MUSKOGEE, Okla. (June 29, 2020) – It was a double-header for bass anglers this past weekend in Muskogee with the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on the Arkansas River events. FLW, the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, rescheduled the events after the coronavirus pandemic forced the organization to pause competition in mid-March.

Boater Mitchell Webb of Skiatook, Oklahoma, brought five bass to the scale totaling 16 pounds, 1 ounce to win Saturday’s event and earn $12,839 – including the lucrative $7,000 FLW PHOENIX BONUS contingency award – while boaters Roger Fitzpatrick of Eldon, Missouri, and Mike Gilbreath of Grove, Oklahoma, both brought in limits weighing 13 pounds, 13 ounces, on Sunday to tie for the win. Fitzpatrick earned $3,380 for his victory, while Gilbreath won a total of $6,880 after contingency awards.

“It started off kind of slow for me. I just kind of caught one here, then caught one there, and by the end of the day I realized I had a pretty decent limit,” said Webb, who earned his first career FLW win. “I stayed in Muskogee Pool and just covered a lot of water. I basically ran from lock to lock.

“I caught four of my five fishing flipping shallow, and the other one I caught on an offshore spot,” Webb went on to say. “I’d had a couple of mishaps with my tow vehicle earlier this week, so it feels good to finally come out on the right side of something.”

The top five boaters on Saturday were:

            1^st:       Mitchell Webb of Skiatook, Okla., five bass, 16-1, $12,839

            2^nd:      Caleb Black of McAlester, Okla., five bass, 15-2, $2,419

            3^rd:       Jeff Clark of Van Buren, Ark., five bass, 14-11, $1,614

            4^th:       Blake Capps of Muskogee, Okla., five bass, 13-4, $1,129

            5^th:       Jason Sandidge of Centerton, Ark., five bass, 13-2, $968

Complete results for Saturday can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Steven McLarty of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, brought a 5-pound, 4-ounce bass to the scale to win Saturday’s Boater Big Bass award of $730.

Webb was the highest-finishing FLW PHOENIX BONUS member and took home the top contingency payout of $7,000. Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $7,000 per event in each Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the FLW PHOENIX BONUS contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.

Aubrey Herlocker of Stillwater, Oklahoma, won the Co-angler Division and $2,419 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 12 pounds, 4 ounces.

The top five co-anglers Saturday finished as follows:

            1^st:       Aubrey Herlocker of Stillwater, Okla., five bass, 13-15, $2,419

            2^nd:      Hunter Moody of Norman, Okla., three bass, 12-11, $1,210

            3^rd:       Porky Roberts of Morris, Okla., three bass, 12-10, $807

            4^th:       Matthew Hargarten of Bolivar, Mo., three bass, 12-9, $565

            5^th:       Chase Fitzpatrick of Eldon, Mo., two bass, 12-3, $484

Joe Landers of Okemah, Oklahoma, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division Saturday, weighing in at 5 pounds, 3 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $365.

On Sunday, winning boaters Roger Fitzpatrick and Mike Gilbreath also stayed in Muskogee Pool.

“I caught a limit fairly early on a crankbait, but it only weighed around 10 pounds and I knew it wasn’t going to help me much,” said Fitzpatrick, who earned his ninth career FLW victory. “I spent the rest of my day flipping wood with a Zoom Speed Craw.

“I also found a little hyacinth patch that had floated to the bank,” Fitzpatrick continued. “It was near deeper water – over 5 feet – and I ended up catching my three biggest fish out of that.”

Gilbreath fished a similar pattern as Fitzpatrick.

“I had a great time out there,” Gilbreath said. “I caught some early on a squarebill crankbait, then flipped in the creeks later in the day. It was tough – I found a few areas where I had to make 8 to 10 casts to the same piece of structure before I’d get a bite – but all in all it was a very good day.”

The top five boaters on Sunday were:

            1^st:       Roger Fitzpatrick of Eldon, Mo., five bass, 13-13, $3,380

            1^st:       Mike Gilbreath of Grove, Okla., five bass, 13-13, $6,880

            3^rd:       Ed Barton of Vian, Okla., five bass, 13-11, $1,502

            4^th:       Jared Miller of Norman, Okla., five bass, 12-7, $1,052

            5^th:       Joel Baker of Talala, Okla., five bass, 11-10, $901

Complete results for Sunday’s event on the Arkansas River can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Scott Burkett of Bokchito, Oklahoma, brought a 4-pound, 12-ounce bass to the scale Sunday to earn the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $655.

Thad Hewitt of Delaware, Oklahoma, won the Co-angler Division and $2,253 Sunday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 12 pounds, 11 ounces.

The top five co-anglers Sunday finished as follows:

            1^st:       Thad Hewitt of Delaware, Okla., five bass, 12-11, $2,253

            2^nd:      Ken Coats of Claremore, Okla., five bass, 12-10, $1,127

            3^rd:       Maverick Mosiman of Bel Aire, Kan., five bass, 11-12, $751

            4^th:       Aaron Warren of Inola, Okla., four bass, 10-14, $526

            4^th:       Raymond Moody of Norman, Okla., five bass, 10-13, $451

Bill Wiles of Arcadia, Oklahoma caught Sunday’s largest bass in the Co-angler Division, weighing in at 4 pounds, 8 ounces to earn him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $327.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine Double-Header on the Arkansas River was the third and fourth of five qualifying events in the Okie Division.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Okie Division based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 22-24 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri, hosted by ExploreBranson.com. Boaters will compete for a $60,000 prize package, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new 18-foot Phoenix bass boat with a 200-horsepower outboard.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American will be held Nov. 11-13 at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina and is hosted by Visit Anderson. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division earn priority entry into the FLW Series, the pathway to the FLW Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour, where top pros compete with no entry fees.

Originally Scheduled for New York, Toyota Series Moves to Ohio for July 9-11 Event

SANDUSKY, Ohio (June 29, 2020) – FLW, the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, announced today that due to New York’s recently announced travel restrictions, the organization will shift its July 9-11 Toyota Series Northern Division opener from the St. Lawrence River at Massena, New York, to Lake Erie at Sandusky, Ohio.

“The City of Sandusky is excited for the opportunity to host the Toyota Series at the Shelby Street Boat Launch facility,” said Eric Wobser, City Manager for the City of Sandusky. “We welcome the opportunity to provide access from our waterfront downtown destination and are encouraged by FLW’s commitment to safety and the guidelines set during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“The Town of Massena deeply regrets that FLW has to reschedule the Toyota Series outside New York State due to the newly-implemented directives for people traveling from other parts of the country,” said Don Meissner, Tournament Coordinator for the Town of Massena. “The town highly values its relationship with FLW and we look forward to future tournaments.”

Entries will roll over to the rescheduled event unless instructed otherwise.

Anglers will take off daily at 6 a.m. EDT from the Shelby Street Boat Launch Facility, located at 101 Shelby St., in Sandusky. Weigh-ins will also be held at the Shelby Street Launch Facility and will begin at 2 p.m. To minimize the spread of COVID-19, attendance is limited to competing anglers and essential staff only. Fans are encouraged to forgo the daily takeoffs and weigh-ins and follow the event online through the “FLW Live” weigh-in broadcasts and daily coverage at FLWFishing.com.

FLW continues to monitor Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), federal, state and local guidelines. Officials are still evaluating options for other New York events, including the 2020 Tackle Warehouse FLW TITLE presented by Toyota, currently scheduled Aug. 24-29 at the St. Lawrence River in Massena, New York. No additional updates are available at this time.

The Toyota Series consists of eight divisions – Central, Eastern, Northern, Plains, Southeastern, Southern, Southwestern and Western – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International division. Anglers who fish all three qualifiers in any of the eight divisions and finish in the top 25 will qualify for the no-entry-fee Toyota Series Championship for a shot at winning $235,000 cash, including a $35,000 FLW PHOENIX Bonus for qualified anglers. The winning co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard. The 2020 Toyota Series Championship will be held Dec. 3-5 on Lake Cumberland in Burnside, Kentucky, and is hosted by the Somerset Tourist & Convention Commission and the Burnside Tourism Commission.

MOUNT IDA, Ark. (June 29, 2020) – Boater Russell Richmond of Sheridan, Arkansas, brought three bass to the scale Saturday totaling 11 pounds, 5 ounces to win the 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine event at Lake Ouachita in Mount Ida, Arkansas. Richmond topped his neared competitor, Stephen Browning of Hot Springs, Arkansas, by 1-pound, 1-ounce and earned $4,394 for his victory.

“I caught all of my fish on a white Strike King swimjig, running grass in Webb and Twin Creeks,” said Richmond, who earned his second career win in FLW competition. “I had all of my fish that I weighed in by 6:30 (a.m.). I caught a bunch of more small ones throughout the day, but I never could upgrade.

“The area that I was fishing had a creek channel really close. My boat was sitting in about 10 foot of water and it went up to about 3 to 4 feet at the edge of the grass,” Richmond continued. “I hadn’t practiced there, but I had fished it before and I was committed to that spot. I knew that if I stayed there long enough I could catch enough to win, and it only took 15 minutes.”

Richmond was ecstatic about earning the win in the tough Bass Fishing League Arkie division.

“This division is very hard to win as a boater. These guys are very good, and we fish all different types of water – clear-water reservoirs, rivers – so it’s hard to beat these guys,” Richmond went on to say. “I’ve been fishing BFL events since 2005 and this is my second trophy. I’ve been to the All-American once, and I really want to make it back.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:

            1^st:       Russell Richmond of Sheridan, Ark., three bass, 11-5, $4,394

            2^nd:      Stephen Browning of Hot Springs, Ark., three bass, 10-4, $1,940

            3^rd:       Beau Browning of Hot Springs, Ark., three bass, 10-1, $1,293

            4^th:       Chris Darby of Hot Springs, Ark., three bass, 9-13, $905

            5^th:       Chris Layton of North Little Rock, Ark., three bass, 9-8, $776

            6^th:       Brian Bean of Hot Springs, Ark., three bass, 9-5, $711

            7^th:       Josh Busby of Rogersville, Mo., three bass, 9-3, $1,147

            8^th:       Eric Pinter of Little Rock, Ark., three bass, 9-1, $582

            9^th:       Evan Barnes of Hot Springs, Ark., three bass, 8-12, $517

            10^th:     Derwin Thomas of Little Rock, Ark., three bass, 8-11, $453

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Richmond caught brought a 5-pound, 3-ounce bass to the scale to add the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $515 to his winnings.

Busby was the highest-finishing FLW PHOENIX BONUS member and took home an extra $500. Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $7,000 per event in each Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the FLW PHOENIX BONUS contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.

Alvin Williams of Hartman, Arkansas, won the Co-angler Division and $1,897 Saturday after catching three bass weighing 8 pounds, 5 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:

            1^st:       Alvin Williams of Hartman, Ark., three bass, 8-5, $1,897

            2^nd:      Bryan Barnard of Harrison, Ark., three bass, 7-7, $949

            3^rd:       Brian Choate of Conway, Ark., three bass, 7-0, $661

            4^th:       Justin Eldridge of Marion, Ark., three bass, 7-0, $538

            5^th:       Jason Phillips of Rison, Ark., three bass, 6-14, $379

            6^th:       John McCullar of Benton, Ark., three bass, 6-12, $348

            7^th:       Buck Blackwell of Pine Bluff, Ark., three bass, 6-10, $316

            8^th:       Terry Dugger of Little Rock, Ark., three bass, 6-9, $285

            9^th:       Robert Bogard Jr. of Conway, Ark., three bass, 6-8, $237

            9^th:       Chris Cusick of Hot Springs, Ark., three bass, 6-8, $237

Choate caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, weighing in at 3 pounds, 9 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $123.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on Lake Ouachita was the fourth of five qualifying events in the Arkie Division.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Arkie Division based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 22-24 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri, hosted by Explore Branson. Boaters will compete for a $60,000 prize package, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new 18-foot Phoenix bass boat with a 200-horsepower outboard.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American will be held Nov. 11-13 at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina and is hosted by Visit Anderson. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division earn priority entry into the FLW Series, the pathway to the FLW Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour, where top pros compete with no entry fees.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (June 29, 2020) – It was a double-header for bass anglers this past weekend in Bloomington with the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on Lake Monroe events presented by Fish-Intel. FLW, the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, rescheduled the events after the coronavirus pandemic forced the organization to pause competition in mid-March.

Boater Frank McClain of Scottsburg, Indiana, brought five bass to the scale totaling 20 pounds, 7 ounces to win Saturday’s event and earn $4,271, while boater Bob Drake of Noblesville, Indiana, brought in four bass weighing 16 pounds, 12 ounces, on Sunday to earn the win and $4,155.

The top five boaters on Saturday were:

            1^st:       Frank McClain of Scottsburg, Ind., five bass, 20-7, $4,271

            2^nd:      Mike Quinlin of Mooresville, Ind., five bass, 20-6, $2,636

            3^rd:       Russell Sproessig of Columbus, Ind., five bass, 19-9, $1,424

            4^th:       Blake Knies of Jasper, Ind., five bass, 17-4, $997

            5^th:       Lee Mills of Columbus, Ind., five bass, 17-0, $854

Complete results for Saturday can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Barry Gunter of Trafalgar, Indiana, brought a 6-pound, 2-ounce bass to the scale to win Saturday’s Boater Big Bass award of $595.

Quinlin was the highest-finishing FLW PHOENIX BONUS member and took home an extra $500. Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $7,000 per event in each Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the FLW PHOENIX BONUS contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.

Brant Gish of Evansville, Indiana, won the Co-angler Division and $2,136 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 19 pounds, 1 ounce.

The top five co-anglers Saturday finished as follows:

            1^st:       Brant Gish of Evansville, Ind., five bass, 19-1, $2,136

            2^nd:      Roger Seitzinger of Lawrenceville, Ill., five bass, 17-4, $1,216

            3^rd:       Remington Gill of Mitchell, Ind., five bass, 16-2, $860

            4^th:       Tim Knight of Bargersville, Ind., five bass, 14-8, $498

            5^th:       Lincoln Bowen of Crothersville, Ind., five bass, 13-2, $427

Gill caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division Saturday, weighing in at 6 pounds, 9 ounces, to earn the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $148.

According to post-tournament reports, Sunday’s boater winner Bob Drake caught his fish with a Marten’s Madness-colored Roboworm on a drop-shot rig on the main lake, about 3 to 4 miles from the takeoff site.

The top five boaters on Sunday were:

            1^st:       Bob Drake of Noblesville, Ind., four bass, 16-12, $4,155

            2^nd:      Kyle Sears of Lebanon, Ohio, five bass, 15-6, $2,078

            3^rd:       Brad Hostetler Jr. of Franklin, Ind., five bass, 15-3, $1,383

            4^th:       Chris Martinkovic of Hamilton, Ohio, five bass, 14-10, $1,170

            5^th:       John Melton of Corydon, Ind., five bass, 13-9, $831

Complete results for Sunday’s event on Lake Monroe can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Mike Quinlin of Mooresville, Indiana, brought a 6-pound, 1-ounce bass to the scale Sunday to earn the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $570.

Lenny Bays of Dayton, Kentucky, won the Co-angler Division and $2,078 Sunday after catching five bass weighing 12 pounds, 7 ounces.

The top five co-anglers Sunday finished as follows:

            1^st:       Lenny Bays of Dayton, Ky., five bass, 12-7, $2,078

            2^nd:      Darren Green of Muncie, Ind., five bass, 10-7, $1,039

            3^rd:       Shane Thomas of Bedford, Ind., three bass, 10-4, $691

            4^th:       Gary Owens of Columbus, Ind., four bass, 9-10, $485

            4^th:       Jason Skipworth of Aurora, Ind., three bass, 8-6, $416

Bill Smith of Columbus, Indiana, caught Sunday’s largest bass in the Co-angler Division, weighing in at 7 pounds, 3 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $285.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine Double-Header on Lake Monroe presented by Fish-Intel was the first and second of five qualifying events in the Hoosier Division.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Hoosier Division based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 15-17 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin, hosted by Explore La Crosse. Boaters will compete for a $60,000 prize package, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new 18-foot Phoenix bass boat with a 200-horsepower outboard.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American will be held Nov. 11-13 at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina and is hosted by Visit Anderson. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division earn priority entry into the FLW Series, the pathway to the FLW Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour, where top pros compete with no entry fees.