Phillip Anderson dominated the fishing in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Weekend Series, operated by American Bass Anglers, South Carolina Division 9 opening tournament, held Jan. 28, 2012, on Lake Murray.

Running out of Dreher Island State Park near Prosperity to fish the 50,000-acre lake, the Saluda, S.C., angler won the Boater Division with five bass weighing 23.57 pounds. He anchored his bag with a 6.97-pounder that took tournament lunker honors. For the win, Anderson pocketed $2,363 plus a $260 bonus for the big bass.

“I caught most of my fish on a big shaky head and a few on a crankbait,” Anderson recalled. “I fished channel swings in 10 to 15 feet of water in the middle part of the lake. I caught fish all day. My two biggest fish came five casts apart.”

In second for the 55 boaters, Daniel Grassi brought in a five-bass tournament limit going 17.93 pounds with a 6.06-pound kicker. The Pooler, Ga., angler went home with a check for $1,182.

“I went down the lake and threw a crankbait around docks,” Grassi said. “I caught fish all day. I saw five 5-pounders follow my bait to the boat, but couldn’t get them to bite it. The fish were in about four feet of water.”

Randy A. Childers of Anderson, S.C., also landed a five-bass tournament limit. Taking third with 17.10 pounds, he earned $788.

“I fished really shallow with a jig all day,” Childers explained. “I lost one over 5 pounds and had another big one on.”

Bart Blackburn of North Augusta, S.C., took fourth for the boaters with five bass going 14.32 pounds. Placing fifth for the boaters, David Heatherly of Buffalo, S.C., brought in five keepers weighing 13.70 pounds.

In the Co-Angler Division, Chad Schroeder of Dallas, N.C., landed three bass going 8.63 pounds. He anchored his bag with a 4.71-pound kicker to take home $1,181 for the win.

“We started under the bridge,” Schroeder said. “My boater was throwing a crankbait and caught two good fish right off the bat. I didn’t catch a bass until 11 a.m. We started fishing docks and I caught some nice fish. I caught four fish in 10 minutes. I culled twice. It was all on a green pumpkin shaky head.”

Ron Figueroa of Appling, Ga., landed in second place among the co-anglers with a three-bass division limit going 8.03 pounds He earned $591.

“I started throwing a shaky head,” Figueroa said. “I didn’t get a bite until about 11 a.m. Then, everything went nice. We started catching thick, healthy fish. We fished nothing, but boat docks.”

Taking third, Eddy Morgan of Denver, N.C., brought in three bass for 7.93 pounds with a 2.71-pound kicker. He won $394.

“I caught everything on a shaky head, except one on a jig,” Morgan said. “I fished the Saluda River. The boat was sitting in 15 feet of water and I was throwing toward shore. The fish hit in about six to eight feet of water.”

Joseph Carter of Taylors, S.C., caught two fish weighing 7.64 pounds, enough for fourth place. He anchored his catch with a 6.26-pound bucketmouth to earn division big bass honors. He collected $276 for fourth place and $130 for the big bass.

“I caught the big one on a watermelon pumpkin seed finesse worm on a Texas rig,” Carter said. “The water was about two feet deep. It hit at almost noon.”

Chuck B. Padget of Greenwood, S.C., rounded out the top five co-anglers. He landed three keepers for 7.61 pounds with a 2.40-pound kicker.

For more information, call Billy Benedetti, tournament manager, at (256) 230-5632 or ABA at (888) 203-6222. On line, seewww.americanbassanglers.com.

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 or the American Couples Series, visit www.americanbassanglers.com