Savannah River Classic - Allendale

The second annual Savannah River Classic, www.savannahriverclassic.com, was fished on May 1 out of the Highway 301 location of the Lower Savannah River Alliance, www.lowersavannahriveralliance.org. About 60 anglers registered to fish at the Friday night captain's meeting run by committee members Jim Moore, John Rice and Wesley Smith. The format for the freshwater tournament called for the weigh-in of four categories; striped bass, catfish, largemouth bass and panfish. A first-place prize was awarded for each category, plus a Grand Champion was named for the highest aggregate weight of any of the three categories. Warm weather conditions allowed for plenty of fishing, but a rising Savannah river may have hindered some of the fishing, but the event was a big success in that a fun time was had by all. The tournament allowed Savannah River Keepers, www.savannahriverkeeper.org, to sample all of the fish that were weighed in for scientific research and monitoring of the river's health. Congratulations to Porter Smith for earning the Grand Champion title for 2010 with his aggregate weight of 5.39-pounds, including his largemouth bass that weighed 4-pounds 2-ounces. Smith fished with Chad Gleaton who said, "This is largest bass I've seen come out of the river, and Porter caught him at 10 a.m. on the first cast at our secret spot and the fish fell for a topwater lure called a Devil's Horse, in green and orange colors." Congrats to Hannah Lucas of Palmetto Pride Deer Processing for winning the catfish category in the youth division.

To view more photos from the Savannah River Classic click here.

PhotosByJeffDennis: 2010 Grand Champion Porter Smith and his Savannah River largemouth bass