Statesboro’s Pare Claims Co-Angler Title

APPLING, Ga. (April 1, 2019) – Boater Keith Williamson of Evans, Georgia, brought five bass to the weigh-in stage Saturday totaling 19 pounds, 13 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) South Carolina Division tournament on Clarks Hill Lake. For his catch, Williamson took home $2,675.

Williamson said he primarily fished the Little River arm on the Georgia side of the lake, not far from the Highway 47 bridge. He said he used a brown and purple-colored Greenfish Tackle Original Square Rubber Jig with a green-pumpkin and green-glitter Zoom Tiny Salty Chunk trailer to catch his first keeper. His next two came on a ½-ounce Almost-colored Greenfish High Class Double Willow spinnerbait with a Pearl-colored Zoom Fat Albert Grub on a trailer hook.

“My first three came pretty quickly,” said Williamson, who earned his third career win on Clarks Hill Lake in BFL competition. “I caught one on a jig at the rocks a little deeper and then went shallower to see if they were bedding, but didn’t get any bites. The wind started blowing a bit, so I switched to a spinnerbait. I threw to the shallowest part of the ridge – 5 or 6 feet of water – and caught one right away – a 3- or 4-pounder. Within a few casts I caught another one giving me three good fish before 10 [a.m.]

“I left that spot and hit another shallow hump nearby that was probably 3 feet deep on top and caught a good 2½- to 3-pound spotted bass on the spinnerbait,” said Williamson.

After the sun got up, Williamson said he moved from the clear water to more stained water above the Highway 47 bridge to finish out his day. There, he caught the heaviest bass of the tournament– an 8-pound, 3-ouncer – on his Greenfish spinnerbait.

“I’m pretty sure I caught that fish in practice and then caught it again during the tournament,” said Williamson. “It was in front of a willow bush. I tried for it and she swatted the spinnerbait next to the boat. I left to fish some pockets and flats, but returned with an hour left before weigh-in and caught her.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st:          Keith Williamson, Evans, Ga., five bass, 19-13, $2,675

2^nd:         James Meadows, Goose Creek, S.C., five bass, 14-14, $1,225

3^rd:          Bart Blackburn, North Augusta, S.C., five bass, 14-3, $750

4^th:          Brandt Tumberg, Moore, S.C., five bass, 14-1, $525

5^th:          Adam Beckum, Martinez, Ga., five bass, 14-0, $700

6^th:          John Duarte, Middle River, Md., five bass, 13-7, $413

7^th:          John Long, Grovetown, Ga., five bass, 12-11, $375

8^th:          Michael Maxfield, Hanahan, S.C., five bass, 12-6, $337

9^th:          Baylen Gaillard, Clark Hill, S.C., five bass, 12-4, $100

9^th:          Nicholas Toomey, Evans, Ga., five bass, 12-4, $100

9^th:          Jeffrey Borne, Gilbert, S.C., five bass, 12-4, $250

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Williamson’s 8-pound, 3-ouncer was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $225.

Mitchell Pare of Statesboro, Georgia, won the Co-angler Division and $1,437 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 14 pounds, 3 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st:          Mitchell Pare, Statesboro, Ga., five bass, 14-3, $1,437

2^nd:         Jack Daniel Hoy, Hollywood, S.C., five bass, 11-14, $612

3^rd:          Clay Wilson, Evans, Ga., five bass, 11-4, $376

4^th:          Bobby McDonald, Easley, S.C., five bass, 11-3, $412

5^th:          Shawn Kincaid, Lexington, S.C., five bass, 10-4, $225

6^th:          Kate Hough, Gilbert, S.C., five bass, 9-13, $306

7^th:          Kevin Henderson, Honea Path, S.C., five bass, 9-10, $178

7^th:          Travis Ruff, Connelly Springs, N.C., five bass, 9-10, $178

9^th:          Hunter Vincent, Santee, S.C., three bass, 9-0, $150

10^th:        James Akins, Cumming, Ga., five bass, 8-14

Pare also caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 1 ounce. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $112.

The tournament was hosted by the Columbia County Board of Commissioners.

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. 17-19 BFL Regional Championship on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland. 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 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.