Lake Keowee Bass Fishing League 1 Feb 2016

[Mike Cork]

CHILDERS WINS FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE SAVANNAH RIVER DIVISION OPENER ON LAKE KEOWEE PRESENTED BY POWER-POLE
Odell wins co-angler title
SENECA, S.C. (Feb. 1, 2016) – Randy Childers of Anderson, South Carolina, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 14 pounds, 7 ounces, Saturday to win the first FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Savannah River Division tournament of 2016 on Lake Keowee presented by Power-Pole. For his victory, Childers earned $4,271.
"I decided to run straight to a mid-lake area where the corps (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) was discharging water back into the lake," said Childers, who logged the second win of his BFL career. "The water they were releasing was warmer than the lake, which allowed me to fish shallower.
"I targeted rocks in a small cut," Childers continued. "I swam a D&L jig with a green-pumpkin Zoom Super Chunk Jr. right under the surface unless I was out a little deeper, then I'd let it get out of sight before reeling back in."
Childers said he also targeted docks in the area, but only if they had rocks under them. He caught eight keepers throughout the day.
"After the sun came out, I switched to an Ashley Craw-colored Knight's Custom Lures Dock Buster Jig," said Childers. "I fished it much slower than the D&L jig and let it hit the bottom. That approach really worked out well for me. I had all five stringer fish by 1 p.m."
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
               1st:          Randy Childers, Anderson, S.C., five bass, 14-7, $4,271
               2nd:         Hunter Hill, Flat Rock, N.C., five bass, 11-13, $2,136
               3rd:          Jeremy Strong, Elberton, Ga., five bass, 11-8, $1,724
               4th:          Jack Howell, Westminster, S.C., five bass, 11-7, $997
               5th:          Mark Gibson, Seneca, S.C., five bass, 10-8, $854
               6th:          Todd Goade, Suwanee, Ga., five bass, 10-5, $783
               7th:          Ben Stone, Donalds, S.C., five bass, 10-4, $640
               7th:          John Nixon, Anderson, S.C., five bass, 10-4, $640
               7th:          Daniel Jackson, Townville, S.C., five bass, 10-4, $640
               10th:        B.J. Ballard, Abbeville, S.C., five bass, 10-3, $498
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Collin Smith of Honea Path, South Carolina, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division, a fish weighing 4 pounds, 14 ounces and earned the day's Big Bass award of $595.
Bill Odell of Hodges, South Carolina, weighed in five bass totaling 10 pounds, 6 ounces Saturday to earn $2,136 and win the co-angler division.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
              1st:          Bill Odell, Hodges, S.C., five bass, 10-6, $2,136
              2nd:         Conner Giella, Lincolnton, Ga., five bass, 9-11, $1,068
              3rd:          Brandon Brock, Honea Path, S.C., five bass, 9-1, $712
              4th:          Dustin Shirley, Royston, Ga., five bass, 8-15, $439
              4th:          David Winters, Rock Hill, S.C., five bass, 8-15, $439
              4th:          Brandon Pilgrim, Central, S.C., five bass, 8-15, $439
              7th:          Shane Swann, Mars Hill, N.C., five bass, 8-14, $338
              7th:          Donnie Davis, Greer, S.C., five bass, 8-14, $338
              9th:          Willard Smith Jr., Anderson, S.C., five bass, 7-9, $285
Bryan Transon of Sherrils Ford, North Carolina, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 4 pounds, 13 ounces and earned the day's Big Bass award of $297.
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.
The BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 120 tournaments throughout the season, five in each division. The top 50 boaters and co-anglers from each division qualify for a regional tournament and 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. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.