Florida’s Batson Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Lake Toho

South Carolina’s Hall Wins Co-angler Division

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (March 10, 2020) – Boater Clay Batson of Bradenton, Florida, brought a huge five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 34 pounds, 8 ounces to win the 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine event at Lake Toho in Kissimmee, Florida. For his victory, Batson earned a total of $4,740.

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

“I was fishing on the north end of Lake Toho,” said Batson, who earned his first career victory in FLW competition. “Targeting hyacinth mats mixed in with pads, flipping a black and blue-colored Missile Baits D-Bomb with a 1¼-ounce weight.

“The key to my victory was that the mats and pads had to be adjacent to open lanes,” Batson continued. “The fish were using those access lanes as highways. All my fish were females that were staging for the spawn. The heavy cover had to be up next to an access lane.”

The Florida angler said that a positive attitude kept his mind in check and was a big factor in his win.

“It’s been a very tough year, but I just kept practicing and grinding and knew that one day, my luck would change. Today, it all came together,” Batson went on to say. “I didn’t lose any fish fishing that thick cover – that is rare. I got them all in the boat and it was a blessed day. I’ve been doing this a long time and always wanted to get one of these wins. It feels awesome.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:

            1^st:       Clay Batson of Bradenton, Fla., five bass, 34-8, $4,740

            2^nd:      Marlon Crowder of Tampa, Fla., five bass, 24-15, $2,000

            3^rd:       Thomas Clark of Wildwood, Fla., five bass, 20-14, $1,334

            4^th:       Trevor Brown of Deltona, Fla., five bass, 18-11, $933

            5^th:       Arthur Jackson of Kissimmee, Fla., five bass, 16-11, $800

            6^th:       Blaine Partee of Oviedo, Fla., five bass, 15-2, $833

            7^th:       Dan Blanchard of Kissimmee, Fla., five bass, 15-1, $667

            8^th:       Anthony Ford of New Smyrna, Fla., five bass, 14-11, $600

            9^th:       Robert Crosnoe of Inverness, Fla., five bass, 13-15, $533

            10^th:     Kyle Gelles of Pingree, Idaho, five bass, 13-8, $467

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Batson’s big 11-pound, 6-ounce kicker also won the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $540.

Eddie Carper of Valliant, Oklahoma, 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.

Sean Hall of North Augusta, South Carolina, won the Co-angler Division and $2,000 Saturday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 14 pounds, 6 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:

            1^st:       Sean Hall of North Augusta, S.C., five bass, 14-6, $2,000

            2^nd:      Alan Clayton of Live Oak, Fla., five bass, 13-13, $1,000

            3^rd:       Mike Tucker of Yalaha, Fla., five bass, 13-0, $666

            4^th:       Steve Proctor of Minneola, Fla., four bass, 11-6, $467

            5^th:       Dale Tomlinson of Lake Worth, Fla., four bass, 10-15, $550

            6^th:       Wesley Hall of Glen St. Mary, Fla., five bass, 10-10, $367

            7^th:       Charles Owens of Rockledge, Fla., five bass, 9-12, $333

            8^th:       Aymon Wilcox of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., five bass, 9-11, $300

            9^th:       Jason Suvak of Lauderhill, Fla., five bass, 9-10, $267

            10^th:     Steve Smith of Jacksonville, Fla., four bass, 9-9, $233

Ryan Meyer of Orlando, Florida caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 8 pounds, 2 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $270.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on Lake Toho was hosted by Experience Kissimmee.

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.