Nichol claims title on Clarks Hill
Price lands co-angler crown
APPLING, Ga. – David Nichol of Gainesville, Ga., weighed in a two-day total of 10 bass for 23 pounds, 15 ounces Sunday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Savannah River Division Super Tournament on Clarks Hill Lake. For his victory, Nichol earned $5,504.
“It was brutal down there,” said Nichol. “The lake is starting to turn over, and it’s putting those bass into a funk.
“Everybody caught them shallow,” continued Nichol. “But my fish were deep. I discovered a tremendous amount of biomass at 40 feet, but you couldn’t catch them. But I found that if you pounded the 18- to 20-foot range on breaks near deep water you could catch them when they would occasionally pull up on high spots or around trash or grass and feed.
“It was a dogfight just to get a bite,” said Nichol. “A lot of times you’d get a bite and just swat at air. I would just know it was a big fish and set, and it’d be nothing. I didn’t get a lot of hooksets, but they were all quality fish. I never once pulled the measuring board out.
“It’s a very good feeling to win,” said Nichol. “I feel very blessed. There are so many good fisherman in the Savannah River division.”
Nichol said he caught his fish on a 1/2-ounce green pumpkin-colored jig with a green pumpkin-colored Zoom Speed Craw.
Rounding out the top 10 pros:
2nd: Mike Bouknight, Greenwood, S.C., 10 bass, 23-5, $2,752 + $300 Evinrude Bonus
3rd: Trent Gober, Pendergrass, Ga., 10 bass, 23-2, $1,835
4th: Trad Whaley, Abbeville, S.C., nine bass, 21-0, $1,284
5th: Thomas Thomas, Harlem, Ga., eight bass, 20-14, $1,101
6th: Eric Jeter, Asheville, N.C., 10 bass, 20-12, $1,009
7th: Rick Steckelberg, Gainesville, Ga., 10 bass, 20-9, $917
8th: Adam Rice, Anderson, S.C., nine bass, 20-0, $826
9th: Daryl McClellon, Cornelia, Ga., 10 bass, 19-6, $734
10th: Jeremy Strong, Elberton, Ga., 10 bass, 19-0, $642 + $300 Evinrude Bonus
Complete results can be found here.
Price wins co-angler title
Renee Price of Seneca, S.C., weighed in a two-day total of seven bass weighing 18 pounds, 6 ounces Sunday to win $2,752 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers:
2nd: Thomas Moore, Simpsonville, S.C., nine bass, 16-5, $1,376
3rd: James Akins, Cumming, Ga., seven bass, 14-1, $918
4th: Dean Mullett, Marietta, Ga., seven bass, 12-15, $642
5th: Neal Watson, Martin, Ga., five bass, 10-15, $550
6th: Bob Brown, Seneca, S.C., seven bass, 10-4, $505
7th: Michael Smith, Piedmont, S.C., five bass, 9-10, $459
8th: Tim Whitaker, Fairview, N.C., six bass, 8-15, $413
9th: Charles Parker, Cleveland, Ga., five bass, 8-13, $367
10th: Jeff Rikard, Leesville, S.C., three bass, 8-9, $321
Complete co-angler results can be found here.
The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 10-12 Regional Championship on Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Ga. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and a Chevy Silverado, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.
The BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 120 tournaments throughout the season, five in each division. The top 40 boaters and co-anglers from each division qualify for a regional tournament and compete to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Walmart BFL All-American presented by Chevy. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the EverStart Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.
About FLW
FLW is the industry’s premier tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money nationwide in 2013 over the course of 220 tournaments across five tournament circuits, four of which provide an avenue to the sport’s richest payday and most coveted championship trophy – the Forrest Wood Cup. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world. FLW is committed to providing a lifestyle experience that is the “Best in Fishing, On and Off the Water.” For more information about FLW visit FLWOutdoors.com and look for FLW on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube.