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MLF BIG-5

Holmen’s Shaver Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Mississippi River at Prairie du Chien

PRAIRIE DU CHIEN, Wis. (Aug. 17, 2020) – Boater Jeremiah Shaver of Holmen, Wisconsin, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 15 pounds, 7 ounces to win the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine event on the Mississippi River in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. Shaver earned $3,879. for his victory.

“I threw a black and yellow Spro Bronzeye Frog all day – I never picked up another rod,” said Shaver, who earned the first tournament win of his career. “I made a long run to the top of Pool 9. It took me about an hour and a half to get there through the lock.

“I was fishing a cheese mat – literally the most disgusting, yellow cheese mat that you’d ever seen,” Shaver continued. “I caught a limit there for around 13½ pounds and made the trip back down around 11:30 (a.m.). I had two key culls late in the day that really helped.

“The wind kind of made the bite sporadic, but I just stayed confident with the frog and didn’t put it down,” Shaver went on to say. “It’s exciting to finally get a win – it was long overdue.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:

            1st:       Jeremiah Shaver of Holmen, Wis., five bass, 15-7, $3,879

            2nd:      Douglas Chapin of Green Bay, Wis., five bass, 14-8, $2,440

            3rd:       Mike Mertens of Mount Pleasant, Iowa, five bass, 14-3, $1,293

            4th:       Ryan Doty of Galena, Ill., five bass, 13-13, $905

            5th:       Travis Madrazo of Owatonna, Minn., five bass, 13-10, $1,291

            6th:       Josh Ystenes of La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 13-9, $711

            7th:       Kevin Ruh of Onalaska, Wis., five bass, 13-5, $647

            8th:       Jordan Hirt of Glenwood, Iowa, five bass, 13-4, $582

            9th:       Rick Bosshard of Hartland, Wis., five bass, 13-0, $485

            9th:       Brad Wessling of Elkhorn, Wis., five bass, 13-0, $485

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Madrazo claimed the day’s Boater Big Bass Award of $515 after bringing a 5-pound bass to the scale.

Chapin 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.

Austin Frye of Wilton, Wisconsin, won the Co-angler Division and $1,940 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 13 pounds even.

The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:

            1st:       Austin Frye of Wilton, Wis., five bass, 13-0, $1,940

            2nd:      Andrew Hegerty of Colgate, Wis., five bass, 12-13, $970

            3rd:       Tyler Ackerlund of Colfax, Wis., five bass, 12-5, $646

            3rd:       Troy Sippl of Sussex, Wis., five bass, 12-0, $453

            5th:       Chris Thomas of Milan, Ill., five bass, 11-15, $388

            6th:       Douglas Ley of Janesville, Wis., five bass, 11-14, $356

            7th:       Alan Bernicky of Joliet, Ill., five bass, 11-4, $523

            8th:       Christopher Morgan of Greendale, Wis., five bass, 11-1, $291

            9th:       Bill Borgert of Boyceville, Wis., five bass, 10-10, $259

            10th:     Neil Stensland of Houston, Minn., five bass, 10-7, $226

Steve Schaefer of Palmyra, Missouri, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, weighing in at 4 pounds, 3 ounces. The catch earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $257.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on the Mississippi River in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, was the third of five qualifying tournaments in the Great Lakes division.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Great Lakes 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.

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MLF BIG-5

Indiana’s Wagner Wins Saturday, Idaho’s Gelles Wins Sunday at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Double-Header on Detroit River

TRENTON, Mich. (Aug. 17, 2020) – It was a double-header for weekend bass anglers this past weekend in Trenton with the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on the Detroit River events.

Boater Heath Wagner of Angola, Indiana, brought a five-bass limit to the scale weighing 22 pounds, 2 ounces to win on Saturday and earn $3,794, then pro Kyle Gelles of Pingree, Idaho, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Sunday weighing 20 pounds, 14 ounces to win $4,003.

The double-header events were the third and fourth of five events in the Michigan Division presented by A.R.E. Truck Caps.

“I ran to St. Clair and fished deep,” said Wagner, who earned his sixth career BFL win – all on the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair. “It took me a day to find them, but the key was using my electronics to locate them. Every fish that I caught came watching my graph.

“I caught them all on a drop-shot rig with a variety of baits – mostly Z-Man,” Wagner continued. “I fished a Z-Man TRD and a Strike King Z-Too. I even caught one on the famous Ned rig.”

The top five boaters on Saturday were:

            1st:       Heath Wagner of Angola, Ind., five bass, 22-2, $3,794

            2nd:      Alex Redwine of Cincinnati, Ohio, five bass, 21-14, $1,897

            3rd:       Daniel Sepeck of Norwood, Ohio, five bass, 21-8, $1,265

            4th:       Tom Beale of St. Clair Shores, Mich., five bass, 21-5, $885

            5th:       Angel Rosario of Kalamazoo, Mich., five bass, 20-4, $727

            5th:       Scott Allen of New Philadelphia, Ohio, five bass, 20-4, $727

Complete results for Saturday’s event can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Kyle Greene of Ortonville, Michigan, earned the day’s Boater Big Bass Award of $495 after bringing a 6-pound, 2-ounce bass to the scale.

Devon Banks of West Bloomfield, Michigan, 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.

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Zach Laupp of Plainwell, Michigan, won the Co-angler Division and $1,897 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 22 pounds, 9 ounces.

The top five co-anglers on Saturday were:

            1st:       Zach Laupp of Plainwell, Mich., five bass, 22-9, $1,897

            2nd:      Austin Freed of Wolcottville, Ind., five bass, 19-7, $949

            3rd:       Michael Lukich of Chillicothe, Ill., five bass, 18-5, $633

            4th:       Mark Lyons of Marion, Ind., five bass, 18-1, $443

            5th:       Trent Norman of Union, Ky., five bass, 18-0, $379

Jeff Copley of Marengo, Ohio, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, weighing in at 6 pounds, 1 ounce and earned him Saturday’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $247.

On Sunday winning boater Kyle Gelles did not go to Lake St. Clair, but instead fished the mouth of the Detroit River.

“I didn’t want to run all the way up the river today and deal with St. Clair, so I stuck tight and caught some good fish,” said Gelles, a rookie on the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit who finished the season ranked No. 55. “The key to my win was maximizing my fishing time,

“I caught my fish on a variety of baits – everything from a spybait to a tube to a drop-shot rig to a crankbait,” Gelles continued. “A lot of my big fish came on the drop-shot rig, throwing the Berkley (Powerbait Maxscent) Flat Worm. I just covered a lot of water and tried to catch the good ones.”

The top five boaters on Sunday were:

            1st:       Kyle Gelles of Pingree, Idaho, five bass, 20-14, $4,003

            2nd:      Mike Raber of Wolcottville, Ind., five bass, 20-2, $1,777

            3rd:       Terry McWilliams of Greenfield, Ind., five bass, 20-0, $1,185

            4th:       Dayton Land of Coatesville, Ind., five bass, 19-4, $829

            5th:       Angel Rosario of Kalamazoo, Mich., five bass, 19-3, $711

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

Bill Crapsey of Monroe, Michigan, earned Sunday’s $455 Boater Big Bass award with a 5-pound, 8-ounce bass.

Cody Kelley of Portage, Michigan, took home an extra $500 as the highest finishing FLW PHOENIX BONUS member.

Zack Hall of Birch Run, Michigan, earned the win Sunday in the Co-angler Division after catching five bass weighing 22 pounds, 3 ounces. For his victory Hall earned $1,777.

The top five co-anglers Sunday finished as follows:

            1st:       Zack Hall of Birch Run, Mich., five bass, 22-3, $1,777

            2nd:      Logan Roller of Tremont, Ill., five bass, 19-11, $888

            3rd:       Corey Gue of Huntington, W. Va., five bass, 18-2, $592

            4th:       Nathan O’Hara of Warsaw, Ind., five bass, 18-0, $415

            5th:       Craig Fanning of Elwood, Ill., five bass, 17-7, $355

Ken Ramsey of Cassopolis, Michigan, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, weighing in at 5 pounds, 7 ounces. The catch earned him Sunday’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $227.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Michigan Division presented by A.R.E. Truck Caps 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.

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MLF BIG-5

Ohio’s Shaffer Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Ohio River in Maysville

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MAYSVILLE, Ky. (Aug. 17, 2020) – Boater Dick Shaffer of Rockford, Ohio, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 8 pounds, 2 ounces to win the 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine event on the Ohio River in Maysville, Kentucky. For his victory, Shaffer earned a total of $3,879.

The tournament was the third of five events in the Buckeye Division presented by A.R.E. Truck Caps.

“It’s been a long time – my last win was in 2011 – so I feel a lot better, now,” said Shaffer, who earned his 16th career victory in FLW competition. “I was just upriver, fishing main-river stuff. I haven’t been up in that area for four or five years, so I just went fishing blind.”

Shaffer said that he caught his fish on two baits – a Yamamoto Senko and a Zoom Speed Craw.

“I got lucky and caught two off of one stump on back-to-back casts,” Shaffer said. “Then I saw a green tree that looked good, so I stopped and fished it. I ended up catching four fish off of it.

“Late in the day I caught a fish off of a dock that culled me up a half-pound and that one ended up making the difference and getting me the win.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:

            1st:       Dick Shaffer of Rockford, Ohio, five bass, 8-2, $3,879

            2nd:      Roger Hahn of Fairfield, Ohio, five bass, 7-13, $1,940

            3rd:       Jamie Cunnagin of New Lebanon, Ohio, five bass, 7-7, $1,293

            4th:       Brandon Cline of Wheelersburg, Ohio, four bass, 7-4, $1,405

            5th:       Brody Campbell of Oxford, Ohio, five bass, 7-0, $776

            6th:       Donald Sibley of Strasburg, Ohio, five bass, 6-3, $679

            6th:       Ronald Nutter of Newark, Ohio, three bass, 6-3, $679

            8th:       Josh Smith of Hamilton, Ohio, five bass, 6-1, $582

            9th:       Benjamin Quisno of Maineville, Ohio, two bass, 5-6, $517

            10th:     Brad Baldwin of Waynesville, Ohio, five bass, 5-5, $430

            10th:     Pete Justice of Sharonville, Ohio, four bass, 5-5, $430

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

David Spivey of Hamilton, Ohio, claimed the day’s Boater Big Bass Award of $515 after bringing a 4-pound, 13-ounce bass to the scale.

Cline 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.

Michael Horne of Dodson, Louisiana, won the Co-angler Division and $2,197 Saturday after catching two bass weighing 5 pounds, 7 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:

            1st:       Michael Horne of Dodson, La., two bass, 5-7, $2,197

            2nd:      Austin Brock of Liberty Township, Ohio, four bass, 5-3, $1,170

            3rd:       Ryan Lancaster of Oxford, Ohio, three bass, 4-10, $646

            4th:       Jordon Smith of Middletown, Ohio, three bass, 3-13, $453

            5th:       Ryan Rich of Eaton, Ohio, one bass, 3-9, $372

            5th:       Derrick Sadlowski of Steubenville, Ohio, two bass, 3-9, $372

            7th:       Ron Weisenburger of Continental, Ohio, two bass, 3-7, $307

            7th:       John Lane of Findlay, Ohio, two bass, 3-7, $307

            9th:       Darrell Carroll of Independence, Ky., two bass, 3-2, $259

            10th:     James Wilcox of Cincinnati, Ohio, two bass, 3-1, $465

            10th:     J.R. Selke of Waynesville, Ohio, two bass, 3-1, $215

Horne also caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, weighing in at 3 pounds, 13 ounces. The catch added to his winnings as he earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $257.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Buckeye Division presented by A.R.E. Truck Caps based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 16-18 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Cherokee Lake in Jefferson City, Tennessee, hosted by the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce. 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.