Stormy conditions may have prevented local angler Boyd Duckett from taking first place in the CITGO Bassmaster Elite series at Santee Cooper Reservoir in Manning, S.C., but they did not prevent the Demopolis native from making a splash.

In the tournament, Duckett overcame a tough second day to take third place, which was a major accomplishment given the conditions.

When the tournament, which was held the week of April 2-8, began, things looked good for Duckett.

A strong first day netted him 29.2 pounds of fish and first place with a four and a half point lead over second place fisherman James Niggemeyer.

During practice, Duckett said, he felt his best shot would be through sight and bed fishing.

“I had perfect conditions for that,” Duckett said. “The lake was calm.”

But, the second day, was a different story. Stormy weather rolled in, Duckett said, which took away his ability to sight fish.

“We had storms come through and we had 25 mile per hour winds,” Duckett said. “I went down to the lower lake and with that wind and the chop on the water, I couldn’t see anything.”

Eventually, he had to take a new plan of action and caught 13 pounds on the day. He recovered from a rough morning, but slipped into second place.

The third day, Duckett was back on his game. He rebounded with a catch of 17.6 pounds. But, an outstanding day from day two’s second place finisher dropped Duckett to third place.

Duckett narrowly missed first place, but the third place finish was still huge. With the win, Duckett took over $34,000 in prize money and edged closer to where he needs to be for the year. The finish, Duckett said, will definitely help his chances of reaching elite bass fishing tournaments.

“It’s big, because my aspirations are to finish in the top five in points,” Duckett said. “If you do that, you get automatic entry into the Elite 100. That is what I really want to do because it is the golden nugget.”

This status also gives Duckett a berth in the Bassmaster Classic, considered the Super Bowl of fishing tournaments.