Harwood wins Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League event on Clarks Hill Lake

Boater Steve Harwood of Weaverville, N.C., earned $5,024 Feb. 18 as winner of the BFL Savannah River Division event on Clarks Hill Lake. Angler: Steve Harwood.

February 18, 2006 • MLF • Archives

APPLING, Ga. – Boater Steve Harwood of Weaverville, N.C., earned $5,024 Saturday as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Savannah River Division event on Clarks Hill Lake. The tournament was the first of five regular-season Savannah River Division events and featured 155 boaters vying for the win, which earned Harwood 200 points in the Boater Division.

Harwood’s winning catch of five bass weighed 16 pounds, 10 ounces. Harwood used two primary patterns to catch his bass. He tossed a black and blue jig around docks and threw a jerkbait to catch schooling bass.

Rounding out the top five boaters are David G. Williams of Maiden, N.C. (five bass, 15 pounds 4 ounces, $2,512); Richard Dickerson of Lincolnton, Ga. (five bass, 14 pounds, 14 ounces, $1,674); Kip Ashmore of Evans, Ga. (five bass, 14 pounds, 13 ounces, $1,172) and Mike Winchester of Bryson City, N.C. (five bass, 14 pounds, 1 ounce, $1,005).

Keith Williamson of Lincolnton, Ga., took Boater Division big-bass award honors, earning $775 for a 9-pound, 3-ounce bass.

Williamson earned an additional $500 as winner of the Ranger Cup award.

Troy Good of Taylors, S.C., bested 155 Co-angler Division competitors to earn $2,512 as the co-angler winner, thanks to five bass weighing 10 pounds, 10 ounces that he caught throwing a watermelon seed Zoom Mag II worm around pockets and ditches.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Chip Story of Augusta, Ga. (four bass, 9 pounds, 9 ounces, $1,256); Steve Hoffman of Simpsonville, S.C., (four bass, 9 pounds, 5 ounces, $838) Dwayne Fricks of Iva, S.C., (one bass, 8 pounds, 13 ounces, $586) and Chad Silver of Leicester, N.C. (five bass, 8 pounds, 12 ounces, $502).

Fricks’ bass earned $387 for the big-bass award in the Co-angler Division. Fricks caught the big bass on a Scorpion spinnerbait.

The Savannah River Division’s next event will be held March 25 on Lake Russell near Elberton, Ga., followed by an event on Lake Hartwell near Seneca, S.C., May 20. The fourth event will be held June 24 on Clarks Hill Lake near Appling and the Savannah River Division will wrap up its regular season Sept. 16-17 with a two-day Super Tournament on Lake Keowee near Seneca, S.C.

Following the regular season, the Savannah River Division boater with the most points who advances farthest in the Wal-Mart BFL All-American will earn $10,000 as the Yamaha “Be the Best” points champion. The co-angler points champion who advances farthest will earn $5,000 as the Yamaha “Be the Best” points champion in the Co-angler Division.

Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points, with 200 points going to the winner, 199 for second, 198 for third, and so on except for Super Tournaments, which award 300 points to the winner, 299 for second, 298 for third, and so on. The top 40 Savannah River Division boaters and co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the Kerr Lake Regional Championship near Henderson, N.C., Oct. 12-14 where they will compete against Gator, Shenandoah and South Carolina division anglers for one of six slots in the 2007 All-American. With a total purse of $1 million and a potential $140,000 cash prize going to the winning boater and $70,000 going to the winning co-angler, the All-American is one of the most prestigious and lucrative events in bass fishing.

The $8.8 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League features 28 divisions nationwide. In BFL competition, boaters and co-anglers are randomly paired, with boaters supplying the boat and fishing against other boaters and co-anglers fishing from the back deck against other co-anglers. For more information or to enter a tournament, call (270) 252-1000 or browse FLWOutdoors.com.

Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, as well as the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Stratos Owners’ Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series. These circuits offer combined purses exceeding $36.9 million through 241 events in 2006.

Wal-Mart and many of America’s largest and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as title sponsor of the FLW Tour in 1997 and today is the title sponsor of all FLW Outdoors events. For more information on Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.