Burgess Burned Docks for Win

Co-angler Swaim wins Savannah River Super Tournament

Andy Burgess of Greenville, South Carolina, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 12 pounds, 14 ounces, Sunday to win the FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Savannah River Division Super Tournament on Lake Keowee, with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 27 pounds, 3 ounces. For his win, Burgess took home $4,931.

“I caught seven keepers on day one fishing mid-lake docks,” says Burgess, who earned his first win in FLW competition. “I probably hit 40 of them. They were shallow and on sandy flats. It was sunny, so bass were seeking shade under them. That was crucial – the docks had to be on sandy flats and providing shade.”

Burgess used a bream-colored swim jig, and caught his entire limit from the docks.

“On Sunday I started running the same pattern, but I couldn’t get a bite,” says Burgess. “I proceeded to the north end of the lake and ran along banks with chunk and natural rock using a bream-colored Greenfish Tackle TAT.”

Burgess hit 40 to 50 areas, stopping to fish 30-yard stretches before moving on.

“It was cloudy, so the bass weren’t positioned and it was hard to pinpoint them,” says Burgess. “That’s why I had to keep running. I ended up catching 10 keepers.”

The top 10 boaters:

1^st:          Andy Burgess, Greenville, S.C., 10 bass, 27-3, $4,931

2^nd:         Marty Robinson, Lyman, S.C., 10 bass, 26-6, $3,258

3^rd:          Brock Taylor, Pendleton, S.C., 10 bass, 24-10, $1,644

4^th:          Greg Glouse, Liberty, S.C., 10 bass, 23-13, $1,151

5^th:          Jeremy Strong, Elberton, Ga., 10 bass, 23-0, $1,286

6^th:          Greg Willimon, Pickens, S.C., 10 bass, 22-7, $904

7^th:          Tra Dumit, Greenville, S.C., nine bass, 21-4, $822

8^th:          B.J. Ballard, Abbeville, S.C., 10 bass, 20-7, $840

9^th:          Ronnie Wald, Seneca, S.C., 10 bass, 20-1, $657

10^th:        Todd Goade, Suwanee, Ga., 10 bass, 17-11, $575        

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com. 

Robinson caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 2 ounces – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the Boater Big Bass award of $592.

Swaim wins co-angler title

Chad Swaim of Cumming, Georgia, won the co-angler division and earned $2,466 with a two-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 12 pounds, 7 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers:

1^st:          Chad Swaim, Cumming, Ga., 10 bass, 12-7, $2,466

2^nd:         Blake Rowland, Hartwell, Ga., six bass, 11-8, $1,433

3^rd:          Kevin Dye, West Union, S.C., seven bass, 11-6, $823

4^th:          Conner Giella, Lincolnton, Ga., five bass, 10-15, $575

5^th:          Brandon Brock, Honea Path, S.C., six bass, 10-15, $543

6^th:          Erik Faulk, Lyman, S.C., five bass, 8-14, $452

7^th:          Michael Smith, Piedmont, S.C., eight bass, 8-14, $411

8^th:          Ronnie Cutshall, Piedmont, S.C., four bass, 7-9, $666

9^th:          Eduardo Pabon, Gainesville, Ga., three bass, 6-0, $329

10^th:        Tony Everhart, Gaffney, S.C., three bass, 5-13, $288

Cutshall caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 4 pounds, 6 ounces, and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $296.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 6-8 Regional Championship on Kerr Lake in Henderson, North Carolina. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.