“Jason Barrett and Ken Ellis lead Nelson Walker and Chris Brunson by 1 point and Brent Riley and Nathan Burgess are 15 points behind in third, but Saturday is a double points tournament so it’s going to be close.”

Barret and Ellis won the opening tournament Feb. 11 on the Cooper River, weighing in a limit at 20.39 pounds, including the Big Fish at 8.63 pounds to win a total of $7,575. They fell to 44^th at Lake Murray March 31, finishing out of the money with five fish that weighed 13.54 pounds, but rebounded to ninth at Santee Cooper April 28 when Ellis partnered with Chuck Howard to catch five bass that weighed 21.41 pounds and win $500.

Walker and Brunson have not been spectacular in any of the three qualifiers, but they have been consistent, finishing 18^th on the Cooper River, 19^th at Lake Murray and 18^th at Santee Cooper.

Meanwhile. Burgess and Riley dug a deep hole to start out, finishing 57^th on the Cooper River, but have climbed back out with a 10^th place finish at Lake Murray and then finishing second at Santee Cooper where they weighed in five fish at 26.71 pounds and took home $4,000.

“The pre-paid list is close to 100,” Collins said at mid-week, “so it looks like we are going to have at least 125 teams for the tournament Saturday at Lake Wateree.”

Fishing at Wateree has been tough recently, Collins said, but the mid-week rains could change that quickly.

“Last week it took only 15 pounds to win a tournament on Lake Wateree, but we expect more weight this week,” he said. “The shad should be spawning in the grass and that will make the topwater bite turn on. With the mild winter and early spring we’ve had some fish are already out deep and docks always come into play at Lake Wateree.”

Collins said the South Carolina Division is up to 190 teams and he anticipates the number of teams that join up will expand to more than 200 after the tournament Saturday on Lake Wateree.

“It looks like the number of teams that will qualify for the South Carolina Divisional Final on Lake Wateree June 23 will be between 125 and 150,” he said. “First place at the Divisional Final will take home a Skeeter TX190 equipped with a 150 Yamaha HPDI. The point winning teams of each division will receive $1,000.”

Collins said all the teams from the SC Divisional and all the teams who enter the NC Divisional Final will be eligible to enter the Carolina Bass Challenge Championship on Kerr Lake (Buggs Island) October 27. The first place team at the championship will receive a Skeeter ZX200 equipped with a 200 Yamaha SHO.

The Carolinas Bass Challenge is a two-division series promoted by Skeeter Boat dealers Marshall’s Marine in Lake City, S.C., Foothills Marine in Morganton, N.C., and Palmetto Marine in Greenville, S.C.

 

Carolinas Bass Challenge – South Carolina Division

Sat, May 12, 2012

Lake Wateree

Clearwater Cove Marina

Call Brett Collins 803-413-7521

www.carolinasbasschallenge.com