2026\/04\/16\/joey-outlaw-and-abbigale-minors-claim-victory-on-wylie\/","title":{"rendered":"Joey Outlaw and Abbigale Minors Claim Victory on Wylie"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

April 11, 2026 | York, South Carolina. Joey Outlaw and Abbigale Minors captured the win at the eighth event of the American Bass Anglers (ABA) Couples Series, South Carolina Division 11, held on Lake Wylie. The father\u2011and\u2011daughter duo brought a five\u2011fish limit to the scales weighing 14.31 pounds<\/strong>, earning $475<\/strong> and 192 points<\/strong> for the victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spending quality time together on the water is something Outlaw and Minors cherish, making the win especially meaningful. Despite having no official practice before the event, Outlaw drew on recent experience from fishing the NC BFL on Lake Wylie five weeks earlier. The team began the morning searching for a shad spawn using a Berkley Frittside crankbait and a Strike King spinnerbait, but the bite never materialized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They then revisited areas that had produced in the previous tournament, catching only a few short fish. Their first keeper came at 9:30 a.m. off a dock using a stick worm. After spending 45 minutes unsuccessfully working a quality bedding fish, persistence paid off when they landed a key kicker around midday\u2014another dock fish that became their second keeper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With calm conditions and clear skies dominating the afternoon, Outlaw and Minors committed to dock fishing with stick worms for the remainder of the day. Their Lew\u2019s spinning reels stayed busy as they landed approximately 25 fish. All of their productive bites came on Yamamoto Senkos and Berkley Generals<\/strong> in various shades of green, purchased from JC\u2019s Outdoors<\/strong>. The team also offered a special thanks to PTG Outdoors<\/strong>, noting that their Mercury outboard and lithium batteries performed flawlessly throughout the event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second and Third Place Finishers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finishing close behind in second place were Cole Taylor and Addyson Hale<\/strong>, who weighed in 14.13 pounds<\/strong> for $300<\/strong> and 191 points<\/strong>. Their catch was highlighted by Taylor\u2019s 3.86\u2011pound<\/strong> bass and Hale\u2019s 3.12\u2011pound<\/strong> fish. The duo started their day with topwater action on a buzzbait and Whopper Plopper before Taylor transitioned to a Neko rig as conditions changed. Hale continued throwing the Whopper Plopper, and much of their success came while fishing an ALX ENOX Wizard Series spinning rod<\/strong>. Taylor and Hale expressed their appreciation to ALX Rods<\/strong> for supporting South Carolina Couples anglers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rounding out the top three were the veteran team of John and Susan Mills<\/strong>, who brought in 11.77 pounds<\/strong>. Their bag was anchored by Susan\u2019s 3.41\u2011pound<\/strong> bass, which earned her Ladies Big Bass honors<\/strong> and a $60 award<\/strong>. The Mills relied on a variety of techniques\u2014Carolina rigs on points, shakey heads, drop shots, and Senkos around docks\u2014while \u201cjunk fishing\u201d their way to a solid finish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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John and Susan shared that they love fishing the Couples Trail because of the friendships they build, with Susan especially enjoying seeing more women get excited about competitive fishing. They also praised the South Carolina sponsors for making each event enjoyable, regardless of the outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The South Carolina sponsors make it so much fun to look forward to prizes even when we don\u2019t do well fishing.  A huge thank you to all of them because they don\u2019t have to do it at all. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Awards and Highlights<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  • Men\u2019s Big Bass:<\/strong> Joey Outlaw \u2013 4.97 pounds ($60)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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    • Ladies Big Bass:<\/strong> Susan Mills \u2013 3.41 pounds ($60)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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      • Berkeley Outdoors Smallest 5\u2011Fish Limit Award ($50):<\/strong> Bryan and Sharon Waddell \u2013 5 fish weighing 9.24 pounds<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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        \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n\n\n PL<\/th> Team<\/th> Men's BB<\/th> Ladies BB<\/th> Fish<\/th> Weight<\/th> Cash Award<\/th> Points<\/th> <\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n\n \n \n\n\n
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        \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n
        1<\/td>\n Joey & Abbigale Outlaw<\/td>\n 4.97<\/td>\n 2.25<\/td>\n 5<\/td>\n 14.31<\/td>\n 475 - MBB $60<\/td>\n 192<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
        2<\/td>\n Cole Taylor & Addyson Hale<\/td>\n 3.86<\/td>\n 3.12<\/td>\n 5<\/td>\n 14.13<\/td>\n $300<\/td>\n 191<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
        3<\/td>\n John & Susan Mills<\/td>\n -<\/td>\n 3.41<\/td>\n 5<\/td>\n 11.77<\/td>\n 125 - LBB $60<\/td>\n 190<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
        4<\/td>\n Ben & Ashley Sutton<\/td>\n -<\/td>\n 2.7<\/td>\n 5<\/td>\n 11.67<\/td>\n <\/td>\n 189<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
        5<\/td>\n John & Donna Branstetter<\/td>\n -<\/td>\n 2.48<\/td>\n 5<\/td>\n 10.91<\/td>\n <\/td>\n 188<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
        6<\/td>\n Harry & Kim Johnson<\/td>\n -<\/td>\n 2.52<\/td>\n 5<\/td>\n 10.03<\/td>\n <\/td>\n 187<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
        7<\/td>\n Bryan & Sharon Waddell<\/td>\n -<\/td>\n 2.04<\/td>\n 5<\/td>\n 9.24<\/td>\n Berkeley $50 Limit<\/td>\n 186<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
        8<\/td>\n Robert & Sally Young<\/td>\n 3<\/td>\n -<\/td>\n 4<\/td>\n 8.93<\/td>\n <\/td>\n 185<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
        9<\/td>\n Thomas Hardwick & Jordon Lanier<\/td>\n 4.48<\/td>\n -<\/td>\n 3<\/td>\n 8.75<\/td>\n <\/td>\n 184<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
        10<\/td>\n Tom & Missy Bancroft<\/td>\n -<\/td>\n 2.31<\/td>\n 5\/3<\/td>\n 8.58<\/td>\n <\/td>\n 183<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
        11<\/td>\n Mike & Kinzie Criminger<\/td>\n -<\/td>\n 2.32<\/td>\n 2<\/td>\n 4.25<\/td>\n <\/td>\n 182<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
        12<\/td>\n Daniel & Melissa Brown<\/td>\n -<\/td>\n -<\/td>\n 0<\/td>\n 0<\/td>\n <\/td>\n 50<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n <\/tbody> \n\n \n \n \n <\/table>\n\n<\/div>