Beckum Tops on Clarks Hill
Henderson wins co-angler title in Savannah River Division tournament
Adam Beckum of Martinez, Georgia, brought five bass to the scale Saturday weighing 22 pounds, 10 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Savannah River Division tournament on Clarks Hill Lake. Beckum pocketed $4,011 for his efforts.
“I fished secondary points, catching fish that were moving in – coming from the deep to the shallows,” says Beckum, who earned his second career victory in BFL competition – first as a boater. “I probably fished 10 or 15 areas, including some in the Little River, Chigoe Creek and Keg Creek. I sat in 15 feet of water and threw up into 8 or 10 feet. I’d hit a couple of spots in each creek and then work my back through.”
Beckum used a black and blue-colored Ketch-Her Lures jig with a green-pumpkin Zoom Super Chunk trailer to catch his fish, adding that he caught nine keepers during the tournament.
“Most of my bites came after 10 (a.m.). I got bit at some spots in the afternoon that didn’t produce for me in the morning.”
The top 10 boaters:
1st: Adam Beckum, Martinez, Ga., five bass, 22-10, $4,011
2nd: Pete Fargo, Marietta, Ga., five bass, 18-5, $1,693
3rd: Heath Pack, Ellijay, Ga., five bass, 17-11, $1,129
4th: Jeff Babcock, Fairview, N.C., five bass, 17-1, $890
5th: Daulton Smith, Lavonia, Ga., five bass, 16-13, $677
6th: Jeremy Eaton, Dahlonega, Ga., five bass, 16-3, $621
7th: Paul Tickerhoof, Appling, Ga., five bass, 15-5, $564
8th: Darren Ashley, Calhoun Falls, S.C., five bass, 14-11, $508
9th: Randy Childers, Anderson, S.C., five bass, 13-10, $701
10th: Chris Yates, Roswell, Ga., five bass, 13-8, $395
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Beckum caught a 6-pound, 10-ounce bass – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and also earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $425.
Henderson wins co-angler title
Kevin Henderson of Honea Path, South Carolina, won the Co-angler Division and $1,693 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 14 pounds, 14 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers:
1st: Kevin Henderson, Honea Path, S.C., five bass, 14-14, $1,693
2nd: Trevor Sharrett, Chesnee, S.C., five bass, 12-8, $1,046
3rd: Matt Davis, Dearing, Ga., five bass, 12-5, $564
4th: Mitchell Pare, Statesboro, Ga., five bass, 11-12, $445
5th: Justin Logan, Belton, S.C., five bass, 11-11, $339
6th: Joshua Lyko, Greer, S.C., five bass, 11-7, $310
7th: Kevin Landreth, Seneca, S.C., five bass, 11-5, $282
8th: Stewart Uldrick, Anderson, S.C., five bass, 11-4, $254
9th: Joseph Thomasson, Columbia, S.C., five bass, 11-3, $226
10th: Westley Denny, Westminster, S.C., five bass, 10-15, $198
Brandon Lawson of Union, South Carolina, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 6 pounds, 5 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $212.
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. 10-12 BFL Regional Championship on Lake Seminole in Bainbridge, Georgia. 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.