Candace and Jack Veal Claim Lake Russell Victory
Sixteen teams showed up in the early hours of May 23 to participate in the South Carolina Couples Lake Russell Tournament. The South Carolina Division launched at Georgia's Richard B. Russell State Park. The very warm days of the previous week gave way to a cool morning and comfortable afternoon.
Candace and Jack Veal were the clear leaders with a hefty 11.6 pound 5-fish sack. Their home is Columbia, South Carolina. Their fish included Jack's Men's Big Bass (5.6 pounds) and Candace's Ladies' Big Bass (2.2 pounds). They had no fish in the livewell at 12:30 pm. Patience paid off as they stuck to the pattern that had produced fish on their practice day. They caught their fish in one of Lake Russell's many pockets with trees. Their winning bait was a Zoom Magnum Shakey-Head worm worked in trees, in the 20-25 feet depths.
Martha and Don Goodfellow (Simpsonville, SC) claimed second place with 5 fish weighing 8.3 pounds. They culled through a dozen keepers during the day. Their better fish came on Carolina rigs (River Runner Baits, green pumpkin 6-inch lizards) and a Yo-Zuri crankbait (a new 3DS deep diver in Tennessee Shad, closely resembles Lake Russell's Blueback Herring). Rocky points proved to be an important part of their pattern.
Debbie and Bob Brown's 7.7 pound 5 fish sack got third place. Debbie and Bob hail from Seneca, South Carolina. A healthy 4-pounder late in the day secured their success. This big bass came on a paddle-tail swim jig on a cedar tree, only 4 feet deep.
Susan and John Mills (Leesville, SC) claimed forth place with 7.1 pounds. The team of Judy Clark and Jason Burroughs secured fifth place with 6.0 pounds. Jason routinely fishes ABA's Weekend Bass Series. This was the first time that his mother, Judy, fished a tournament with Jason.
Special thanks to Strickland Marine for their continued support of the South Carolina Couples. Their facilities in Anderson and Seneca, South Carolina, offer excellent customer service. Three gallons of Mercury oil have been contributed for each of the 2015 tournaments. A drawing at weigh-in allows three more teams that didn't claim top places to go home with a meaningful prize.
South Carolina Couples next event will be held June 13, 2015 on Lake Greenwood, out of One Stop Marina. For more information, call 864-630-3183 or email sc.aba.couples@aol.com.
All ABA American Couples Series events involve a team format with each team composed of one man and one woman. Although many married couples compete together as teams, some teams consist of boyfriend and girlfriend combinations, parent-child combinations or just two friends. Contestants between 14 and 18 years old may participate with a parent’s written permission.
The top angling couples from across the nation earn the right to compete in the annual American Bass Anglers Couples Series National Championship tournament.
American Bass Anglers commitment is to provide low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler and at the same time offer each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers and the American Fishing Tour, The Weekend Bass Series or the American Couples Series, visit www.americanbassanglers.com or call (256) 232-0406.