Columbia’s Britt Wins Co-angler Division

ROCK HILL, S.C. (May 20, 2019) – Boater Mike Allman of York, South Carolina, caught five bass Saturday weighing 14 pounds, 7 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) South Carolina Division event on Lake Wylie. Allman earned $2,500 for his efforts.

“This was the first BFL event that I have ever fished,” said Allman. “My goal coming in was to just make the top 10. Anglers like Scott Hamrick and Shane Lineberger were fishing in this event, and you expect those guys to just kick your butt. At one point while I was flipping docks I lost a couple of fish and thought I gave the tournament away. Staying positive was the key for me.”

Allman estimated that he caught around 15 keepers throughout the day, focusing on bream beds on the south end of the lake. He said that he dissected “pretty much the entire south end” flipping a ½-ounce jig with a green-pumpkin Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Craw.

“The bite was really good in the morning, but then the boat traffic got up and it tapered off in the afternoon,” Allman said.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st:           Mike Allman, York, S.C., five bass, 14-7, $2,500

2^nd:          Cody Hoyle, Rutherfordton, N.C., five bass, 13-4, $1,500

3^rd:          Lane Gerbers, Blackstock, S.C., five bass, 11-13, $996

4^th:           David Winters, Rock Hill, S.C., five bass, 11-8, $537

5^th:           Michael Stephens, Gastonia, N.C., five bass, 11-7, $610

6^th:           Scott Hamrick, Denver, N.C., five bass, 11-2, $422

7^th:           Chad Cook, Cross, S.C., five bass, 10-15, $364

7^th:           David Williams, Maiden, N.C., five bass, 10-15, $364

9^th:           Chris Baumgardner, Gastonia, N.C., five bass, 10-13, $307

10^th:        John Duarte, Middle River, Md., five bass, 10-8

10^th:        Shane Lineberger, Lincolnton, N.C., five bass, 10-8

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Gerbers caught a 5-pound, 1-ounce bass – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $230.

Stephen Britt of Columbia, South Carolina, won the Co-angler Division and $1,400 Saturday after catching four bass weighing 9 pounds even.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st:           Stephen Britt, Columbia, S.C., four bass, 9-0, $1,400

2^nd:          Travis Ruff, Connelly Springs, N.C., five bass, 8-0, $575

3^rd:          Justin Ballard, Vance, S.C., five bass, 7-7, $384

4^th:           Matthew Dangerfield, Summerville, S.C., four bass, 7-6, $249

4^th:           Darvin Cannon, Columbia, S.C., three bass, 7-6, $364

6^th:           Kenny Mathis, Boiling Springs, S.C., five bass, 7-3, $211

7^th:           Jeff Rikard, Leesville, S.C., four bass, 7-2, $242

8^th:           Barry Burford, Charlotte, N.C., five bass, 6-13, $172

9^th:           Lee Inman, Inman, S.C., three bass, 6-12, $76

9^th:           Ronald Bryant, Batesburg, S.C., three bass, 6-12, $76

Cannon caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 4 pounds even. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $115.

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, Instagramand YouTube.