Yesterday was a tough day on the water. Mother Nature was throwing her best stuff at those who were competing for their shot at the $10,000 that was up for grabs. Teams battled tough conditions and the weights reflected that. A cold front moved through Friday morning dropping temps nearly 20 degrees. Winds were projected to be 6-8mph for the day but teams faced a steady 15-20mph wind with gusts near 30 mph. Combine that with water levels that were 7ft below normal to start the day, and dropped nearly 2 more inches by the time anglers returned to Wildwood Park for the weigh-in. Teams struggled just trying to catch a full limit, which is certainly not a typical September day on Clarks Hill. This lake is capable of producing blues and flatheads well over 40 lbs. Fishing conditions are always changing and are the same for everyone. Its exciting to sees who puts together a successful gameplan, and at the end of the day who rises to the challenge. It becomes even more interesting when “Big Money” is on the line, like it was this weekend at Clarks Hill!
When it was all said and done, teammates Mike Maxwell, George Brooks, and Matthew Brooks stood alone atop the leader board, winning the Cabela’s King Kat Tournament on Clarks Hill. The team produced the only full 5 fish limit of the tournament, weighing in 17.65lbs. Their biggest tipped the scales at 7.7lbs and was big enough to give them Big Fish honors. They received $5,000.00 for 1st place and $500.00 for Big Fish making a nice payday for their efforts. When asked, George said, “It was one rough day on the water. Fish just weren’t biting. Around lunch we decided to make a change and throw some different, smaller baits, and just try and get a limit.” It was certainly a move that paid off for the team. They caught 8 fish total, mostly coming out of 30ft of water, and that bait that turned their day around, was good ole chicken livers!
In 2nd place was the father and son team of Martin and Jackson Steed who were competing in their first catfish tournament and had 10.75lbs, earning the team $3,000.00! They fished shallow in 6th of water using cut herring.
3rd went to Neal and Hunter Ferqueron and their partner Leigh Redden with 6.9lbs. They won $1,000.00 plus a 55lb MinnKota Trolling Motor for third. They were using creek chubs and fishing 52ft of water.
4th place Eric Brinkley and Jeff Goff
5th place Gary Case and Ronnie Stancil
