Faulk and Cole win South Carolina youth qualifier

The pair of young bass fishermen will move on to the B.A.S.S. Federation Nation Southern Divisional in March.

Samson Faulk and Austin Cole were the big winners at the 2011 South Carolina B.A.S.S. Federation Nation Junior State Championship.

Dreher Island State Park served as the launch site for the 24 teens who competed for the title on Lake Murray, Nov. 19, 2011. Randy Vaughn, South Carolina B.A.S.S. Federation Nation (BFN) youth director, said there was a great crowd on hand to witness the exciting weigh-in.

Faulk caught the tournament’s biggest bass, weighing in at 3.08 pounds. The Upstate Junior Bassmasters member won the 15- to 18-year-olds age group. It was his last year to fish in the junior tournaments, but he plans to move up into the adult fishing format next year, making his father, Eric Faulk, very proud. The elder Faulk is the Upstate club’s adult supervisor and mentor.

Cole, also a member of the Upstate Junior Bassmasters, caught the biggest sack of the day for the tournament and won the 11-14 age group competition.

The Upstate Junior Bassmasters club is in the Greer, S.C., area and is sponsored by adult club Carolina Christian Bassmasters.

Both Faulk and Cole will move on to the Junior Bassmaster Southern Divisional, held in conjunction with the B.A.S.S. Federation Nation Southern Divisional presented by Yamaha and Skeeter, on Lake Okeechobee, March 26-30.

“We were very fortunate to have a great group of 12 men from the area to serve as boat captains and a very supportive group of sponsors that provided door prizes for all the kids and plaques for the first- through third-place winners in each age group,” said Vaughn. The supporting sponsors were the S.C. B.A.S.S. Federation, Mercury Marine, Triton Boats, Lowrance, MotorGuide, Academy Sports, Berkley Baits, Laws Fishing Products, Fish Stalker Lures and Calyx Outdoor Sports.

Vaughn also extended thanks to Sandy Kicker, who provided 112 hot dogs “that were promptly and graciously devoured by the fishermen and their families after the tournament.”