APPLING, Ga. (Feb. 16, 2026) – Boater Emery Burnett of Appling, Georgia, caught a total of five bass weighing 22 pounds, 1 ounce, to win the Bass Fishing League (BFL) tournament on Clarks Hill Lake. The tournament was the first of five events of the season for the BFL Savannah River Division. Burnett earned $2,420 for his victory. Burnett lives 15 minutes from his home waters of Clarks Hill Lake and said he formed his tournament-day strategy during practice when he found a pattern that he believed would pay off.
“I found some schools of good fish out deep – 30 to 35 feet,” Burnett said. “That’s really what I targeted during the tournament – ditches and offshore structure.”
Burnett fished the depths with a Greenfish Tackle Bad Little Shad and a Greenfish Tackle Big Rubber Jig.
“On the Bad Little Shad I used Spike-It Sonic Coat so I could really see my bait further out at 90 to 100 feet,” Burnett said. “I fished the main lake and caught a total of 10 to 15 keepers. I did most of my damage during the forward-facing period but caught a few keepers later in the day that helped.
“I had all my weight by 11 o’clock,” Burnett went on to say. “It was 10:30 when I caught a big one that weighed 6-11. After that I had a good feeling I might have won it.”
In the past, Burnett had fished local tournaments with his father, but felt he wanted to branch out and compete in BFL events in 2026.
“This win feels amazing,” Burnett said. “To see my dad and grandpa there… was priceless. They are the ones that taught me a ton about fishing.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Emery Burnett, Appling, Ga., five bass, 22-1, $2,420
2nd: Tanner Hadden, Appling, Ga., five bass, 19-6, $1,160
3rd: Andrew Allen, Waterloo, S.C., five bass, 17-14, $630
4th: Tim Watson, Martin, Ga., five bass, 16-10, $530
5th: Jeremy York, Conyers, Ga., five bass, 15-11, $695
5th: Anthony Marks, Spartanburg, S.C., five bass, 15-11, $445
7th: Darren Ashley, Calhoun Falls, S.C., five bass, 15-7, $410
8th: Tab Anderson, Pendleton, S.C., five bass, 15-0, $385
8th: Robbie Mills, Appling, Ga., five bass, 15-0, $385
10th: Daniel Atkins, Anderson, S.C., five bass, 14-9, $370
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Emery Burnett of Appling, Georgia, earned the Big Bass Boater award after landing a 6-pound, 11-ounce bass worth $200. Ronnie Cutshall of Piedmont, South Carolina, won the co-angler division and the top prize of $1,210 Saturday after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 10 pounds, 7 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers finished:
1st: Ronnie Cutshall, Piedmont, S.C., three bass, 10-7, $1,210
2nd: Greg West, Powder Springs, Ga., three bass, 10-1, $447
2nd: Chris Coleman, Ware Shoals, S.C., three bass, 10-1, $447
4th: Brennan Gunther, Johns Island, S.C., three bass, 9-14, $265
5th: Chris Pfrogner, Dawsonville, Ga., three bass, 9-11, $235
6th: Shaun Nelson, Canton, N.C., three bass, 8-7, $210
7th: David Allen, Mableton, Ga., three bass, 8-2, $210
8th: Mark Garrett, Six Mile, S.C., three bass, 7-9, $195
9th: Benjie Winkler, Cleveland, Ga., three bass, 7-5, $190
10th: Andy Burgess, Pickens, S.C., three bass, 7-2, $167
10th: Kevin Underwood, Gillsville, Ga., three bass, 7-2, $167
Ronnie Cutshall of Piedmont, South Carolina, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award after landing a 6-pound, 12-ounce bass worth $100.
https://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_123/bfl-clarks-hill-21626.html
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