And 2015 is expected to go out with a huge splash as steady rains this week have brought rivers and streams to flood stage while dams along the way have floodgates open as lakes have filled to capacity. That’s the situation facing anglers in the Ram American fishing Tour Greenwood division tournament on Lake Greenwood Sunday, said tournament director Phil Morris.

“The water in the lake is really high and muddy. It looks like it’s going to be a challenge to catch a fish,” Morris said. On Monday, he said, the mud was down to Greenwood State Park and by Tuesday the entire lake was rolling red.

The National Weather Service reported another 1 ½ inches of rain was expected to fall through early New Year’s Eve, bringing the total for the week to around 5 inches. Adding to the challenge for anglers is the prediction that with the skies clearing temperatures will drop. After a week of record high temperatures for late December, highs will be in the mid-50s through next week with nighttime temperatures approaching freezing.

Despite the unusual rainy season this fall, Morris said the tournament series has gone well since it kicked off at Lake Murray in July. Following tournaments at Lake Greenwood in August and Clarks Hill in September, the Oct. 4 tournament at Lake Murray was canceled due to the torrential rains that fell that weekend, flooding homes and washing out roads and bridges.

The schedule picked back up with a tournament on Clarks Hill in November and another on Lake Russell in December. The season continues Sunday, Jan. 3, with the tournament on Lake Greenwood, followed by tournaments Feb. 28 on Lake Murray, March 20 on Clarks Hill, April 10 on Lake Murray, May 1 on Lake Greenwood, with the two-day final May 21-22 on Clarks Hill.

Anglers can register on-line or at the ramp. American Bass Anglers charges a $5 late fee to sign up at the ramp, but a lot of anglers take that route anyway for convenience, Morris said. There is no late fee for an angler who is active military, a lifetime ABA member, or if an angler fishes 15 ABA tournametns a year.

“There is no off-limits for the qualifying tournaments,” he said. “They can pre-fish the day before the tournament and then fish the tournament.”

All of the information on the AFT in the western part of South Carolina can be found at www.aba-sc.com, Morris said.

“It has information on Division 25, Division 26 and Division 96 on it, along with the results of our tournaments and pictures and descriptions of who won and what happened in the tournaments,” he said. “You can also ‘like us’ on Facebook at D-96 American Fishing Tour.”

 

Ram American Fishing Tour – SC Greenwood Division

Sun, Jan 3, 2016

Lake Greenwood

Greenwood State Park

Call Phil Morris at (864) 993-0346

http://www.drawtrail.com/2016DivPage.php?Division=96