Docks, Timber, Experience Fueled Ellis’ Triumph

By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor

It’s likely the only thing more familiar to Ken Ellis than the backs of his hands is where the fish tend to hang out at Lakes Marion and Moultrie, the two fisheries that comprise the Santee Cooper Lakes.

The South Carolina resident tapped into his four decades worth of experience fishing those waters to win the Santee Cooper Southeast EverStart in comeback fashon. His weight increased each day of the event and he sewed up his third career EverStart title (all at Santee Cooper) with a 20-pound limit on a fog-shortened day 3 to rise from 5th place and beat out Kent Ware by 7 ounces with a 3-day total of 56-05.

He stuck to his win-every-5-years theme as his previous EverStart wins came in 2002 and 2007.

“They’re all special,” he said. “No matter how good you are and how good you know the lake, winning one of those takes a lot. Everything has to break in your favor and you need some luck. They’re not easy to win, so every one is special.

“The big thing is when you get to this level, everybody is a good fisherman and being able to fish well is a given. Knowledge of the lake and particularly the mental decisions you make during the tournament are way more important than your ability to fish different lures and be versatile.”

Here’s how he did it.

Practice

After finishing 14th in a BFL event at Santee Cooper the Saturday prior to the EverStart tournament, Ellis told his wife that he didn’t think he had the fish to win, but in the events he won, he had to find them during the tournament. He was hoping for sunny skies so he could key on docks and trees, any shady haunt that would hold fish.

His main objective during practice was to isolate areas that would produce in every wind condition, noting that Santee Cooper is quite sensitive to changes in wind direction. He said the fish are almost all in the post-spawn phase.

“This lake does not have big groups of fish as you can tell from the results,” he noted. “It’s not like you’re going to catch 20 fish in a day, even on a good day, so the key is to find some particular fish that you can go back to and catch. With 137 boats out there practicing and a lot of them catching a few fish, you can’t catch them in the obvious places. In this kind of tournament, I tend to look for one or two good pieces of structure that I feel like I can catch a fish on that are way out of the way in a place that no one would normally stop and fish.

“It’s a continuing process. One of the hardest things to do is not feel satisfied with what you know and not continue to try to learn new places. I learn new things on this lake every year.”

Competition

> Day 1: 5, 18-00
> Day 2: 5, 18-05
> Day 3: 5, 20-00
> Total = 15, 56-05

Ellis read the north wind and fished the south side of Lake Moultrie on day 1 and caught most of his fish throwing a swimbait and soft-plastic stickbait in pads and vegetation in 3 feet of water. His 18-00 sack was good enough to tie him for 8th place.

“It just turned out I caught a good stringer on day 1 without having to use the fish I found in practice to come back to,” he said.

On day 2, he remained in Moultrie and expected the wind to shift to the south, but stuck along the north bank and caught nearly every fish off docks. His 18-05 stringer moved him to 5th, more than 6 pounds back of day-2 leader Mark Hutson.

He stopped in Marion on the way back to the ramp on both days 1 and 2 and stuck 4-pounders each day to upgrade.

A thick fog blanketed the area on the morning of day 3 and delayed the final round until a little after 11 a.m. The Top 10 were given until 4:30 to fish. It was plenty of time for Ellis to wrangle a 20-pound sack.

“The longer we sat there, the more I was liking it until it got the point where I was thinking, ‘I sure hope they don’t cancel it,’” he said.

He stayed in Marion and threw a wacky-rigged soft stickbait and mined fish off standing timber. He caught two right away to get his confidence going.

“While most everyone else was still running, I had 6 pounds in the box,” he said.

He and Ware were the only two anglers to bring limits to the scales all 3 days.

“My knowledge of the lake and ability to adapt to the conditions really helped,” he added. “The more adverse the conditions got, the bigger advantage it was to me.”

Winning Gear Notes

> Swimbait gear: 7’6” heavy All-Star FRH flipping rod, Shimano Curado casting reel (7.0:1 ratio), 50-pound Berkley Fireline Tracer Braid line, 3/8-ounce 8/0 Owner Beast hook, Reaction Innovations Skinny Dipper (bad shad green).

> Soft stickbait gear: 7’ medium-heavy Powell spinning rod, Shimano Symetre spinning reel, 15-pound Berkley Fireline Tracer Braid line, 5/0 Gamakatsu offset round-bend worm hook (black), unnamed Texas-rigged soft stickbait (watermelon red).

> Wacky-rig gear: Same rod, reel and main line as soft stickbait, 8-pound Bass Pro Shops XPS Signature Series fluorocarbon line (4’ leader), No. 2 unnamed saltwater fly-fishing hook, Zoom Trick Worm (watermelon red).

> He uses a saltwater fly hook for wacky-rigging because of its barbless shank. “It’s a little smaller hook than a 1/0 hook, but it’s a stronger hook because it’s designed for saltwater fishing. It’s just a way to present the bait to these post-spawn females so it just drifts it down there like nothing and you can really fish slow and catch fish that are heavily pressured.”

The Bottom Line

> Main factor in his success – “Managing my fish and not trying to go every place I knew I could catch them the first day and not trying to lead the first day. Just making sure I had a good, solid limit every day and being prepared to fish in any part of the lake that I needed to.”

> Performance edge – “Throwing the senko and wacky worm in practice with no hooks and being able to throw it anywhere I wanted and not hanging it up and being real effective in my practice. That was probably more important than anything I did in the tournament.”

Final Standings

Field: 137 boats

1. Ken Ellis -- Bowman, SC -- 18-00 (5) -- 18-05 (5) -- 20-00 (5) -- 56-05 (15) -- $32,913 + Boat

2. Kent Ware -- Wadmalaw Island, SC -- 21-12 (5) -- 18-04 (5) -- 15-14 (5) -- 55-14 (15) -- $11,285

3. Mark Hutson -- Moncks Corner, SC -- 19-01 (4) -- 23-08 (4) -- 9-00 (2) -- 51-09 (10) -- $9,404

4. Lex Costas -- Daniel Island, SC -- 12-10 (5) -- 22-15 (5) -- 14-08 (3) -- 50-01 (13) -- $8,463

5. Brent Riley -- Ridgeville, SC -- 26-04 (5) -- 12-09 (4) -- 10-04 (2) -- 49-01 (11) -- $7,523

6. Currey Holley -- Pulaski, Tn -- 13-07 (4) -- 28-10 (5) -- 1-14 (1) -- 43-15 (10) -- $6,583

7. J.T. Kenney -- Palm Bay, Fl -- 11-09 (5) -- 23-11 (5) -- 7-09 (3) -- 42-13 (13) -- $5,642

8. Keith Pace -- Monticello, Ar -- 17-05 (5) -- 18-03 (5) -- 2-00 (1) -- 37-08 (11) -- $4,702

9. Jason S. Smith -- Albany, Ga -- 14-04 (5) -- 22-00 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 36-04 (10) -- $3,762

10. Troy Gibson -- Eufaula, Al -- 12-01 (5) -- 20-05 (4) -- 0-00 (0) -- 32-06 (9) -- $2,821

The following anglers did not make the cut and did not fish on day 3.

11. Danny Allen -- Loris, SC -- 20-12 (5) -- 10-07 (4) -- 31-03 (9) -- $1,881

12. Chris Martinkovic -- Liberty Township, Oh -- 16-00 (5) -- 15-00 (5) -- 31-00 (10) -- $1,881

13. Jay Keith -- Camden, SC -- 12-05 (4) -- 18-01 (5) -- 30-06 (9) -- $1,881

14. John Cox -- Debary, Fl -- 14-04 (5) -- 15-12 (5) -- 30-00 (10) -- $1,881

15. Wade Grooms -- Bonneau, SC -- 23-11 (5) -- 5-15 (2) -- 29-10 (7) -- $1,881

16. Brandon Medlock -- Lake Placid, Fl -- 15-13 (3) -- 13-10 (3) -- 29-07 (6) -- $1,411

17. Webb Collums -- Jackson, Ms -- 16-05 (5) -- 12-08 (5) -- 28-13 (10) -- $1,411

18. Lionel Botha -- Port St. Lucie, Fl -- 10-10 (5) -- 17-14 (5) -- 28-08 (10) -- $1,411

19. Steve Crowley -- Lakeland, Fl -- 16-08 (5) -- 11-13 (4) -- 28-05 (9) -- $1,411

20. Lonnie O’Neal -- Valdosta, Ga -- 16-07 (5) -- 11-05 (4) -- 27-12 (9) -- $1,411

21. Scott Noel -- Loveland, Oh -- 14-13 (5) -- 12-15 (2) -- 27-12 (7) -- $1,317

22. Steve Lowder -- Lynchburg, SC -- 11-09 (4) -- 16-02 (5) -- 27-11 (9) -- $1,317

23. Brett Mitchell -- Timmonsville, SC -- 19-02 (5) -- 8-06 (4) -- 27-08 (9) -- $1,317

24. Jimmy Harrison -- Marianna, Fl -- 6-11 (2) -- 20-02 (5) -- 26-13 (7) -- $1,317

25. Ronnie McCoy -- Lamar, SC -- 15-05 (5) -- 11-01 (3) -- 26-06 (8) -- $1,317

26. Koby Kreiger -- Okeechobee, Fl -- 11-14 (5) -- 14-03 (5) -- 26-01 (10) -- $1,222

27. Joseph Kremer -- Osteen, Fl -- 11-07 (5) -- 13-15 (5) -- 25-06 (10) -- $1,222

28. William Shelton III -- La Crosse, Va -- 14-05 (5) -- 10-12 (5) -- 25-01 (10) -- $1,222

29. Chuck Howard -- Elloree, SC -- 16-13 (5) -- 8-03 (3) -- 25-00 (8) -- $1,222

30. Anthony Hunt -- Tamarac, Fl -- 8-04 (4) -- 16-05 (5) -- 24-09 (9) -- $1,222

31. Brandon McMillan -- Clewiston, Fl -- 19-11 (5) -- 4-13 (3) -- 24-08 (8) -- $1,128

32. Jeremy York -- Monroe, Ga -- 6-06 (2) -- 18-02 (5) -- 24-08 (7) -- $1,128

33. Jason Danes -- Winter Haven, Fl -- 12-09 (5) -- 11-10 (5) -- 24-03 (10) -- $1,128

34. Arnie Lane -- Lakeland, Fl -- 12-00 (5) -- 11-15 (3) -- 23-15 (8) -- $1,128

35. Matt Peters -- Cotter, Ar -- 11-11 (3) -- 12-02 (5) -- 23-13 (8) -- $1,128

36. Rick Taylor -- West Olive, Mi -- 11-12 (5) -- 11-01 (5) -- 22-13 (10) -- $1,128

37. Hal Cercopely -- Manning, SC -- 2-02 (1) -- 20-06 (5) -- 22-08 (6) -- $1,128

38. Clark Smith -- Pell City, Al -- 15-02 (5) -- 7-04 (3) -- 22-06 (8) -- $1,128

39. Gary Krammes -- Pottsville, Pa -- 18-00 (5) -- 4-05 (1) -- 22-05 (6) -- $1,128

40. Hiroshi Kojima -- Athens, Al -- 6-02 (3) -- 16-00 (5) -- 22-02 (8) -- $1,128

41. Drew Benton -- Panama City, Fl -- 14-00 (5) -- 7-08 (3) -- 21-08 (8) -- $1,034

42. Ty Solis -- Albany, Ga -- 3-04 (1) -- 18-03 (5) -- 21-07 (6) -- $1,034

43. Jason Abrams -- Johnson City, Tn -- 9-05 (3) -- 12-00 (4) -- 21-05 (7) -- $1,034

44. Michael Maxfield -- Hanahan, SC -- 9-12 (3) -- 11-09 (5) -- 21-05 (8) -- $1,034

45. Phil Cury -- Jacksonville, Fl -- 8-11 (3) -- 12-04 (3) -- 20-15 (6) -- $1,034

46. Bryan Honnerlaw -- Moore Haven, Fl -- 5-11 (3) -- 15-01 (5) -- 20-12 (8) -- $1,034

47. Allen Hopper -- San Mateo, Fl -- 12-15 (5) -- 7-13 (3) -- 20-12 (8)

48. Gary Simpson -- Gainesville, Fl -- 15-01 (5) -- 5-08 (3) -- 20-09 (8)

49. Casey Martin -- New Market, Al -- 13-03 (5) -- 6-12 (3) -- 19-15 (8)

50. Randall Cnota -- Panama City, Fl -- 14-05 (5) -- 5-05 (2) -- 19-10 (7)

51. Jason Counsil -- Casselberry, Fl -- 9-02 (3) -- 10-03 (3) -- 19-05 (6)

52. Tommy Robinson -- Westland, Mi -- 0-00 (0) -- 19-02 (5) -- 19-02 (5)

53. Scott Wiley -- Bay Minette, Al -- 4-05 (2) -- 14-10 (5) -- 18-15 (7)

54. Jeff Fitts -- Keystone Heights, Fl -- 5-11 (3) -- 12-15 (5) -- 18-10 (8)

55. Ron Brown -- Mount Pleasant, SC -- 13-14 (4) -- 4-11 (2) -- 18-09 (6)

56. Derek Yasinski -- Senoia, Ga -- 5-03 (2) -- 13-06 (5) -- 18-09 (7)

57. James Kemper -- Frankfort, Ky -- 11-08 (5) -- 7-00 (4) -- 18-08 (9)

58. Lon Fleming -- Piedmont, SC -- 10-15 (5) -- 7-03 (3) -- 18-02 (8)

59. Yancy Windham -- Reform, Al -- 11-05 (3) -- 6-05 (2) -- 17-10 (5)

60. Patrick Cook -- Johnsonville, SC -- 7-08 (2) -- 9-15 (3) -- 17-07 (5)

61. Keith Iddins -- Knoxville, Tn -- 8-13 (4) -- 8-09 (3) -- 17-06 (7)

62. Patrick Bone -- Cleveland, Ga -- 14-01 (5) -- 2-14 (1) -- 16-15 (6)

63. Mike Jackson -- San Mateo, Fl -- 6-05 (1) -- 10-10 (4) -- 16-15 (5)

64. Scott Mansfield -- McKenzie, Tn -- 8-03 (3) -- 8-01 (4) -- 16-04 (7)

65. Michael Conley -- Bainbridge, Ga -- 2-14 (2) -- 13-05 (5) -- 16-03 (7)

66. Larry Jones -- Acworth, Ga -- 4-09 (2) -- 11-09 (3) -- 16-02 (5)

67. Jerry Gore -- Orlando, Fl -- 11-06 (4) -- 4-01 (2) -- 15-07 (6)

68. Steven (Mike) Salvador -- Sioux Narrows, Ont -- 13-06 (5) -- 1-11 (1) -- 15-01 (6)

69. Merle Wells Jr -- Hammond, Ny -- 9-15 (5) -- 5-01 (1) -- 15-00 (6)

70. Leon Williams -- Fairdale, Ky -- 13-03 (3) -- 1-09 (1) -- 14-12 (4)

71. Jimmy Bass -- Florence, SC -- 9-00 (4) -- 5-12 (2) -- 14-12 (6)

72. George Kapiton -- Inverness, Fl -- 4-03 (2) -- 10-06 (3) -- 14-09 (5)

73. Brent Waynick -- Sumter, SC -- 2-01 (1) -- 12-06 (5) -- 14-07 (6)

74. Robert Morin -- Seymour, Tn -- 1-15 (1) -- 12-02 (3) -- 14-01 (4)

75. Clayton Batts -- Macon, Ga -- 9-07 (5) -- 4-07 (2) -- 13-14 (7)

76. Brian Merriman -- Falkville, Al -- 2-10 (1) -- 11-02 (4) -- 13-12 (5)

77. Sean Skey -- Sumter, SC -- 9-02 (4) -- 4-05 (3) -- 13-07 (7)

78. Greg Johnson -- Jacksonville, Fl -- 11-05 (3) -- 2-01 (1) -- 13-06 (4)

79. Frank Clark -- Benton, Il -- 8-06 (2) -- 4-12 (1) -- 13-02 (3)

80. Jared Haas -- Hixson, Tn -- 0-00 (0) -- 12-13 (3) -- 12-13 (3)

81. William McKinstry Iii -- Loxahatchee, Fl -- 1-15 (1) -- 10-08 (3) -- 12-07 (4)

82. Rodger Beaver -- Dawson, Ga -- 3-07 (2) -- 8-12 (4) -- 12-03 (6)

83. Brock Mosley -- Collinsville, Ms -- 11-13 (4) -- 0-00 (0) -- 11-13 (4)

84. Michael Brown -- Etobicoke, On -- 5-12 (3) -- 5-13 (3) -- 11-09 (6)

85. Royce Railey -- Columbus, Ga -- 2-14 (1) -- 8-07 (3) -- 11-05 (4)

86. Will Yelverton -- Hazel Green, Al -- 3-01 (1) -- 8-04 (3) -- 11-05 (4)

87. Tom Spangler -- Corryton, Tn -- 4-09 (2) -- 6-09 (3) -- 11-02 (5)

88. Shaye Baker -- Tallassee, Al -- 5-00 (2) -- 5-14 (3) -- 10-14 (5)

89. Josh Bragg -- Jacksonville, Al -- 4-06 (2) -- 6-07 (3) -- 10-13 (5)

90. Erwin Cole -- Murfreesboro, Tn -- 10-12 (4) -- 0-00 (0) -- 10-12 (4)

91. Bill Kisiah -- Muscle Shoals, Al -- 10-10 (2) -- 0-00 (0) -- 10-10 (2)

92. Frank Meyer -- Marianna, Fl -- 4-06 (2) -- 6-02 (3) -- 10-08 (5)

93. Keith Fels -- Ocala, Fl -- 4-12 (1) -- 5-11 (3) -- 10-07 (4)

94. Bill Hutchison -- Bessemer, Al -- 7-01 (2) -- 2-15 (2) -- 10-00 (4)

95. Darrell Davis -- Dover, Fl -- 2-01 (1) -- 7-03 (3) -- 9-04 (4)

96. Alex Pappas -- Jensen Bch., Fl -- 3-02 (1) -- 5-15 (3) -- 9-01 (4)

97. Ben Carroll -- Okeechobee, Fl -- 3-06 (2) -- 5-11 (3) -- 9-01 (5)

98. Jim Blanchard -- Albany, Ga -- 4-06 (2) -- 4-08 (2) -- 8-14 (4)

99. Richard Peek -- Centre, Al -- 3-02 (1) -- 5-11 (1) -- 8-13 (2)

100. Matt Stoupa -- Colonial Heights, Va -- 6-14 (2) -- 1-13 (1) -- 8-11 (3)

101. Eddie Melton -- Charleston, SC -- 8-10 (3) -- 0-00 (0) -- 8-10 (3)

102. Kelby Waldrip -- Bloomington, In -- 5-13 (2) -- 2-06 (1) -- 8-03 (3)

103. Brian Holder -- Gastonia, NC -- 7-15 (3) -- 0-00 (0) -- 7-15 (3)

104. Derek Hicks -- Rocky Face, Ga -- 6-04 (2) -- 1-07 (1) -- 7-11 (3)

105. Jim Tunder -- Chagrin Falls, Oh -- 2-02 (1) -- 5-07 (2) -- 7-09 (3)

106. Nick Gainey -- Charleston, SC -- 2-15 (2) -- 4-10 (2) -- 7-09 (4)

107. Brian Latimer -- Belton, SC -- 3-01 (2) -- 4-08 (2) -- 7-09 (4)

108. Scott Kerslake -- Henderson, NC -- 0-00 (0) -- 7-00 (1) -- 7-00 (1)

109. Bryan Gustafson -- Fort Frances, On -- 0-00 (0) -- 7-00 (2) -- 7-00 (2)

110. Wade Shahid -- Fort Walton Beach, Fl -- 6-14 (2) -- 0-00 (0) -- 6-14 (2)

111. Chad Cook -- Summerville, SC -- 6-14 (2) -- 0-00 (0) -- 6-14 (2)

112. Cliff Cantey -- Lake City, SC -- 6-09 (3) -- 0-00 (0) -- 6-09 (3)

113. Bob Whitgreave -- Manning, SC -- 5-07 (4) -- 1-01 (1) -- 6-08 (5)

114. Tony Dumitras -- Wnston, Ga -- 3-07 (1) -- 2-13 (1) -- 6-04 (2)

115. Tim Malone -- Gatlinburg, Tn -- 0-00 (0) -- 5-08 (3) -- 5-08 (3)

116. T.J. McDonald -- Prestonsburg, Ky -- 5-07 (2) -- 0-00 (0) -- 5-07 (2)

117. David Turner -- Hiram, Ga -- 3-05 (2) -- 2-02 (1) -- 5-07 (3)

118. Darrell Hicks -- Carrollton, Ga -- 5-05 (2) -- 0-00 (0) -- 5-05 (2)

119. Robert Naramore -- Hampton, Ga -- 4-15 (3) -- 0-00 (0) -- 4-15 (3)

120. Frank Mackin -- New Port Richey, Fl -- 4-14 (1) -- 0-00 (0) -- 4-14 (1)

121. Darryl Stewart -- Dothan, Al -- 2-09 (1) -- 1-11 (1) -- 4-04 (2)

122. Jeff Jennings -- Rock Hill, SC -- 4-02 (1) -- 0-00 (0) -- 4-02 (1)

123. Marty Brown -- Dalton, Ga -- 0-00 (0) -- 4-01 (1) -- 4-01 (1)

124. J W Moreno -- Piney Flats, Tn -- 0-00 (0) -- 3-14 (2) -- 3-14 (2)

125. Harry Moore -- Valley, Al -- 1-11 (1) -- 2-03 (1) -- 3-14 (2)

126. Mitch Seruya -- Sumter, SC -- 3-12 (1) -- 0-00 (0) -- 3-12 (1)

127. David Burch -- Jacksonville Beach, Fl -- 3-05 (1) -- 0-00 (0) -- 3-05 (1)

128. Lee Haas -- Hixson, Tn -- 3-03 (2) -- 0-00 (0) -- 3-03 (2)

129. John Bitter -- Maitland, Fl -- 2-13 (1) -- 0-00 (0) -- 2-13 (1)

130. Ken Sessions -- Pace, Fl -- 2-12 (1) -- 0-00 (0) -- 2-12 (1)

131. Robert Comalander -- Fairhope, Al -- 2-07 (1) -- 0-00 (0) -- 2-07 (1)

132. John Cromwell -- Arlington, Tn -- 0-00 (0) -- 1-09 (1) -- 1-09 (1)

133. Mack Cook -- Summerville, SC -- 1-00 (1) -- 0-00 (0) -- 1-00 (1)

T W Loring -- Greendale, In -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0)

Jesse (Jesus) Tacoronte -- Kissimmee, Fl -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0)

Craig Taylor -- Tallahassee, Fl -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0)

Lindwood Thornhill -- Pineville, SC -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0)