Donald Beck takes the win on Lake Russell
September 18, 2022, Elberton, GA. Donald Beck of Social Circle, GA won the American Fishing Tour Division 25 SC Northwest tournament presented by American Bass Anglers. Running out of Highway 72 ramp between Elberton and Calhoun Falls, it was 66 degrees when we hit the water for a tough day of fishing, and warmed up to 81 degrees by our 3:00 pm weigh-in. Water temps were in still in the mid-70s to low 80s depending on what part of the lake you were on. Conditions were just right for Donald Beck who brought back five good ones that locked in the scales at 12.95 lbs. For the victory, Beck took home the winner’s trophy and $709 cash, as well as the first-place option pot for another $186, making a grand total of $895. Congratulations Donald on an outstanding finish!
Second place was claimed by Steven Webb of Elberton, GA with five fish and a total weight of 12.00 lbs. even that included a kicker fish that rocked the scales at 5.28 lbs. For his efforts, Steven took home the second place trophy and $444 in prize money. He also took the second place option pot for $124, along with Big Fish honors of an additional trophy and an extra $160. That brings Steven’s total winnings to $728 for the day, great catch Steven!
Russell Clark of Abbeville, SC took third with five good fish and a total weight of 10.43 lbs. Russell took home our third-place trophy and $177 in prize money.
Coming in fourth place was Grover Jones of Starr, SC with five good fish, anchored with a 4.40 kicker largemouth. His bag was good enough to earn him $137 in prize money. Great job Grover!
Rounding out our last paid position was Jonathan Webb of Elberton, GA coming in fifth place with five decent fish and a weight of 9.56 lbs. That was enough to keep him in the money and earned him $101 cash. Good job Jonathan!
Here is the remainder of our top 10 finishers:
6th- Duane Houk – 9.42
7th- Barrett Keel – 8.98
8th- Mike Beck – 8.16
9th- Body Manley – 7.98
10th- Mack McKelvey – 7.89The next tournament in this division will take place on October 9, 2022 launching from Dorn Fishing Facility in McCormick, SC.
For more information on this event or division please contact local director Zachary Green at (478)733-6473 or visit www.americanbassanglers.com
Entry Fee for the American Fishing Tour one-day events are $70 and as you can see the payout is great for the weekend angler!
These anglers earn valuable points toward the divisional angler of the year title. The points champion from each division will compete in the annual American Bass Anglers AFT Angler of The Year Final Round at the AFT Championship. In addition, the top anglers from the various divisions will earn the right to compete in the three-day ABA, AFT National Championship tournament.
American Bass Anglers is sponsored by Caymas Boats, Mercury Marine, T-H Marine, Garmin Electronics, Power Pole, Lucas Oil, RT Outdoors, Sportsman Card, Optima Batteries, Hotel Planner.com, and LurePartsOnline.com.
About American Bass Anglers: American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low-cost, close-to-home tournaments for the weekend angler and, at the same time, offering each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression.
For more information about American Bass Anglers, the Open Series, the American Fishing Tour, the American Couples Series, the annual Military Team Bass Tournament, and the Top 150 Solo Tour, all presented by Caymas Boats, visit www.americanbassanglers.com or call (256) 232-0406
