SUMMERTON, S.C. (March 16, 2026) – Boater Gary Elsey of Moncks Corner, South Carolina, caught a total of five bass weighing 26 pounds, 10 ounces, to win the Bass Fishing League (BFL) tournament on Santee Cooper Lakes. The tournament was the second of five events of the season for the BFL South Carolina Division. Elsey earned $2,960 for his victory. Elsey started the tournament on the lower lake, caught a few fish, then at 9:30 decided to relocate. That’s when things got interesting.
“I ran to the lower lake and caught some fish on stumps and then made a move and my motor blew up,” Elsey said. “I just started fishing for some bed fish. We stayed right there in the same little area and caught some fish off of the bed. I told my co-angler, ‘Well, this is it. This is where we’re going to fish for the day. You paid your money and I paid mine, so let’s just have a good time.’
“We had a cold front yesterday, and temperatures got to freezing, and the fish pulled out, but with the warmer weather we had overnight they seemed to be pulling back up,” Elsey said.
Elsey methodically targeted his bass with a drop-shot rig and a green pumpkin/candy red trick worm. His setup produced 11 keepers during the course of the tournament.
Despite the motor malfunction, Elsey remained confident in his chances of success Saturday.
“I called the tournament director and talked to him about what I needed to do, and he said I had to get another competitor to give me a ride and bring my fish to weigh-in,” Elsey said.
Fellow competitor Cecil Wolfe, who finished the tournament in third place, gave Elsey a ride back to weigh-in.
“I think everything worked out for the good,” Elsey said. “I thank Cecil Wolfe for coming and getting me, because he lost an hour of fishing time to help me.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Gary Elsey, Moncks Corner, S.C., five bass, 26-10, $2,960
2nd: Matthew Gunn, Savannah, Ga., five bass, 26-0, $1,600
3rd: Cecil Wolfe, Summerton, S.C., five bass, 25-15, $770
4th: Ronnie McCoy, Lamar, S.C., five bass, 25-8, $585
4th: Wade Grooms, Bonneau, S.C., five bass, 25-8, $585
6th: T.J. McKenzie, Georgetown, S.C., five bass, 23-5, $680
7th: Michael Craven, Walterboro, S.C., five bass, 22-4, $460
8th: Wendell Causey Jr., Irmo, S.C., five bass, 21-5, $440
9th: Mark Hutson, Moncks Corner, S.C., five bass, 20-10, $420
10th: J.W. Smith, Goose Creek, S.C., five bass, 19-14, $410
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
T.J. McKenzie of Georgetown, South Carolina, earned the Big Bass Boater award after landing a 7-pound, 15-ounce bass worth $200. Jason Ries of Columbia, South Carolina, won the co-angler division and the top prize of $1,480 Saturday after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 10 pounds, 15 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers finished:
1st: Jason Ries, Columbia, S.C., three bass, 10-15, $1,480
2nd: Rob Burris, Lexington, S.C., three bass, 10-5, $800
3rd: Danny Bickley, Chapin, S.C., two bass, 9-14, $485
4th: Davy Goodman, Sumter, S.C., three bass, 9-7, $292
4th: Rashaun Wilson, Charlotte, N.C., three bass, 9-7, $292
6th: Jack Hoy, Hollywood, S.C., three bass, 8-8, $240
7th: Tommy Bennett, Columbia, S.C., three bass, 8-4, $230
8th: Travis Ruff, Connelly Springs, N.C., three bass, 7-12, $220
9th: Thomas Pennell III, Boiling Springs, S.C, three bass, 7-11, $210
10th: Mack Martin, Clinton, S.C., three bass, 7-5, $205
Danny Bickley of Chapin, South Carolina, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award after landing a 5-pound, 14-ounce bass worth $100.
After two events, Chad Sims of Lancaster, South Carolina, now leads the 7 Brew South Carolina Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 477 points, while Jason Ries of Columbia, South Carolina, leads the South Carolina Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 498 points.
https://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_123/bfl-santee-cooper-31626.html
Bass Fishing League (BFL) News