October 6, 2022

 

ANDERSON, S.C. — It is a battle of the Carolinas at the top of the St. Croix Bassmaster Southern Open at Lake Hartwell presented by Mossy Oak Fishing.

 

With 17 pounds, 13 ounces, North Carolina pro Shane Lineberger and South Carolina’s Derek Lehtonen are tied for the top spot after one day. The two anglers hold a 1-pound advantage over Michigan boater Jon Jezierski.

 

On top of having an extensive history on Lake Hartwell, Lineberger said it sets up exactly like his home waters of Lake Norman which has helped him find success. He targeted largemouth, anchoring his bag with a 5-3, although he did weigh one spotted bass.

 

“I started out throwing some topwater around. I think I’m doing something different than everyone else,” he said. “The fish I am fishing for are a lot less pressured than these brushpile, canepile fish.

 

“It sets up just like Lake Norman. Everyone is so keyed in on the offshore stuff that they leave the other stuff alone. I hope it stays that way for two more days.”

 

Lineberger used two primary baits as he ran through several areas. Three of his five bass were caught before 8:30 a.m., and he made several key culls.

 

“I kind of backed off what I was doing when my small fish was a 2 3/4-pounder,” he explained. “It is kind of pointless to sit here and catch 2 1/2-pounders and throw them back when you are going to need them later in the week. Hopefully, I can get another lucky 5-pounder. If not, we are going down swinging.”

 

As many of the other boaters in the field are focusing on spotted bass, Lineberger is committed to his largemouth game plan. With the largemouth in their fall feeding phase, he has found his bass are keying in on a particular type of forage.

 

“I tell everyone, it doesn’t matter where you are at this time of year, the biggest fish in the lake eat bream,” he said. “And that is what I am fishing for, the ones that are up there eating bream. This place is full of fish and one of the best fisheries in the Southeast. This lake patterns so well.”

 

Lehtonen is also mostly targeting largemouth in an area where he’s found success in the past. Fishing in a crowd, his local knowledge helped him secure a better quality bite while anglers around him struggled.

 

“It was very slow,” Lehtonen said. “I caught my first fish around 10 a.m. From there I slowly started upgrading. I was targeting brush and hoping for a bite.”

 

With such a slow start, Lehtonen ventured offshore and fished for spotted bass, one of which made the final tally. He filled his limit around 1 p.m. while his biggest bass, a 5-3 largemouth, came with about 10 minutes to go before check-in.

 

Similar to Lineberger, two baits produced most of Lehtonen’s weight. While he is tied for the lead, Lehtonen said the lake has turned over and that has made the fishing a lot more difficult than it was even a week ago. Last weekend, he caught just over 17 pounds in a local tournament and that resulted in a ninth-place finish.

 

“The turnover has ruined it and the drawdown from where they are pulling water,” Lehtonen said. “It has moved these fish big time. They are sucking it out every day. There are less and less filtering in where I am fishing.”

 

Lehtonen hopes the calm conditions on Day 1 will continue into Day 2, saying cloud cover will hurt his bite even more.

 

Anchoring his bag with a 6-6 largemouth that earned him the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the day, Jezierski caught 16-13 to land in third place. After spending most of his practice attempting to fish for spotted bass offshore, he went back to his Michigan roots and targeted largemouth on tournament day.

 

“I caught one 3-pound largemouth in practice and I told my co-angler we would go for some spots in the morning to get a limit and then target largies later,” he said. “My co-angler told me that the largemouth would probably bite in the morning. So, we went largie fishing.”

 

Jezierski landed the big bass in the first 30 minutes on a Z-Man Evergreen JackHammer before filling his limit around 10 a.m. and then wrapping up his bag before noon. His final limit had four largemouth and one spot. Fishing around wood, the JackHammer produced big bites, as well as a Berkley Power Hawg flipping bait.

 

With very little fishing pressure around him, Jezierski feels confident he can catch another limit Friday.

 

“I found this area last year with a buddy of mine,” he said. “I went back there this year and there was just baitfish everywhere and fish busting. It was just the backend of a creek as far as you can go, and I caught the big one in a foot and a half of water.”

 

Sakae Ushio leads the co-angler division with 10-0 followed by Clifton Overstreet in second with 9-5 and Thomas Crosswhite in third with 8-13. Overstreet also landed the Big Bass of the day on the co-angler side, a 5-10 largemouth.

 

With two days left in the Southern Opens season, Arkansas pro Joey Cifuentes leads the Southern Division standings with 556 points while Tennessee pro Brandon Lester is second with 555. California pro Bryant Smith is third with 539, followed by Kayden Tanner with 533 and Cooper Gallant with 521.

 

Alabama pro Keith Poche remains atop the overall standings with 1,350 points. He is followed by Alabama’s David Gaston in second with 1,280 points and Oklahoma’s John Soukup is third with 1,275.

 

The full field will launch from Green Pond Landing starting at 7:15 a.m. ET and will return for weigh-in at 3:15 p.m. The co-angler champion will be crowned at the end of Friday’s weigh-in.

 

The Top 10 boaters after Day 2 will earn a spot on Championship Saturday and compete for a potential berth in the 2023 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic scheduled for March 24-26 in Knoxville, Tenn.

The tournament is being hosted by Visit Anderson.

 

2022 St. Croix Bassmaster Southern Open #3 Lake Hartwell presented by Mossy Oak Fishing 10/6-10/8
Lake Hartwell, Anderson  SC.
(BOATER) Standings Day 1

Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts   Total $$$

1.  Derek Lehtonen         Woodruff, SC             5  17-13  200
Day 1: 5   17-13
1.  Shane Lineberger       Lincolnton, NC           5  17-13  200
Day 1: 5   17-13
3.  Jon Jezierski          Troy, MI                 5  16-13  198
Day 1: 5   16-13
4.  Tyler Williams         Belgrade, ME             5  16-07  197
Day 1: 5   16-07
5.  Matt Pangrac           Bixby, OK                5  16-04  196
Day 1: 5   16-04
6.  Tristan McCormick      Burns, TN                5  16-02  195
Day 1: 5   16-02
7.  Hunter Sales           Blaine, TN               5  16-01  194
Day 1: 5   16-01
8.  Kayden Tanner          Tolar, TX                5  16-00  193
Day 1: 5   16-00
9.  Adam Neu               Sturgeon Bay, WI         5  15-13  192
Day 1: 5   15-13
9.  Blake Sylvester        Plaquemine, LA           5  15-13  192
Day 1: 5   15-13
11. Paul Marks             Cumming, GA              5  15-07  190
Day 1: 5   15-07
12. David Gaston           Sylacauga, AL            5  15-05  189
Day 1: 5   15-05
13. John Garrett           Union City, TN           5  15-03  188
Day 1: 5   15-03
14. Lucas Murphy           West Columbia, MI        5  14-15  187
Day 1: 5   14-15
15. Bryant Smith           Roseville, CA            5  14-11  186
Day 1: 5   14-11
16. Zach Goutremout        Chaumont, NY             5  14-09  185
Day 1: 5   14-09
17. Rob Digh               Denver, NC               5  14-07  184
Day 1: 5   14-07
17. Tucker Smith           Shoal Creek, AL          5  14-07  184
Day 1: 5   14-07
19. Danny Lavoie           Franklin, GA             5  14-05  182
Day 1: 5   14-05
19. John Soukup            Sapulpa, OK              5  14-05  182
Day 1: 5   14-05
21. Jamie Bruce            Kenora Ontario CANADA    5  14-03  180
Day 1: 5   14-03
21. Keith Poche            Pike Road, AL            5  14-03  180
Day 1: 5   14-03
23. Joey Nania             Cropwell, AL             5  14-02  178
Day 1: 5   14-02
24. Darold Gleason         Many, LA                 5  13-15  177
Day 1: 5   13-15
25. Joey Cifuentes III     Clinton, AR              5  13-14  176
Day 1: 5   13-14
26. Brandon Lester         Fayetteville, TN         5  13-12  175
Day 1: 5   13-12
27. Hunter Shryock         Ooltewah, TN             5  13-10  174
Day 1: 5   13-10
28. Justin Margraves       Diana, TX                5  13-09  173
Day 1: 5   13-09
28. Shannon Poore          Walhalla, SC             5  13-09  173
Day 1: 5   13-09
30. Cole Drummond          Effingham, SC            5  13-08  171
Day 1: 5   13-08
30. Todd Goade             White Pine, TN           5  13-08  171
Day 1: 5   13-08
32. Chris Beaudrie         Princeton, KY            5  13-07  169
Day 1: 5   13-07
32. Jacob Walker           Springville, AL          5  13-07  169
Day 1: 5   13-07
34. Drew Cook              Cairo, GA                5  13-04  167
Day 1: 5   13-04
34. Austin Cranford        Moore, OK                5  13-04  167
Day 1: 5   13-04
34. Marshall Harrelson     Clarksville, GA          5  13-04  167
Day 1: 5   13-04
34. Logan Parks            Auburn, AL               5  13-04  167
Day 1: 5   13-04
34. Jason Williamson       Aiken, SC                5  13-04  167
Day 1: 5   13-04
39. Kyle Cortiana          Broken Arrow, OK         5  13-02  162
Day 1: 5   13-02
39. Cooper Gallant         Bowmanville Ontario CAN  5  13-02  162
Day 1: 5   13-02
39. Joe Mitchell           Martin, GA               5  13-02  162
Day 1: 5   13-02
39. Matt Robertson         Kuttawa, KY              5  13-02  162
Day 1: 5   13-02
39. Frank Talley           Temple, TX               5  13-02  162
Day 1: 5   13-02
39. David Williams         Newton, NC               5  13-02  162
Day 1: 5   13-02
45. Kyle Monti             Okeechobee, FL           5  12-15  156
Day 1: 5   12-15
46. Jeremy Gordon          Rutledge, TN             5  12-14  155
Day 1: 5   12-14
47. Austin Felix           Eden Prairie, MN         5  12-12  154
Day 1: 5   12-12
48. Tom Frink              Southside, AL            5  12-08  153
Day 1: 5   12-08
48. Logan Shaddix          Cummings, GA             5  12-08  153
Day 1: 5   12-08
50. John Hunter Jr         Shelbyville, KY          5  12-05  151
Day 1: 5   12-05
50. Dustin Williamson      Aiken, SC                5  12-05  151
Day 1: 5   12-05
52. Destin DeMarion        Harborcreek, PA          5  12-04  149
Day 1: 5   12-04
52. Danny Ramsey           Trinidad, TX             5  12-04  149
Day 1: 5   12-04
54. Jeff Bauler            Chapin, SC               5  12-04  147
Day 1: 5   12-04
55. Cole Sands             Calhoun , TN             5  12-03  146
Day 1: 5   12-03
56. Logan Johnson          Jasper, AL               5  12-01  145
Day 1: 5   12-01
56. Cody Stahl             Barnsville, GA           5  12-01  145
Day 1: 5   12-01
58. Matty Wong             Honolulu, HI             5  12-00  143
Day 1: 5   12-00
59. Jerry Gallogly Jr      North Tazewell, VA       5  11-15  142
Day 1: 5   11-15
60. Dustin Wilkey          Durant, OK               5  11-13  141
Day 1: 5   11-13
61. Michael Cooper         Mobile, AL               5  11-12  140
Day 1: 5   11-12
62. Ben Stone              Iva, SC                  5  11-11  139
Day 1: 5   11-11
63. David Kilgore          Jasper, AL               5  11-10  138
Day 1: 5   11-10
63. Caleb Sumrall          New Iberia, LA           5  11-10  138
Day 1: 5   11-10
65. Zack Birge             Blanchard, OK            5  11-09  136
Day 1: 5   11-09
65. Michael Kinard         Concord, NC              5  11-09  136
Day 1: 5   11-09
65. Julius Mazy            Phoenix, AZ              5  11-09  136
Day 1: 5   11-09
65. Scott Pellegrin        Chippewa Falls, WI       5  11-09  136
Day 1: 5   11-09
69. Jake Maddux            Birmingham, AL           5  11-07  132
Day 1: 5   11-07
69. Trevor McKinney        Benton, IL               5  11-07  132
Day 1: 5   11-07
71. Kyle Austin            Ridgeville, SC           5  11-06  130
Day 1: 5   11-06
71. Jon Canada             Helena, AL               5  11-06  130
Day 1: 5   11-06
71. JT Thompkins           Myrtle Beach, SC         5  11-06  130
Day 1: 5   11-06
74. Cody Hoyle             Rutherfordton, NC        5  11-05  127
Day 1: 5   11-05
74. Kyle Patrick           Cooperstown, NY          5  11-05  127
Day 1: 5   11-05
76. Chris Blanchette       Charleston, SC           5  11-04  125
Day 1: 5   11-04
77. Jacob Bigelow          Cecil, WI                5  11-03  124
Day 1: 5   11-03
77. Bailey Boutries        Springfield, MO          5  11-03  124
Day 1: 5   11-03
77. Gary Clouse            Winchester, TN           5  11-03  124
Day 1: 5   11-03
80. Brandon Ackerson       Afton, OK                5  11-02  121
Day 1: 5   11-02
80. Joey Sabbagha          Prosperity, SC           5  11-02  121
Day 1: 5   11-02
82. Derek Freeman          Anderson, SC             5  11-01  119
Day 1: 5   11-01
82. Allan Nail             Sand Springs, OK         5  11-01  119
Day 1: 5   11-01
84. Chris Keeble           Lenoir City, TN          5  11-00  117
Day 1: 5   11-00
84. Billy McDonald         Greenwood, IN            5  11-00  117
Day 1: 5   11-00
86. Caden Acree            Powder Springs, GA       5  10-15  115
Day 1: 5   10-15
86. Brent Crow             Hartselle, AL            5  10-15  115
Day 1: 5   10-15
86. Tommy Guthke           Townville, SC            5  10-15  115
Day 1: 5   10-15
89. Charlie Hartley        Grove City, OH           5  10-13  112
Day 1: 5   10-13
89. Andrew Upshaw          Hemphill, TX             5  10-13  112
Day 1: 5   10-13
91. Garrett Paquette       Canton, MI               5  10-12  110
Day 1: 5   10-12
92. Lonnie Cochran         Section, AL              5  10-11  109
Day 1: 5   10-11
92. Tim Frederick          Leesburg, FL             5  10-11  109
Day 1: 5   10-11
92. Keith Nemcek           St Charles, IL           5  10-11  109
Day 1: 5   10-11
95. Cameron Smith          Wareham, MA              5  10-10  106
Day 1: 5   10-10
96. Denny Fiedler          Wabasha, MN              5  10-09  105
Day 1: 5   10-09
96. Darryl Halbert         Enoree, SC               5  10-09  105
Day 1: 5   10-09
98. Justin Atkins          Florence, AL             5  10-08  103
Day 1: 5   10-08
98. Hugh Cosculluela       Spring, TX               5  10-08  103
Day 1: 5   10-08
98. Bryan New              Saluda, SC               5  10-08  103
Day 1: 5   10-08
98. Jayme Rampey           Liberty, SC              5  10-08  103
Day 1: 5   10-08
102. Robbie Latuso          Gonzales, LA             5  10-07   99
Day 1: 5   10-07
103. Wesley Gore            Clanton, AL              5  10-05   98
Day 1: 5   10-05
103. Jordan McDonald        Jackson, GA              5  10-05   98
Day 1: 5   10-05
105. Jason Borofka          Lavon, TX                5  10-05   96
Day 1: 5   10-05
106. Matt Green             Cartersville, GA         5  10-04   95
Day 1: 5   10-04
107. Corey Lindsey          Marion, OH               5  10-03   94
Day 1: 5   10-03
108. Parker Mott            Winter Garden, FL        5  10-02   93
Day 1: 5   10-02
108. Nic Rand               Kalamazoo, MI            5  10-02   93
Day 1: 5   10-02
110. Andrew Mlotek          Indianapolis, IN         5  10-00   91
Day 1: 5   10-00
111. Bradley Hallman        Edmond, OK               5  09-15   90
Day 1: 5   09-15
112. Bradford Beavers       Summerville, SC          5  09-14   89
Day 1: 5   09-14
112. Zeke Gossett           Pell City, AL            5  09-14   89
Day 1: 5   09-14
112. Chad Smith             Minnetonka, MN           5  09-14   89
Day 1: 5   09-14
115. Cody Bertrand          Dyer, IN                 5  09-12   86
Day 1: 5   09-12
115. Adam Rasmussen         Sturgeon Bay, WI         5  09-12   86
Day 1: 5   09-12
115. Trey Swindle           Cleveland, AL            5  09-12   86
Day 1: 5   09-12
118. Harvey Horne           Bella Vista, AR          5  09-11   83
Day 1: 5   09-11
118. Douglas Reed           Bridgeton, NJ            5  09-11   83
Day 1: 5   09-11
118. Blake Smith            Lakeland, FL             5  09-11   83
Day 1: 5   09-11
121. Daisuke Kita           Ohtsu Shiga JAPAN        5  09-09   80
Day 1: 5   09-09
122. Joel Willert           Prior Lake, MN           5  09-06   79
Day 1: 5   09-06
123. Randy Blaukat          Springfield, MO          5  09-05   78
Day 1: 5   09-05
123. Tommy Williams         Shepherdsville, KY       5  09-05   78
Day 1: 5   09-05
125. D.J. Ellis             Crestview, FL            5  09-04   76
Day 1: 5   09-04
125. Brad Leuthner          Independence, MN         5  09-04   76
Day 1: 5   09-04
125. Colby Robertson        Summerfield, FL          5  09-04   76
Day 1: 5   09-04
128. Stacey James           Campobello, SC           5  09-03   73
Day 1: 5   09-03
128. Chancy Walters         West Des Moines, IA      5  09-03   73
Day 1: 5   09-03
130. Ben Ballou             Dickson, TN              5  09-03   71
Day 1: 5   09-03
131. Todd Harris            Lexington, NC            5  09-02   70
Day 1: 5   09-02
132. Scott Allgood          Fair Play, SC            5  09-01   69
Day 1: 5   09-01
132. Jacob Foutz            Charleston, TN           5  09-01   69
Day 1: 5   09-01
134. David Perdue           Wirtz, VA                5  09-00   67
Day 1: 5   09-00
135. Brian Post             Janesville, WI           5  08-14   66
Day 1: 5   08-14
135. Carl Whitfield         Anderson, SC             5  08-14   66
Day 1: 5   08-14
137. Griffin  Heffington    Cumming, GA              5  08-13   64
Day 1: 5   08-13
138. Joe McClosky           Swanton, MD              5  08-12   63
Day 1: 5   08-12
138. Bryden Mugleston       Mount Juliet, TN         5  08-12   63
Day 1: 5   08-12
140. Matt Mollohan          Batesburg, SC            5  08-11   61
Day 1: 5   08-11
141. Jeff Fellows           Orlando, FL              4  08-10   60
Day 1: 4   08-10
142. Jim Dillard            West Monroe, LA          5  08-09   59
Day 1: 5   08-09
143. Jason Casteel          Ocoee, FL                4  08-09   58
Day 1: 4   08-09
144. Lucas Bradley          Flippin, AR              3  08-09   57
Day 1: 3   08-09
145. Kenta Kimura           Osaka JAPAN              5  08-07   56
Day 1: 5   08-07
145. Bart Stanisz           Wichita Falls , TX       5  08-07   56
Day 1: 5   08-07
147. Rodney Jones           Anderson, SC             5  08-06   54
Day 1: 5   08-06
147. Gerald Swindle         Guntersville, AL         5  08-06   54
Day 1: 5   08-06
149. Kibbee Mccoy           Knoxville, TN            5  08-05   52
Day 1: 5   08-05
150. Noah Boyett            Mountain Home, AR        5  08-03   51
Day 1: 5   08-03
150. T-Roy Broussard        Port Arthur, TX          5  08-03   51
Day 1: 5   08-03
150. Ron Ryals Jr           Live Oak, FL             5  08-03   51
Day 1: 5   08-03
150. Dave Turner            Crystal River, FL        5  08-03   51
Day 1: 5   08-03
154. Allen Brooks           Canton, GA               5  08-02   47
Day 1: 5   08-02
155. Chris Neau             Gretna, LA               5  07-15   46
Day 1: 5   07-15
155. Brady Vernon           Birmingham, AL           5  07-15   46
Day 1: 5   07-15
157. Carter McNeil          Abbeville, SC            4  07-15   44
Day 1: 4   07-15
158. Drew Coker             Murrayville, GA          5  07-14   43
Day 1: 5   07-14
158. Aaron Digh             Denver, NC               5  07-14   43
Day 1: 5   07-14
160. Randy Elliott          Severn, MD               5  07-13   41
Day 1: 5   07-13
160. Hermilo Salgado-Zavaleta Artemus, KY            5  07-13   41
Day 1: 5   07-13
162. Jacob Moore            Wake Forest, NC          4  07-13   39
Day 1: 4   07-13
163. Daniel Smith           Blountsville, AL         4  07-12   38
Day 1: 4   07-12
164. Teb Jones              Yalaha, MS               5  07-10   37
Day 1: 5   07-10
165. Tim Malone             Kodak, TN                5  07-07   36
Day 1: 5   07-07
165. James Meers            Rome, GA                 5  07-07   36
Day 1: 5   07-07
167. Brandon Edel           White House, TN          5  07-00   34
Day 1: 5   07-00
168. Seiji Kato             Outsu Shiga JAPAN        5  06-10   33
Day 1: 5   06-10
169. Garrett Rocamora       Lithia, FL               5  06-08   32
Day 1: 5   06-08
169. Sean Torgrude          Jacksonville, FL         5  06-08   32
Day 1: 5   06-08
171. Connor Neal            Hoover, AL               5  06-04   30
Day 1: 5   06-04
172. Bailey Fain            Lenoir City, TN          5  06-02   29
Day 1: 5   06-02
173. Hayden Newberry        Jonesboro, IL            5  06-00   28
Day 1: 5   06-00
174. Dan Geurtsen           Fletcher, NC             4  05-12   27
Day 1: 4   05-12
175. Greg Secord            Salem, SC                4  05-11   26
Day 1: 4   05-11
176. Wayman Coleman         Abbeville, SC            5  05-00   25
Day 1: 5   05-00
177. Johnny Bigger II       Spring Hill, FL          3  04-13   24
Day 1: 3   04-13
178. Gary Ginter            Bellefontaine, OH        5  04-09   23
Day 1: 5   04-09
179. Randall Carter         Maplesville, AL          3  04-06   22
Day 1: 3   04-06
180. Michael Harter         Westminster, SC          3  04-00   21
Day 1: 3   04-00
181. Ronnie Mccoy           Lamar, SC                2  03-14   20
Day 1: 2   03-14
182. Todd Auten             Lake Wylie, SC           3  03-06   19
Day 1: 3   03-06
183. Craig Cavanna          Spring Hill, FL          2  03-05   18
Day 1: 2   03-05
184. Michael Hall           Annandale, VA            3  03-04   17
Day 1: 3   03-04
185. Chris Kingree          Inverness, FL            2  02-00   16
Day 1: 2   02-00
186. Frank Ramsey           Spring Grove, IL         5  01-05   15
Day 1: 5   01-05
187. Tony Dumitras          Winston, GA              0  00-00    0
Day 1: 0   00-00