Category: MLF BIG-5

Monroe’s Phillips Wins Co-angler Division

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (March 2, 2020) – Boater Brian Morgan of Sherrills Ford, North Carolina, brought five bass to the scale Saturday totaling 18 pounds, 13 ounces to win the 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine event at Lake Norman in Mooresville, North Carolina. For his victory, Morgan earned a total of $5,014.

“The key to my victory was cranking all day,” said Morgan, who earned his first career victory in FLW competition. “I told my co-angler that I was not going to put the crankbait down and we ran all over the lake. I kept the crankbait in my hand all day.”

Morgan remained tight-lipped about his specific color and presentation but mentioned that his lure of choice was a Lucky Craft crankbait.

“I was fishing stained water on the south end of the lake,” Morgan went on to say. “It feels awesome to get this win. I’ve had a chance to win many of them, and then I end up blowing it. To win this one feels great – it’s been a long time coming.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:

            1^st:       Brian Morgan of Sherrills Ford, N.C., five bass, 18-13, $5,014

            2^nd:      Cole Blythe of Stanley, N.C., five bass, 17-14, $2,507

            3^rd:       Stephen Cannon of Wilkesboro, N.C., five bass, 17-8, $1,670

            4^th:       Derik Hudson of Concord, Va., five bass, 17-0, $1,370

            5^th:       Roger Pope of Statesville, N.C., five bass, 16-11, $1,103

            6^th:       David Cooke of Mooresville, N.C., five bass, 16-7, $877

            6^th:       Scott Hamrick of Denver, N.C., five bass, 16-7, $877

            8^th:       Kelly Logan of Morganton, N.C., five bass, 16-3, $752

            9^th:       Robert Walser of Lexington, N.C., five bass, 15-14, $1,433

            10^th:     Michael Stephens of Gastonia, N.C., five bass, 15-12, $585

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Walser brought a 7-pound, 2-ounce bass to the scale to win the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $765.

Adam Waters of Denver, North Carolina 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.

Artie Phillips of Monroe, North Carolina, won the Co-angler Division and $2,507 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 15 pounds, 5 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:

            1^st:       Artie Phillips of Monroe, N.C., five bass, 15-5, $2,507

            2^nd:      David Deciucis of Chester, Va., five bass, 13-2, $1,253

            3^rd:       Nathan Grose of Summersville, W. Va., five bass, 12-15, $837

            4^th:       Colby Schuping of North Wilkesboro, N.C., five bass, 12-11, $585

            5^th:       Mathew Baker of Asheboro, N.C., five bass, 11-10, $501

            6^th:       Quin Motley of Sherrills Ford, N.C., five bass, 11-6, $439

            7^th:       Stuart Hicks of Statesville, N.C., five bass, 11-6, $439

            8^th:       Josh Neal of Lincolnton, N.C., five bass, 10-11, $376

            9^th:       Charles Wood of Thomasville, N.C., four bass, 10-4, $334

            10^th:     Jesse Jodon of Windber, Pa., three bass, 9-10, $674

Jodon caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, weighing in at 5 pounds, 5 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $382.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on Lake Norman was hosted by the Mooresville Convention & Visitors Bureau and was the first of five qualifying events in the North Carolina Division.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the North Carolina Division based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 8-10 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on the James River in Richmond, Virginia, hosted by Visit Richmond. 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.

Kansas City’s Ladehoff Wins Co-angler Division

KIMBERLING CITY, Mo. (March 2, 2020) – Boater Dustin Blevins of Harrison, Arkansas, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 19 pounds, 5 ounces to win the 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine event at Table Rock Lake in Kimberling City, Missouri. For his victory, Blevins earned a total of $7,000.

The tournament was the first of five events in the Ozark Division presented by Tournament Anglers Group.

“I caught all of my fish today on an Alabama rig and a Strike King Coffee Tube,” said Blevins, who earned the first win of his FLW career. “I weighed in two black bass on the A-rig and three smallmouth on the tube.”

Blevins said his tube of choice was a green pumpkin-melon-colored 3½ inch Strike King Coffee Tube, and he used sexy shad-colored Keitech 3.3 swimbaits on his Alabama rig.

“I was fishing a 15- to 20-minute run from takeoff – near Shell Knob – running windy gravel points, fishing in 25 to 30 foot of water. The smallmouth were in 15 feet,” Blevins said.

“I’ve been so close to winning before,” Blevins went on to say. “I’ve finished second and had a couple of third place finishes, so it feels good to finally get one.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:

            1^st:       Dustin Blevins of Harrison, Ark., five bass, 19-5, $7,000

            2^nd:      Shawn Kowal of Linn Creek, Mo., five bass, 18-15, $4,000

            3^rd:       Dustin Lippe of Lampe, Mo., five bass, 18-6, $2,500

            4^th:       Ben Verhoef of Osage Beach, Mo., five bass, 18-0, $1,400

            5^th:       Roger Fitzpatrick of Eldon, Mo., five bass, 17-11, $1,200

            6^th:       Mike Gold of Billings, Mont., five bass, 17-7, $1,100

            7^th:       Rick Johnston of Webb City, Mo., five bass, 17-4, $1,000

            8^th:       Tyler Stewart of Mount Vernon, Mo., five bass, 16-15, $850

            9^th:       Brock Reinkemeyer of Lone Jack, Mo., five bass, 16-15, $850

            10^th:     Adam Boehle of Warrenton, Mo., five bass, 16-13, $700

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Kowal brought a 7-pound, 1-ounce bass to the scale to win the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $1,000.

Lippe took home an extra $500 as the highest finishing FLW PHOENIX BONUS member. 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.

Troy Ladehoff of Kansas City, Missouri, won the Co-angler Division and $3,000 Saturday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 18 pounds, 14 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:

            1^st:       Troy Ladehoff of Kansas City, Mo., five bass, 18-14, $3,000

            2^nd:      Alan Bernicky of Joliet, Ill., five bass, 15-5, $1,650

            3^rd:       Zach Wilson of Kansas City, Kan., four bass, 13-2, $1,000

            4^th:       Christian Singer of Bunceton, Mo., four bass, 12-15, $1,200

            5^th:       Rob Melendez of Bourbonnais, Ill., five bass, 12-4, $600

            6^th:       Dennis Kube of Arnold, Mo., five bass, 11-5, $550

            7^th:       Joseph Lay of Gardner, Kan., five bass, 11-1, $500

            7^th:       Zachery Hanzlik of Basehor, Kan., four bass, 10-12, $450

            9^th:       Jacob Wade of Mountain Grove, Mo., five bass, 10-8, $400

            9^th:       Chris Gebhardt of Columbia, Mo., four bass, 10-7, $350

Singer caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 15 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $500.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Ozark Division presented by the Tournament Anglers Group based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 15-17 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin, hosted by the 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.

LEESBURG, Fla. (Feb. 23, 2020) – Pro Laramy Strickland of Bushnell, Florida, brought five bass to the scale weighing 15 pounds, 4 ounces, to win the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at the Harris Chain of Lakes presented by Bad Boy Mowers Sunday. Strickland’s three-day total of 15 bass totaling 61 pounds, 4 ounces gave him the win by a 4-pound, 6-ounce margin over second place angler Jimmy Washam of Covington, Tennessee. For his victory, Strickland took home a top prize of $100,000.

The tournament, originally scheduled for four days, was shortened to three after strong winds forced a postponement of competition on Friday. The full field of 154 anglers competed on Thursday and Saturday and only the top 30 anglers advanced to Championship Sunday.

“This is unbelievable – just as awesome as I always dreamed it was going to be,” said Strickland, a former FLW/TBF High School Fishing Florida State Champion fishing in just his second event as a professional on the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit. “If I was going to win just one, ever, in my whole career, I would have wanted it to be right here. There was so much family and friends here, the crowd was humongous. This still doesn’t even feel real.”

Strickland caught his fish this week fishing an area in Lake Griffin called the marsh. He described the marsh as “a 500- to 600-acre duck marsh, with hydrilla everywhere and full of cattails and hyacinth mats.” As a local angler he knew that big fish had been in there for months, and when he went there during the official practice period the big fish were still there.

“I caught them this week flipping mats with a Reaction Innovations Spicy Beaver (Tramp Stamp), but also added two big ones on a (Reaction Innovations) Machete Worm,” Strickland said. “Those were the only two baits I used all week – just flipped and threw that worm. I caught 12 fish on the first day. On the second day, I caught 8. Today I caught around 8 as well – they were just the right bites.”

Strickland said he threw the Spicy Beaver on a 7-foot, 6-inch Fitzgerald Rods hydrilla rod with a Shimano reel and 70-pound-test Fitzgerald Vursa braided line. He threw the worm on a new all-purpose 7-foot, 6-inch medium-heavy Fitzgerald rod, with 17-pound-test Fitzgerald Vursa fluorocarbon line and pegged with a 1/16-ounce weight.

“I fished fairly clean all week. I lost a couple that I really thought were going to haunt me, but my fish held up,” Strickland said. “I just kind of stuck in that area and luckily I had it all to myself this week.

“Two years ago, when the Pro Circuit was here, the boat that I won out of today was sitting in the parking lot as the demo boat for Ranger,” Strickland went on to say. “I bought that boat and here we are two years later. I’m on the big stage, and I won. I don’t even know what else to say. This has been surreal.”

The top 10 pros on the Harris Chain of Lakes finished:                                                                                                             

1^st:       Laramy Strickland of Bushnell, Fla., 15 bass, 61-4, $100,000
2^nd:      Jimmy Washam of Covington, Tenn., 15 bass, 56-14, $30,000
3^rd:       Hunter Freeman of Monroe, La., 13 bass, 54-6, $25,000
4^th:       Kyle Gelles of Pingree, Idaho, 14 bass, 52-11, $20,000
5^th:       Matthew Stefan of Junction City, Wis., 15 bass, 51-15, $19,000
6^th:       Miles Burghoff of Soddy-Daisy, Tenn., 15 bass, 51-5, $18,000
7^th:       Jared McMillan of Belle Glade, Fla., 15 bass, 50-5, $17,000
8^th:       Chad Warren of Sand Springs, Okla., 15 bass, 50-0, $16,000
9^th:       Casey Scanlon of Lake Ozark, Mo., 15 bass, 49-7, $15,000
10^th:     Brandon McMillan of Clewiston, Fla., 15 bass, 49-7, $14,000

Complete results for the entire field can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Overall there were 145 bass weighing 366 pounds, 9 ounces, caught by the pros Sunday. Of the final 30 pros, 27 of them were able to bring a five-bass limit to the scale.

Television coverage of the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at the Harris Chain of Lakes will premiere in 2020. The 2020 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit will have 156 two-hour airings on network television, including 26 consecutive weeks of Friday night primetime airing on Outdoor Channel and 130 airings on Sportsman Channel for a total of 312 hours of Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit programming.

The Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at the Harris Chain of Lakes presented by Bad Boy Mowers was hosted by Lake County, Florida. The next event for Pro Circuit anglers will be the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Lake Martin, March 19-22, in Alexander City, Alabama. The tournament will be hosted by the Alexander City Chamber.

In normal Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of 154 pro anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. The top 30 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advanced to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continue competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition. After Friday’s weather postponement the format was changed to a three-day event, the full field fished the first two days of competition (Thursday and Saturday) and the top 30 pros advanced to Sunday, the final day of competition.

Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2020 FLW TITLE, the Pro Circuit Championship. The 2020 FLW TITLE will be on the St. Lawrence River in Massena, New York, Aug. 8-13 and is hosted by the Town of Massena.

Third-Largest Limit Ever and Largest Margin of Victory in Bass Fishing League History, Largest Limit Ever at Sam Rayburn in FLW Competition

BROOKELAND, Texas (Feb. 17, 2020) – Boater Anthony Sharp of Village Mills, Texas, had a day Saturday that most bass fishing tournament anglers only dream about. Sharp brought a five-bass limit to the scale weighing 40 pounds, 6 ounces to win the 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine event at Sam Rayburn Reservoir in Brookeland, Texas. For his victory, Sharp earned a total of $7,000.

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

Sharp’s massive five-bass limit broke multiple Phoenix Bass Fishing League records. His 21-pound, 5-ounce margin of victory was the largest in Bass Fishing League history. His limit was the third-largest limit ever weighed in Bass Fishing League competition – topped only by Rogne Brown in 2011 (Lake Chickamauga, 40 pounds, 14 ounces) and Casey Martin in 2015 (Lake Guntersville, 40 pounds, 11 ounces). His five bass were also the heaviest limit ever weighed in FLW history – across all circuits – at Sam Rayburn.

“I’ll be honest, when he [the tournament director] sat the sack up there I was praying that I had maybe mid-30s,” said Sharp. “I’ve caught a couple 30-pound limits up here, but never in a tournament. When he said 40 pounds, I couldn’t hardly answer his questions. I kind of got flushed.” 

The spot Sharp found was a pretty classic offshore area – a flat section topping out in about 20 feet, with a drop that went down to about 40 feet. It turned out that was all he’d need to find to have the tournament day of a lifetime. 

“Friday, when we started practice, I ran right there and idled over the spot, and there was a lot of fish,” said Sharp. “I idled over them four or five different times, just to make sure I was seeing fish, because they were stuck to the bottom. So, I backed off them and started easing up to them on the trolling motor, and I was still 100 yards from my waypoint and on my very first cast I caught an 8-pounder.” 

 On tournament morning, Sharp ran right to his honey hole. 

“We blasted off at about 7:15, and I made a 15-minute run up the lake,” said Sharp. “At 8:35, I called Mr. Callahan [the tournament director] and asked if I could use my co-angler’s livewell because I couldn’t fit all my fish in one livewell. So, in about an hour I was done.” 

Deciding not to idle over his fish to check on them, Sharp simply eased up to where he thought they would be and tossed a Carolina rig with a 1-ounce weight and a Zoom Baby Brush Hog in green pumpkin magic with the tails dyed chartreuse.

“On my second cast I caught one that I told my co-angler was about 6 pounds,” said Sharp. “Then I fished a little while, and my next fish was about 5 pounds. I got a bite about every 10 or 12 minutes for the first three fish, and I was fan-casting around the bow of my boat, kind of in the middle of the flat spot.”

After catching a short and then another 6-pounder, Sharp picked up a Strike King 8XD in chartreuse and blue. 

“I probably threw it 15 or 20 minutes, and I caught one that was probably 8 pounds, and I caught one over 9. I put my rod down and told my co-angler, ‘That’s it. I think I’ve got high 20s right there.’

“I don’t know what I was even thinking,” continued Sharp. “After I sat about 10 minutes in the boat, letting him fish the area, I thought it would really be cool if I could cull that 5-pounder. I made three more casts with that crankbait and caught my biggest fish, and that was all before 8:45.” 

And that was it. Though Sharp hung around the spot to try to give his co-angler a shot at some, neither caught anything else. Throughout the rest of the day, when Sharp ran around for his co-angler, he said he only made about 50 casts. He knew he’d done something special already, even if it’d take the scale to tell him exactly how special it was. 

“It’s incredibly special. I can’t even describe it,” Sharp went on to say. “I was just praying I could catch one or two fish like that. I really had no idea that was going to happen.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:

            1^st:       Anthony Sharp of Village Mills, Texas, five bass, 40-6, $7,000

            2^nd:      Randy Deaver of Blanchard, La., five bass, 19-1, $3,200

            3^rd:       Kyle Dragulski of Lufkin, Texas, five bass, 17-8, $2,000

            4^th:       Kevin Lasyone of Dry Prong, La., five bass, 17-4, $1,400

            5^th:       Shaine Campbell of Brookeland, Texas, five bass, 16-9, $1,200

            6^th:       Mathew Dorcz of Huffman, Texas, five bass, 16-1, $1,100

            7^th:       Cole Moore of Anacoco, La., five bass, 15-15, $1,500

            8^th:       Aaron Johnson of Shreveport, La., five bass, 15-11, $900

            9^th:       Todd Castledine of Nacogdoches, Texas, five bass, 15-5, $800

            10^th:     Bart Doty of Kilgore, Texas, five bass, 15-4, $700

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Sharp also earned the day’s $1,000 Boater Big Bass award with his largest fish, a 9-pound, 14-ounce kicker bass.

Moore took home an extra $500 as the highest finishing FLW PHOENIX BONUS member. 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.

Wyatt Stout of Altura, Minnesota, and Doug Rush of Midlothian, Texas, tied for the win in the Co-angler Division Saturday after both catching a five-bass limit weighing 15 pounds, 7 ounces. Each angler brought home $2,250 for their wins.

The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:

            1^st:       Wyatt Stout of Altura, Minn., five bass, 15-7, $2,250

            1^st:       Doug Rush of Midlothian, Texas, five bass, 15-7, $2,250

            3^rd:       Sieg Kilby of Kilgore, Texas, five bass, 14-15, $1,150

            4^th:       Michael McCollum of Wimberley, Texas, four bass, 14-4, $700

            5^th:       Logan Slaughter of Dallas, Texas, five bass, 13-4, $600

            6^th:       Mitchel Martin of Washington, La., four bass, 13-2, $1,050

            7^th:       Cade Nelson of Long Branch, Texas, five bass, 12-9, $500

            8^th:       Cody Brown of Saratoga, Texas, five bass, 12-6, $450

            9^th:       Nick Morris of Princeton, Mo., five bass, 12-5, $400

            10^th:     Justin Shelton of Kemp, Texas, five bass, 12-4, $350

Martin caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 7 pounds, 10 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $500.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on Sam Rayburn Reservoir was hosted by the Jasper County Development District.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Cowboy Division presented by A.R.E. 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 April 30 through May 2 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.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: PALATKA, Fla. (Feb. 16, 2020) – Pro Trevor Fitzgerald of Belleview, Florida, brought a 19-pound, 8-ounce limit to the weigh-in scale Saturday to reclaim the top spot on the leaderboard and win the three-day Toyota Series at the St. Johns River. Fitzgerald’s three-day total of 15 bass weighing 57-12 gave him the win by a 6-pound margin and earned him a payout of $38,048 in the Toyota Series Southern Division 2020 opener.

“I’ve been wanting this one for a while,” said Fitzgerald, who earned his first career Toyota Series victory after five previous top-10 finishes. “I seem to do okay in one-day tournaments, but I excel in these multi-day tournaments because I don’t typically go out and catch a giant bag. I usually find stuff that is more consistent.”

The first day, Fitzgerald caught multiple sight fish on a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver, fished on a Fitzgerald Stunner 7-foot, 3-inch medium-heavy and Stunner reel.

“On day two I didn’t have any spawners left, so I went to running the bank and found a little depression that I’d known about, but I came to realize there was a lot more fish sitting in it than I realized.”

What Fitzgerald was fishing was basically a long sand bar at the far south end of Lake George, which served as a staging area for fish coming to the bank to spawn. No one else seemed to find it, potentially due to how shallow it was.

“It’s just a depression surrounded by super-shallow water. I used to put in at that boat ramp right there when I was a kid, so I was kind of familiar with the way the bottom lays out.”

Fitzgerald caught his fish on a shaky-head rig tipped with a Reaction Innovations Pocket Rocket in black and blue, which he threw on a Fitzgerald Stunner spinning rod and spinning reel and 12-pound-test Fitzgerald Vursa fluorocarbon. Prior to that, he was mostly dragging a black and blue Reaction Innovations Machete on a 7-foot, 3-inch, medium-heavy Fitzgerald Stunner casting rod paired with a Fitzgerald Stunner casting reel (7:1) and 17-pound-test Fitzgerald Vursa fluorocarbon.

“I grew up about 20 minutes from the south end of Lake George, and I’ve been fishing here my whole life,” Fitzgerald went on to say. “I love fishing the St. Johns River and it is awesome to win here.”

The top 10 pros on the St. Johns River finished:

            1^st:       Trevor Fitzgerald of Belleview, Fla., 15 bass, 57-12, $38,048

            2^nd:      Jason Blair of West Palm Beach, Fla., 15 bass, 51-12, $14,550

            3^rd:       Steven Hatala of Harrison Township, Mich., 13 bass, 50-6, $11,265

            4^th:       Rodney Marks of Apopka, Fla., 15 bass, 45-0, $9,387

            5^th:       Keith Carson of DeBary, Fla., 15 bass, 43-6, $8,833

            6^th:       Jacopo Gallelli, Florence, Italy, 12 bass, 38-8, $8,510

            7^th:       Jonathan Kelley of Old Forge, Pa., 12 bass, 37-12, $6,571

            8^th:       Frank Kitchens III of Oxford, Ga., 11 bass, 37-8, $5,632

            9^th:       Jason Meninger of St. Augustine, Fla., 12 bass, 36-3, $4,694

            10^th:     Chris Hensley of Marbury, Ala., 10 bass, 33-11, $3,755

A complete list of results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Carson brought a 9-pound largemouth bass to the scale Friday – the largest fish weighed by a boater in the event – to earn the day’s Big Bass award of $135.

Gallelli took home an extra $1,000 as the highest finishing FLW PHOENIX BONUS member. Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $35,000 per event in each Toyota Series tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the FLW PHOENIX BONUS contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.

Edwin Bartlett of Casco, Maine, won the Co-angler Division Saturday with a three-day total of 12 bass weighing 29 pounds, 12 ounces. For his win, Bartlett took home the top prize package of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard motor, worth $33,500.

The top 10 co-anglers on the St. Johns River finished:

            1^st:       Edwin Bartlett of Casco, Maine, 12 bass, 29-12, $33,500

            2^nd:      Cole Hewett of Orlando, Fla., 14 bass, 28-8, $4,929

            3^rd:       Blaine Bucy of Weirton, W. Va., eight bass, 25-13, $3,783

            4^th:       Roger Hughes of Bartlesville, Okla., eight bass, 25-12, $3,400

            5^th:       David Wareham of Port St. Lucie, Fla., 12 bass, 25-11, $2,837

            6^th:       Chris Holland of Vero Beach, Fla., 11 bass, 22-1, $2,364

            7^th:       Andy Niles of Ocean Springs, Miss., 11 bass, 20-9, $1,891

            8^th:       Kevin Thomas of Miramar, Fla., eight bass, 19-11, $1,655

            9^th:       Early Whitaker of Iron City, Ga., 11 bass, 18-13, $1,419

            10^th:     Michael Harrelson of Conway, S.C., nine bass, 18-5, $1,182

Alan Carver of East Point, Georgia caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division Thursday, a fish weighing 9 pounds, 8 ounces. He earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $90.

The Toyota Series at the St. Johns River was hosted by the Putnam County Tourist Development Council. It was the first of three regular-season tournaments in 2020 for Southern Division anglers. The next tournament for Toyota Series anglers will be the Central Division opener – the Toyota Series at Lake Chickamauga, held Feb. 27-29 in Dayton, Tennessee. For a complete schedule, visit FLWFishing.com.

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 $200,000 cash, plus lucrative contingency bonuses. 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 is being held Nov. 5-7 on Lake Cumberland in Burnside, Kentucky, and is hosted by the Somerset Tourist & Convention Commission and the Burnside Tourism Commission.

Bonaire’s Denney Wins Co-angler Division

ALEXANDER CITY, Ala. (Feb. 10, 2020) – Boater Dusty Robinson of Eclectic, Alabama, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 13 pounds, 4 ounces to win the 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine event at Lake Martin in Alexander City, Alabama. For his victory, Robinson earned a total of $5,686, including a $1,000 Mercury contingency award.

“I started my day out with a spinnerbait in my hand, and I didn’t put it down throughout the entire day,” said Robinson, who earned his first career Phoenix Bass Fishing League victory. “I caught around 20 keepers all day long, fishing in the Hog Pen Slough area – around the D.A.R.E. Power Park.”

Robinson’s key lure was a 3/8-ounce purple shad-colored War Eagle Spinnerbait with a white Zoom Split Tail Trailer.

“I caught them anywhere from 6 inches to 8 feet deep,” Robinson said. “The Hog Pen Slough is a main feeder creek, about mid-river. I was targeting the blowdowns and rocky secondary points. If I didn’t get bit on the bank, I’d slow roll it all the way back to the boat.

“The bite was really hot from 9:30 to 10:30 (a.m.), then there was a lull until about 1:15 (p.m.). Then it really picked up again,” Robinson continued. “The key was definitely slowing down and being patient.

“I’ve been battling against these hammers in the Bama Division for three years now, and I’ve been one bite away from the win a couple of times. It was shocking that the weights were this low – I didn’t expect to win – but it was an awesome day and I’m glad I did.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:

            1^st:       Dusty Robinson of Eclectic, Ala., five bass, 13-4, $5,686

            2^nd:      Thomas Frink of Cedartown, Ga., five bass, 12-12, $2,843

            3^rd:       Kip Balkcom of Auburn, Ala., five bass, 12-2, $1,562

            4^th:       Brad Jones of Sylacauga, Ala., five bass, 12-0, $1,093

            5^th:       Mason Franklin of Mulga, Ala., five bass, 11-12, $898

            6^th:       Steven Ingram of Tallassee, Ala., five bass, 11-12, $898

            7^th:       Anthony Goggins of Clanton, Ala., five bass, 11-6, $742

            8^th:       Ken Morris of Childersburg, Ala., five bass, 11-6, $942

            9^th:       Robert Werner of Spanish Fort, Ala., five bass, 11-5, $625

            10^th:     Greg Bearden of Oxford, Ala., five bass, 11-3, $547

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Chris Rutland of Wetumpka, Alabama, brought a 4-pound, 3-ounce bass to the scale to win the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $690.

Frink took home an extra $500 as the highest finishing FLW PHOENIX BONUS member. 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.

Mark Denney of Bonaire, Georgia, won the Co-angler Division and $2,493 Saturday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 11 pounds, 2 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:

            1^st:       Mark Denney of Bonaire, Ga., five bass, 11-2, $2,493

            2^nd:      Lew Moore of Roanoke, Ala., five bass, 11-1, $1,517

            3^rd:       Andrew Fisher of Anniston, Ala., five bass, 10-8, $781

            4^th:       Jacob Hays of Marbury, Ala., five bass, 10-6, $547

            5^th:       Justin Foster of Zebulon, Ga., five bass, 10-0, $469

            6^th:       Jim Laster of Newnan, Ga., five bass, 9-13, $410

            7^th:       Scott Carpenter of Childersburg, Ala., five bass, 9-13, $410

            8^th:       Bill Gaston of Sylacauga, Ala., five bass, 9-10, $351

            9^th:       Gary Marlowe of Montgomery, Ala., five bass, 9-9, $312

            10^th:     Chance Hebert of Woodstock, Ga., five bass, 9-5, $273

Moore caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 4 pounds even. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $345.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on Lake Martin was hosted by the Alexander City Chamber of Commerce. It was the opening event of five qualifying tournaments in the Bama division.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Bama division based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 8-10 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Lake Chickamauga in Dayton, Tennessee, hosted by the Rhea Economic and Tourism Council. 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 April 30 through May 2 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.

Gainesville’s Grizzle Wins Co-angler Division

WALHALLA, S.C. (Feb. 10, 2020) – Boater Randy Dover of Buford, Georgia, brought five to the scale Saturday totaling 15 pounds, 10 ounces to win the 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine event at Lake Keowee in Seneca, South Carolina. For his victory, Dover earned a total of $5,627.

Weather was a factor for the Savannah River division anglers, as cold, snowy conditions hampered a lot of plans and strategies for competitors. Dover said that he did the majority of his damage close to Seneca, only a mile to a mile and a half from takeoff.

“The places that I caught them in practice really got stained, so I had to move out to clearer water,” said Dover, who earned his first career victory in just his third career Phoenix Bass Fishing League event. “I ended up catching them on roadbeds and ditches.”

Dover said his two key baits throughout the day were a Ned rig and a shaky-head rig.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:

            1^st:       Randy Dover of Buford, Ga., five bass, 15-10, $5,627

            2^nd:      Tim Watson of Martin, Ga., five bass, 13-4, $2,345

            3^rd:       Jimmy Gooch of Jefferson, Ga., five bass, 13-4, $2,345

            4^th:       Jason Johnson of Dawsonville, Ga., five bass, 13-1, $1,813

            5^th:       Jeremy Strong of Elberton, Ga., five bass, 12-11, $1,125

            6^th:       Jayme Rampey of Liberty, S.C., five bass, 12-9, $1,942

            7^th:       Jody Holland of Clermont, Ga., five bass, 12-0, $938

            8^th:       Bo Price of Seneca, S.C., five bass, 11-14, $797

            9^th:       Russell Clark of Abbeville, S.C., five bass, 11-14, $797

            10^th:     Tyler Thompson of Easley, S.C., five bass, 11-11, $623

            10^th:     Brad Benfield of Demorest, Ga., five bass, 11-11, $623

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Rampey brought a 5-pound, 7-ounce bass to the scale to win the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $910.

For the second week in a row, boater Jason Johnson was 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.

Harold Grizzle of Gainesville, Georgia, won the Co-angler Division and $3,268 Saturday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 17 pounds, 6 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:

            1^st:       Harold Grizzle of Gainesville, Ga., five bass, 17-6, $3,268

            2^nd:      Fisher Rodgers of Camden, S.C., five bass, 12-6, $1,407

            3^rd:       Sawyer Redmond of Easley, S.C., five bass, 11-5, $938

            4^th:       Wendell Grantham of Athens, Ga., five bass, 10-14, $656

            5^th:       Bruce Faulkner of Seneca, S.C., five bass, 10-10, $563

            6^th:       Will White of Wake Forest, N.C., five bass, 10-9, $516

            7^th:       Stephen McCoy of Walhalla, S.C., five bass, 10-4, $469

            8^th:       Chris Wilson of Easley, S.C., five bass, 10-2, $572

            9^th:       John Wilson of Six Mile, S.C., five bass, 9-11, $351

            9^th:       Wesley Wilson of Cornelia, Ga., three bass, 9-11, $351

Grizzle also caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, weighing in at 7 pounds, 10 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $455.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on Lake Keowee was hosted by Visit Oconee. It was the first of five qualifying events in the Savannah River Division.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Savannah River 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 Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Georgia, hosted by the Gainesville Convention & Visitors Bureau. 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 April 30 through May 2 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.

Bradenton’s Hibbs Wins Co-angler Division

CLEWISTON, Fla. (Feb. 10, 2020) – Boater Thomas Littich of Cape Coral, Florida, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 23 pounds, 14 ounces to win the 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine event at Lake Okeechobee in Clewiston, Florida. For his victory, Littich earned a total of $7,220, including a $2,500 FLW PHOENIX BONUS contingency award.

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

“I’ve fished these tournaments for six years, and this is the first time that I’ve gotten to hold one of these fancy winner trophies up,” said Littich, who was fishing in his 36^th career Bass Fishing League event. “The feeling that I got when I knew I had the win was absolutely awesome.

“I started my day up north, near the Monkey Box area, then I ended up around Observation Shoal,” Littich continued. “Those were the two main areas that I fished. I bounced to one spot about halfway down the shoal, then came back in at the end of the day.”

Littich said that he caught his fish on a variety of baits. His first bass – a 7-pounder – came on a Z-Man ChatterBait. An hour and a half later, Littich boated a 6-pounder on a black and blue-colored Yamamoto Senko. Another key bite came late in the day flipping a Gambler Burner Craw with a 3/8-ounce weight.

“The key was not getting out of my own head,” Littich went on to say. “It was a very slow bite this morning, so I had to take my time and not get worried.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:

            1^st:        Thomas Littich of Cape Coral, Fla., five bass, 23-14, $7,220

            2^nd:       Jerry Stalvey Jr. of Palatka, Fla., five bass, 22-15, $3,055

            3^rd:       Jared McMillan of Belle Glade, Fla., five bass, 19-7, $1,574

            4^th:       Mike Vititoe of Lakeworth, Fla., five bass, 17-3, $1,101

            5^th:       Mike Davis of Alachua, Fla., five bass, 17-0, $944

            6^th:       Alex Terescenko of West Palm Beach, Fla., five bass, 15-14, $865

            7^th:       Christopher Hunter of Hilliard, Fla., five bass, 15-11, $787

            8^th:       Garrett Thomas of Mulberry, Fla., five bass, 15-0, $708

            9^th:       Jared Howell of Hilliard, Fla., five bass, 14-13, $629

            10^th:      Cedric Perry of Cross City, Fla., five bass, 14-12, $551

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Stalvey Jr. brought an 8-pound, 13-ounce bass to the scale to win the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $695.

Littich took home an extra $2,500 as the highest finishing FLW PHOENIX BONUS member. 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.

Timothy Hibbs of Bradenton, Florida, won the Co-angler Division and $2,510 Saturday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 15 pounds, 7 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:

            1^st:        Timothy Hibbs of Bradenton, Fla., five bass, 15-7, $2,510

            2^nd:       Moses Wilson of Clewiston, Fla., five bass, 13-13, $1,180

            3^rd:       Brandon Prophitt of Orlando, Fla., five bass, 12-13, $787

            4^th:       Bryan Ray of Lake Leelanau, Mich., five bass, 12-12, $551

            5^th:       Scott Farnham of Port St. Lucie, Fla., five bass, 10-5, $472

            6^th:       Jay McNamara of Issaquah, Wash., five bass, 9-14, $433

            7^th:       David Wickham of Fruitland Park, Fla., five bass, 9-13, $373

            7^th:       Jason Gonzalez of Loxahatchee, Fla., five bass, 9-13, $473

            9^th:       Joshua Tackett of Orange City, Fla., five bass, 9-9, $295

            9^th:       Sean Wiggins of Pinellas Park, Fla., five bass, 9-9, $295

Vidal Melendrez of Miami, Florida caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 6 pounds, 12 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $347.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on Lake Okeechobee was hosted by the Hendry County Tourism Development Council.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Gator Division presented by A.R.E. 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 Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Georgia, hosted by the Gainesville Convention & Visitors Bureau. 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.

January 27, 2020  by FLW Communications

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: SCOTTSBORO, Ala. – Boater James Swindle of Parrish, Alabama, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 20 pounds, 7 ounces to top 223 boats and win the 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine at Lake Guntersville in Scottsville, Alabama. Swindle earned $6,000 for his victory.  

“This is awesome,” said Swindle, who earned his first career win in Bass Fishing League competition. “My dad has fished in BFL tournaments since I can remember, and I’ve seen him bring home a couple of trophies over the years. So to get one of my own is pretty special, and I’m so proud to be bringing this home.”

Swindle said that he spent the day fishing up past the B.B. Comer Bridge, because he knew that the fishing pressure would not be as bad. One a tough day where most anglers had to scramble to catch a limit, Swindle boated more than 40 keepers throughout the day.

“I commited to a jig and a crankbait for most of the day,” Swindle said. “I had some deeper stuff and some shallow stuff, but most of my fish came from 6-foot of water. My key bait was a green-pumpkin-colored structure jig with a twin-tail grub trailer.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:

 1st: James Swindle of Parrish, Ala., five bass, 20-7, $6,000

 2nd: Will Robinson of Columbia, Tenn., five bass, 18-14, $3,000

 3rd: Jordan Wiggins of Cullman, Ala., five bass, 17-11, $1,574

 3rd: Matt Adams of Oxford, Ala., five bass, 17-11, $1,101

 3rd: Brad Harmon of Ringgold, Ga., three bass, 17-11, $944

 6th: Gavin Ainslie of Harrison, Tenn., five bass, 17-9, $865

 7th: Cassidy Evans of Auburn, Ala., five bass, 17-1, $787

 8th: Derek Miller of Grant, Ala., five bass, 17-0, $708

 8th: Will Yelverton of Hazel Green, Ala., five bass, 17-0, $629

 10th: Terry Tucker of Gadsden, Ala., five bass, 16-12, $551

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Rick Williams of Decatur, Alabama, brought a 7-pound, 6-ounce largemouth to the scale to win the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $1,000.

Jim Leary of Guntersville, Alabama, took home an extra $500 as the highest finishing FLW PHOENIX BONUS member. 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.

Benjamin Fouts of Morehead, Kentucky, won the Co-angler Division and $3,000 Saturday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 17 pounds, 1 ounce.

The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:

 1st: Benjamin Fouts of Morehead, Ky., five bass, 17-1, $3,000

 2nd: Tony Pendley of Oakman, Ala., five bass, 16-14, $1,500

 3rd: Bruce Stanley of Jasper, Ala., five bass, 16-9, $1,000

 4th: Brian Martin of Ranburne, Ala., five bass, 15-10, $700

 5th: Jacob Daily of Chattanooga, Tenn., five bass, 15-2, $600

 6th: Randy Hill of Athens, Ala., five bass, 14-12, $550

 7th: Shane Browder of Lynnville, Ind., four bass, 14-3, $500

 8th: Christian Greico of Tampa, Fla., four bass, 13-15, $450

 9th: Roger King of Killeen, Texas, five bass, 13-10, $400

 10th: Lynn Spears, Athens, Tenn., five bass, 13-7, $350

Chase Fleeman of Summertown, Tennessee, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 8 pounds, 3 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $500.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on Lake Guntersville was hosted by the Mountain Lakes Chamber of Commerce. It was the opening event of five qualifying tournaments in the Choo Choo division.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Choo Choo based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 16-18 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Lake Cherokee in Jefferson City, Tennessee, hosted by the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce. Boaters will compete for a $60,000 prize package, including a new 18-foot Phoenix bass boat with a 200-horsepower 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 April 30 through May 2 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.

January 27, 2020  by FLW Communications

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: BROOKELAND, TEXAS – Berkley pro John Cox of DeBary, Florida, already had an impressive resume – four career victories, two runner-up finishes in the FLW Angler of the Year race and the 2016 FLW Cup Championship. Sunday in Texas, Cox added another accolade to the FLW record books.

Cox weighed a five-bass limit totaling 12 pounds, 9 ounces to win with a wire-to-wire victory at the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Sam Rayburn Reservoir. Cox’s four-day total of 65-15 was enough to get the win by a 2-pound, 7-ounce margin and earn his fifth career victory in FLW pro-level competition. Each of those five victories have come from a different fishery and a different state.

“This was the best win I’ve ever had,” said Cox, who moved into a tie with David Dudley at No. 6 all-time with five career wins. “I usually start off the year pretty slow and get better through the season. To start the season with a win, I don’t even know what to say. I’m so thankful – this is just incredible.”

Cox caught all of his fish on the first two days of competition at one specific spot, making one specific cast with one specific bait. He described the area as a 3-foot high spot with a little bit of sand and rock with hydrilla all around it, right at the mouth of one of the best-known spawning creeks on Sam Rayburn.

“I had to make the same cast the entire time,” Cox said. “I could feel the crankbait come over their backs – it felt like logs – and then one would just smoke it.”

After mining the same spot for the first two days with a Berkley Frittside 5 Crankbait (Lone Ranger- and Ghost Morning Dawn-colored), the area fizzled on Saturday. Cox was forced to scramble for the final two days of competition, but in true John Cox-fashion he was able to find just enough weight to hang on and earn the win.

“The last two days have been the hardest that I’ve ever had to grind, ever, just to catch a limit,” Cox said. “Coming back to the weigh-in today, I thought I had blown it.”

Cox managed to scratch up limits on Saturday and Sunday throwing a Dirty Jigs swimjig with a black and blue Berkley Powerbait Maxscent Meaty Chunk and a Z-Man Original ChatterBait with a black and blue Berkley Powerbait Grass Pig. He also added two small keepers Sunday on an unnamed frog.

“The key was definitely the Frittside crankbait and catching all of them on that spot,” Cox went on to say. “I didn’t even own a crankbait rod until this year.”

Cox’s crankbait was thrown on a 7-foot, 6-inch Abu Garcia Veritas Winch rod paired with an Abu Garcia REVO EXD casting reel.

The top 10 pros on Sam Rayburn Reservoir finished: 

1st: John Cox of DeBary, Fla., 20 bass, 65-15, $100,000
2nd: Tommy Dickerson of Orange, Texas, 20 bass, 63-8, $30,000
3rd: Darold Gleason of Many, La., 20 bass, 62-14, $25,000
4th: Corey Neece of Bristol, Tenn., 19 bass, 59-9, $20,000
5th: Ron Nelson of Berrien Springs, Mich., 20 bass, 57-5, $19,000
6th: Scott Dobson of Clarkston, Mich., 20 bass, 56-10, $18,000
7th: Kerry Milner of Bono, Ark., 20 bass, 54-0, $17,500
8th: Sam George of Athens, Ala., 17 bass, 52-13, $16,000
9th: Alex Davis of Albertville, Ala., 20 bass, 52-12, $15,000
10th: Jonathan Canada of Helena, Ala., 18 bass, 51-11, $14,000

Complete results for the entire field can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Overall there were 44 bass weighing 108 pounds, 8 ounces caught by pros Sunday. Seven of the final 10 pros weighed in five-bass limits.

Television coverage of the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Sam Rayburn Reservoir will premiere in the third quarter of 2020. The 2020 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit will have 156 two-hour airings on network television, including 26 consecutive weeks of Friday night primetime airing on Outdoor Channel and 130 airings on Sportsman Channel for a total of 312 hours of Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit programming.

The Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Sam Rayburn Reservoir was hosted by the Jasper County Development District. The next event for FLW Pro Circuit anglers will be the FLW Pro Circuit at the Harris Chain of Lakes, Feb. 20-23, in Leesburg, Florida. The tournament will be hosted by Lake County, Florida.

In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of 154 pro anglers competed in the two-day opening round Thursday and Friday. The top 30 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advanced to fish Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continued competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.

Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2020 FLW TITLE, the Pro Circuit Championship. The 2020 FLW TITLE will be on the St. Lawrence River in Massena, New York, Aug. 8-13 and is hosted by the Town of Massena.