EASLEY — Boater Joe Anders caught a five-bass limit on Saturday weighing 14 pounds, 11 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Savannah River division event on Lake Keowee.

Anders, from Easley, earned $4,164 for his efforts, said tourney officials.

“I caught the majority of my fish in the mid-lake area, feeding on shad,” said Anders, who also had a tournament win as a co-angler at the FLW Tour at Lake Lanier last season. “I’ve fished Keowee as much as anybody and this year the water never got as cold as it usually does. So the fish weren’t deep, they were already in more of a prespawn mode. Feeding on shad instead of the crawfish like normal.”

Anders said that most of his fish came on an EverGreen JT 95 topwater bait in his mid-lake areas, but he also caught a couple of key fish skipping docks in 40 feet-of-water with a bait fish-colored Zoom Swimmin’ Super Fluke Jr. along with a late-day keeper on a drop-shot rig.

“I only caught around 10 keepers and I really struggled the last 3-4 hours of the tournament,” he said. “I caught my last one late in the day drop-shotting a 6-inch, straight-tail Roboworm, 35-feet-deep, and was able to cull up 4 ounces. I ended up winning by 3 ounces, so that fish was the difference maker.

The top 10 boaters in the tournament were:

First: Joe Anders, Easley, S.C., five bass, 14-11, $4,164

Second: Shane Peck, Gainesville, Ga., five bass, 14-8, $1,857

Third: Jerry Morgan, Inman, S.C., five bass, 14-2, $1,172

Fourth: Ronnie Wald, Seneca, S.C., five bass, 14-1, $820

Fifth: Vince Smith, Westminster, S.C., five bass, 13-6, $703

Sixth: Edwin Pabon, Toccoa, Ga., five bass, 12-14, $644

Seventh: Michael Mengeling, Cumming, Ga., five bass, 12-12, $586

Eighth: Todd Goade, Suwanee, Ga., five bass, 12-9, $798

Ninth: Marcus Church, Seneca, S.C., five bass, 12-9, $498

Tenth: Mark Gibson, Seneca, S.C., five bass, 12-7, $410

Anders’ big fish of the day was a 6-pound, 3-ounce largemouth bass, which also was the tournament’s biggest bass of the day and earned Anders the “Boater Big Bass Award” of an extra $450.

Nathan McClure of Hiawassee, Ga., won the Co-angler Division and $1,957 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 12 pounds, 7 ounces but another Easley man made the top three as well …

The top 10 co-anglers were:

First: Nathan McClure, Hiawassee, Ga., five bass, 12-7, $1,957

Second: Chris Wilson, Easley, S.C., five bass, 11-8, $879

Third: Charles Ellington, Cumming, Ga., five bass, 11-7, $585

Fourth: James South, Gainesville, Ga., five bass, 11-5, $430

(tie) Fourth: Donnie Davis, Greer, S.C., five bass, 11-5, $430

Sixth: Vern Schmucker, Westminster, S.C., five bass, 9-14, $322

Seventh: Darren Jeter, Marshall, N.C., five bass, 9-3, $293

Eighth: Tucker Souther, Brevard, N.C., four bass, 9-0, $264

Ninth: Joseph Thomasson, Columbia, S.C., five bass, 8-14, $234

Tenth: Westley Denny, Westminster, S.C., five bass, 8-8, $205

Nathaniel Moore of Fairview, N.C., caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 3 pounds, 9 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass Award of $225.

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. 10-12 BFL Regional Championship on Lake Seminole in Bainbridge, Ga. 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, Md., 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.

“The key for me was not fishing history and sticking to the pattern that I figured out in practice,” said Anders after his win. “They were not anywhere that I normally catch them on this time of year. I’m also fishing well and still rolling from the momentum of my co-angler win at the FLW Tour event last March at Lake Lanier. I’ve got a great support group around me and I’m in a really great place in my life. I can’t wait to get back out there.”

Joe Anders caught a five-bass limit on Saturday weighing 14 pounds, 11 ounces.
https://www.sentinelprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_anders1.jpgJoe Anders caught a five-bass limit on Saturday weighing 14 pounds, 11 ounces. Photo courtesy of FLW.

By Kasie Strickland

kstrickland@cmpapers.com

Reach Kasie Strickland at 864-855-0355.