Co-angler Title Goes to Gilbert’s Hough

ANDERSON, S.C. (Feb. 18, 2019) – Boater John Duarte of Middle River, Maryland, caught five bass Saturday weighing 18 pounds, 8 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) South Carolina Division season opener on Lake Hartwell presented by Navionics. For his win, Duarte earned $4,396.

“I fished mid-lake docks in pockets and tried to cover as much water as I could,” said Duarte, who earned his second career victory in BFL competition. “It was on fire from 11 (a.m.) until the end of the tournament. I think the time of day positioned those fish in the backs of the pockets and put them where they were easy to catch.”

Duarte said he caught 12 to 15 keepers overall, saying that four of the five fish he weighed came on a 4.8-inch Pro Blue Red Pearl-colored Keitech FAT Swing Impact swimbait with a ¼-ounce jighead.

“I was skipping it under the docks and casting to the edges,” said Duarte.

Duarte’s other limit-fish came on a ½-ounce homemade green-pumpkin-colored jig with a Zoom Big Salty Chunk trailer of the same color. He said he caught it around 8:30 a.m. from under a docked pontoon boat up the Seneca River.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st:          John Duarte, Middle River, Md., five bass, 18-8, $2,396 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

2^nd:         Wesley Sandifer, Chapin, S.C., five bass, 16-0, $1,148

3^rd:          Kyle Austin, Ridgeville, S.C., five bass, 15-14, $701

4^th:          Scott Allgood, Fair Play, S.C., five bass, 15-8, $489

5^th:          Shayne McFarlin, Martin, Ga., five bass, 15-6, $419

6^th:          Nitro pro David Williams, Maiden, N.C., five bass, 14-13, $384

7^th:          Thomas Guthke, Anderson, S.C., five bass, 13-9, $349

8^th:          Randy Childers, Anderson, S.C., five bass, 13-7, $314

9^th:          Travis Garrett, Toccoa, Ga., five bass, 13-6

10^th:        Jayme Rampey, Liberty, S.C., five bass, 13-1

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Brian Tucci of Surfside Beach, South Carolina, caught a 5-pound, 4-ounce bass – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $100.

Kate Hough of Gilbert, South Carolina, won the Co-angler Division and $1,248 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 11 pounds, 13 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st:          Kate Hough, Gilbert, S.C.,   five bass, 11-13, $1,248

2^nd:         Stephen Britt, Columbia, S.C., five bass, 10-3, $574

3^rd:          Jeff Horton, Boiling Springs, S.C., five bass, 9-7, $349

4^th:          Mario Hill, Thomson, Ga., five bass, 9-4, $245

5^th:          Lee Inman, Inman, S.C., five bass, 8-15, $210

6^th:          Kyle Deeds, Greenville, S.C., five bass, 8-6, $192

7^th:          Bill Hawkins, Piedmont, S.C., five bass, 8-3, $175

8^th:          Shawn Kincaid, Lexington, S.C., five bass, 8-1, $157

9^th:          Jeff Rikard, Leesville, S.C., four bass, 6-1

10^th:        Weston Thomas, Chapin, S.C., five bass, 6-0

Dwayne Parton of Anderson, South Carolina, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 3 pounds, 10 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $100.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 10-12 BFL Regional Championship on Lake Seminole in Bainbridge, Georgia. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard.

The T-H Marine FLW BFL South Carolina Division tournament on Lake Hartwell presented by Navionics was hosted by the Anderson Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The 2019 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2019 BFL All-American will be held May 30-June 1 at the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland, and is hosted by the Charles County Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism and the Commissioners of Charles County. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

PLACE	ANGLER	CITY/STATE	DAY 1 WT (Fish)	DAY 1&2 WT (Fish)	WINNINGS
1	JOHN DUARTE	MIDDLE RIVER, MD	18 – 8 (5)	18 – 8 (5)	$2,396 + Ranger Cup ($2,000)
2	WESLEY SANDIFER	CHAPIN, SC	16 – 0 (5)	16 – 0 (5)	$1,148
3	KYLE AUSTIN	RIDGEVILLE, SC	15 – 14 (5)	15 – 14 (5)	$701
4	SCOTT ALLGOOD	FAIR PLAY, SC	15 – 8 (5)	15 – 8 (5)	$489
5	SHAYNE MCFARLIN	MARTIN, GA	15 – 6 (5)	15 – 6 (5)	$419
6	DAVID WILLIAMS	MAIDEN, NC	14 – 13 (5)	14 – 13 (5)	$384
7	THOMAS GUTHKE	ANDERSON, SC	13 – 9 (5)	13 – 9 (5)	$349
8	RANDY CHILDERS	ANDERSON, SC	13 – 7 (5)	13 – 7 (5)	$314
9	TRAVIS GARRETT	TOCCOA, GA	13 – 6 (5)	13 – 6 (5)
10	JAYME RAMPEY	LIBERTY, SC	13 – 1 (5)	13 – 1 (5)
11	COLE DRUMMOND	EFFINGHAM, SC	12 – 0 (5)	12 – 0 (5)
12	MICHAEL MAXFIELD	HANAHAN, SC	11 – 10 (5)	11 – 10 (5)
13	JERRY PELFREY	LAURENS, SC	11 – 7 (5)	11 – 7 (5)
14	STEVEN MCKISSACK	MONTGOMERY, AL	10 – 10 (5)	10 – 10 (5)
15	MIKE SHEPARD	DAWSONVILLE, GA	10 – 7 (5)	10 – 7 (5)
16	TRA DUMIT	GREENVILLE, SC	10 – 6 (5)	10 – 6 (5)
17	AUSTIN JOHNSON	CHESNEE, SC	9 – 15 (5)	9 – 15 (5)
18	BRIAN TUCCI	SURFSIDE BEACH, SC	8 – 3 (3)	8 – 3 (3)	$100
19	JAMES BUCHANAN	MONROE, NC	8 – 0 (5)	8 – 0 (5)
20	TAKERU OKUMURA	COLUMBIA, SC	7 – 10 (5)	7 – 10 (5)
21	ROBERT HOLLAND	COLUMBIA, SC	7 – 8 (3)	7 – 8 (3)
21	JOHNATHAN CROSSLAND	CHAPIN, SC	7 – 8 (5)	7 – 8 (5)
23	RYAN SHOAF	ROCK HILL, SC	6 – 8 (3)	6 – 8 (3)
24	JAMES LITTICH	DAVIDSON, NC	6 – 5 (5)	6 – 5 (5)
25	CHARLES CHILDERS	BUFFALO, SC	6 – 2 (4)	6 – 2 (4)
26	CALVIN JONES	RAEFORD, NC	4 – 12 (3)	4 – 12 (3)
26	ROBBIE HARRELSON	MONCKS CORNER, SC	4 – 12 (4)	4 – 12 (4)
28	BRANDT TUMBERG	MOORE, SC	3 – 11 (2)	3 – 11 (2)
29	JEFF BAILEY	INMAN, SC	3 – 10 (2)	3 – 10 (2)
30	CARL CHAVIS	SIMPSONVILLE, SC	3 – 2 (2)	3 – 2 (2)
31	JEFFREY BORNE	GILBERT, SC	2 – 7 (1)	2 – 7 (1)
32	ANASTASIA PATTERSON	SUMTER, SC	2 – 2 (2)	2 – 2 (2)
33	RANDY BROWN	LUGOFF, SC	1 – 15 (2)	1 – 15 (2)
34	BEN COX	ANDREWS, SC	1 – 12 (1)	1 – 12 (1)
35	JOHN MCKENZIE	HAMPTON, SC	1 – 10 (1)	1 – 10 (1)
	JAY JEFFERIES	MOUNT PLEASANT, SC	0 – 0 (0)	0 – 0 (0)
	JEFF FLETCHER	MOUNT AIRY, GA	0 – 0 (0)	0 – 0 (0)
	JOSEPH MARKS	DUNCAN, SC	0 – 0 (0)	0 – 0 (0)
	DEREK LEHTONEN	WOODRUFF, SC	0 – 0 (0)	0 – 0 (0)
	SAWYER HUNT	SPRINGFIELD, GA	0 – 0 (0)	0 – 0 (0)