Bass fishing reportedly is “pretty tough” on Lake Hartwell, but somebody always figures them out enough to win. The question is, who will it be in the Greene Boat and Motor Team Trail Championship this weekend on the upstate South Carolina lake?

Will it be the hottest team on the trail – Artie Phillips and Thomas Richmond who just wrapped up the points title with another win on Lake Wylie two weeks ago?

Or, will it be an angler who just notched a major tournament win on Lake Hartwell three weeks ago – Don Poteat, who won the Walmart Bass Fishing League Savannah Division Super Tournament, who will be joined by teammate John Allen for the Greene Championship?

Or, will it be one of the teams that challenged Phillips and Richmond for the points lead all season long?

Here’s how it all lays out:

Phillips and Richmond, who finished the regular season with five top 10 finishes, including two first places, won the points title in the final qualifier Sept. 29 in a super-tight three-way race for the top spot. They started slow in the first tournament on Feb. 25, but roared back for 6^th place March 10, a win April 7, 7^th place May 19, 4^th June 9, and won the final Sept. 29. They will split the $1,000 prize for the points championship.

Ron Farrow and Mike Allman, who trailed Phillips and Richmond by just four points going into the Sept. 29 tournament, finished second in the points race and will receive a Minn Kota Trolling Motor. Those two teams, along with the teams pushing them in the points race, could be considered strong contenders for the championship this weekend.

However, said tournament director Jeremy Cabe, “If I had to pick a pre-tournament favorite it would be Don Poteat who just won the BFL Super Tournament on Lake Hartwell.”

Poteat of Morganton, N.C., had a two-day total of 10 bass that weighed 28 pounds, 13 ounces, to win the Walmart BFL Savannah Division Super Tournament on Lake Hartwell Sept. 23, earning $5,690 plus a $1,000 Evinrude bonus.

Not having fished a tournament with FLW since 2006, Poteat’s wife bought his entry fee as a birthday present and what a present it turned out to be!

“I fished the same 200-yard stretch in Gumlog Creek for two days straight,” said Poteat. “All the fish I weighed were caught with a Zoom Old Monster on 20-pound-test line with a 1/8-ounce sinker, Texas rigged. This is the kind of fishing that I like to do.”

“We have 16 teams qualified for the championship,” said Cabe. “They will be fishing for a fully-rigged Tracker Pro 165 boat with a Mercury outboard, valued at around $11,000. Second place will be paid in cash from entry fees.”

 

Greene Boat and Motor Team Trail Championship

Oct 13-14, 2012

Lake Hartwell

Broyles Landing

Call Jeremy Cabe 803-322-1794

www.greeneboats.com