Miller Wins Tight Border Battle
ATHENS, Ala. - Donald Miller won the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Weekend Series, operated by American Bass Anglers, South Carolina Division 9 tournament, held July 10, 2010, on Clark's Hill Lake out of Wildwood Park.
The Harlem, Ga., angler landed five bass for 11.36 pounds to take the Boater Division. Originally set for Feb. 13, the tournament had to be rescheduled when so much snow and ice hit the 71,000-acre reservoir on the Savannah River. Also called Lake Strom Thurmond, the lake forms part of the Georgia-South Carolina line.
"I caught my fish on a yellow Rapala jerkbait," Miller said. "I lost a 3-pounder and caught two good ones just before the weigh-in began. I caught fish all day."
In second for the boaters, Jeremy Wilson of Blacksburg, S.C., landed five bass going 10.77 pounds. He earned.
"At first, I caught my fish on top throwing a clear Sammy and a small popper," Wilson said. "Then, I started fishing grass. The biggest fish hit about midday."
Keith Williamson of Lincolnton, Ga., took third with four bass going 10.07 pounds including a 4.98-pound kicker. Dragging a brown Buckeye Mop Jig with a green pumpkin tail through 15 to 20 feet of water on the north side of the lake
Steven Broom of Sylva, N.C., finished fourth among the boaters with a five-bass tournament limit at 10.04 pounds. Ralph Steve DeBord of Martinez, Ga., caught five bass for 9.91 pounds. Tracy Watkins of Williamston, S.C., landed three bass weighing 8.71 pounds, but caught the 6.65-pound tournament lunker.
"I caught the big fish on a chrome roostertail," Watkins admitted. "The bass were chasing really small fish. I was just trying to pick up a limit with the roostertail."
On the Co-Angler side, Chuck Ledbetter of Fort Campbell, Ky., landed three bass weighing 6.61 pounds, but suffered a penalty to put his official tally at 6.11 pounds. He anchored his bag with a 3.53-pounder.
"I threw a white spinnerbait with silver blades all day in less than three feet of water," Ledbetter said. "We went way up north."
In second for the non-boaters, Ron Figueroa of Evans, Ga., landed a division limit of three bass weighing 6.63 pounds, good enough to win, but a 1-pound penalty knocked him back to 5.63 pounds. Fishing a green Skinny Dipper soft-plastic topwater bait.
"I lost a couple fish that would have helped me and missed a bunch," he admitted.
Fishing a chartreuse and red worm, Michael Norris of Myrtle Beach, S.C., landed two bass for 5.37 pounds, with a 3.24-pound kicker. Samuel Freeman of Irmo, S.C., only landed one bass on a shaky head worm at about 2:10 p.m., but his 4.40-pounder took division lunker honors. Rounding out the top five non-boaters, Heather Broom of Sylva, N.C., caught two bass for 4 pounds.
About American Bass Anglers: The Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Weekend Series provides weekend anglers a professionally operated competitive tour with a path the world championship of bass fishing the Bassmaster Classic. American Bass Anglers commitment is to provide low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler and at the same time offer each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers and the American Fishing Tour, The Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Weekend Series, The American 150 Series or the American Couples Series, visit www.americanbassanglers.com.
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