CLARENDON COUNTY, S.C. — Getting away from the crowd on Santee Cooper proved to be the right move for Haywood Anglers duo of Kollin Brown and Cord Shook. The duo caught a five-bass limit weighing 16 pounds, 1 ounce to claim the 2026 Bassmaster Junior Series tournament at Santee Cooper Lakes title, punching their ticket to the 2026 Bassmaster Junior National Championship at Kentucky Lake in the process.
“It feels pretty good. I’m thankful to be able to come out and fish,” Shook said.
Boat captain Dillon Brown said the duo work well together as a team, and that showed in the results.
“I sat back there and watched them catch those fish, and I was just thinking how good God is,” he said. “They worked really well as a team. When Kollin caught that 5-pounder, that got everyone’s blood pumping.”
Brown and Shook fish highland reservoirs like Fontana Lake and Chatuge most often, a much different setup than Santee Cooper. The duo has some experience on the Low Country fishery, which benefitted them in this tournament. They spent most of their day in the upper region of Lake Marion where they targeted cypress trees in around 3 feet of water. While it took them 45 minutes to get to their starting spot, they had plenty of water to themselves.
The wind generated water movement around the trees, and the duo used that to their advantage. A wacky-rigged worm caught the majority of their bass.
When they reached their area, they caught two quality largemouth to start their day before landing a 5-pounder. They proceeded to fill out their limit, but when the wind settled down, the bite slowed as well. Late in the day, Brown and Shook ran to a set of mid-lake docks and caught a 4-15, sealing the victory.
“That really saved us,” Brown said.
Jacob Murphy and Kaleb Everhart of the Roco Anglers club finished second with 15-3 while Liam Price and Kinsley Montgomery of the Gaffney Jr. High School Fishing Team finished third with 13-6. Hunter Lawrence and Bam Kendrick caught the Big Bass of the Tournament, a 6-4.
2026 Bassmaster Junior Series tournament at Santee Cooper 4/12-4/12
(BOATER) Standings Day 1
Angler Club/School Pts
1. Kollin Brown - Cord Shook Haywood Anglers 0
Day 1: 5 16-01 Total: 5 16-01
2. Jacob Murphy - Kaleb Everhart Roco Anglers 0
Day 1: 5 15-03 Total: 5 15-03
3. Liam Price - Kinsley Montgomery Gaffney Jr High School Fishing T 0
Day 1: 5 13-06 Total: 5 13-06
4. Luke Mcandrew - Brody Witmer Sml Junior Anglers 0
Day 1: 5 10-14 Total: 5 10-14
5. John-Andrew Moss - Ethan Dover Pac Bass Anglers 0
Day 1: 3 10-08 Total: 3 10-08
6. Jace Gilliam - Jett Gilliam Wayne Pioneers Junior Team 0
Day 1: 5 08-07 Total: 5 08-07
7. Blane Davenport - Ethan Rhinehart Palmetto Jr Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 3 08-01 Total: 3 08-01
8. Hunter Lawrence - Bam Kendrick Jefferson Youth Bass Fishing 0
Day 1: 1 06-04 Total: 1 06-04
9. Lincoln Snyder - Lake Murphy Soddy Daisy Jr High 0
Day 1: 3 05-15 Total: 3 05-15
10. Korben Burgess - Mack Josey Cleveland County Bass Anglers 0
Day 1: 1 04-13 Total: 1 04-13
11. Jake Hundley - Connor King Forsyth County Bass Club 0
Day 1: 2 04-12 Total: 2 04-12
12. Colton Osteen - Reed Anderson Clarendon Hall 0
Day 1: 2 04-07 Total: 2 04-07
13. Casey Martin - Gauge Mosier Clarendon Hall 0
Day 1: 1 04-07 Total: 1 04-07
14. Troy Phillips IV - Baylor Rhodus Clarendon Hall 0
Day 1: 2 04-04 Total: 2 04-04
15. Wesley Osuna - Carson Stevens Franklin County Jr Bass Team - T 0
Day 1: 2 03-13 Total: 2 03-13
16. Graeme Shook - Micah Williams Bandys Fishing Team Juniors 0
Day 1: 1 02-07 Total: 1 02-07
17. Jake White - Chris Fortune Lake Anna Elite Anglers Junior 0
Day 1: 1 02-03 Total: 1 02-03
18. Gage Mckee - Franklin County Jr Bass Team 0
Day 1: 1 02-01 Total: 1 02-01
19. Luke Sheppard III - Tillman Jeffcoat Pac Bass Anglers 0
Day 1: 1 01-10 Total: 1 01-10
20. Marley Ashworth - Railynn Hutson Mt Pleasant Junior Bass Team 0
Day 1: 1 01-09 Total: 1 01-09
21. Kolton Morrow - Houston Garner Uchs Anglers - Union County 0
Day 1: 1 01-06 Total: 1 01-06
21. Griffin Sizemore - Bo Sizemore North Laurel High School 0
Day 1: 1 01-06 Total: 1 01-06
23. Cody Aliff - Jon Parker Pope Triangle Bass Club 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
23. Evans Chaney - Jacob Ford Jacksonville Junior Bass Fishing 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
23. Lliam Crisman - Cole Puryear Buggs Island Elite Anglers 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
23. Chase Ethridge - Huntley Taylor Heard County Juniors 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
23. Reece Formosa - Nicholas Davis Mt. Juliet Fishing - Juniors 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
23. Dixon Heflin - Bedford County Youth Bass Club - 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
23. Liam Johnson - Drake Penrod Southern Illinois Future Jr Angl 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
23. Jake Morgan - Eureka Youth Club 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
23. Quaid Parker - Aidan Cutshall Kingston Fishing Team Junior 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
23. Clara Grace Phillips - Kinley Ingram Clarendon Hall 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
23. Kaysen Smith - Jonah Osment Crescent High School Jr. Anglers 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
23. Carson Terrell - Cameron Terrell Port City Junior Bass Masters 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
23. Avery Watkins - Bentley Mchenry Wilson Christian Academy Juniors 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
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BIG BASS OF TOURNAMENT
Hunter Lawrence Avinger, TX 06-04 $0.00
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 5 52 133-13
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5 52 133-13