Virginia’s Baker Goes Two-for-Two – Wins Both Days of Phoenix Bass Fishing League Double-Header on Kerr Lake

HENDERSON, N.C. (July 20, 2020) – It was a double-header for weekend bass anglers this past weekend in Henderson with the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on Kerr Lake events.

Boater Ronnie Baker of Providence Forge, Virginia, had a very successful weekend, winning both events back-to-back. Baker brought a five-bass limit to the scale totaling 16 pounds even to win Saturday’s event and earn $3,466, then backed it up with another five-bass limit on Sunday – this one totaling 14 pounds, 15 ounces – to earn the win $3,122.

“Winning is hard enough, but to win two in a row against this field of anglers is unbelievable,” said Baker, who had one prior career victory coming into the weekend. “Going back-to-back is a dream come true.

“I stayed mostly in Nutbush Creek both days; I maybe ventured out a mile,” Baker continued. “I rotated through the same four or five spots both days. There is a lot of shad out on the points, and they reload overnight.”

Baker said he caught the majority of his fish in 12 to 15 feet of water on an unnamed ½-ounce swimjig with a green-pumpkin Zoom Speed Craw, although he also mixed in a ½-ounce football jig on Sunday.

“They bit good until about 10 (a.m.) each day, then it really slowed down,” Baker said. “You could still catch a few after 10, but it was a grind.”

The top five boaters on Saturday were:

            1^st:       Ronnie Baker of Providence Forge, Va., five bass, 16-0, $3,466

            1^st:       Ben Reynolds of Callands, Va., five bass, 15-13, $1,733

            3^rd:       Mike Miller of Trinity, N.C., five bass, 14-11, $1,155

            4^th:       Ryan Harrell of Roanoke Rapids, N.C., five bass, 14-7, $1,244

            5^th:       David Wright of Lexington, N.C., five bass, 14-5, $1,193

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

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Harrell brought a 5-pound, 11-ounce largemouth to the scale to earn Saturday’s Boater Big Bass award of $435.

Wright picked up Saturday’s FLW PHOENIX BONUS of $500 as he was the highest-finishing 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.

Carl Enos of Bracey, Virginia, won the Co-angler Division and $1,905 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 13 pounds, 4 ounces.

The top five co-anglers Saturday finished as follows:

            1^st:       Carl Enos of Bracey, Va., three bass, 13-4, $1,905

            2^nd:      Victor Riveras of Newport News, Va., three bass, 10-1, $846

            3^rd:       Joseph Kozlinski of Fayetteville, N.C., three bass, 9-15, $564

            4^th:       Barry Burford of Charlotte, N.C., three bass, 9-10, $567

            4^th:       Robert Raymond of Farmville, Va., three bass, 9-10, $367

Enos caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, weighing in at 5 pounds, 2 ounces, to win the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $212.

The top five boaters on Sunday were:

            1^st:       Ronnie Baker of Providence Forge, Va., five bass, 14-15, $3,122

            2^nd:      David Wright of Lexington, N.C., five bass, 13-15, $2,061

            3^rd:       Martin Villa of Charlottesville, Va., five bass, 13-14, $1,043

            4^th:       Tim Wiltfong of Wake Forest, N.C., five bass, 13-8, $728

            5^th:       Paul Worthington of Benson, N.C., five bass, 12-2, $624

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

Curtis Talbott of Forest, Virginia, brought a 5-pound, 6-ounce bass to the scale to win Sunday’s Boater Big Bass award of $375.

Wright also added Sunday’s FLW PHOENIX BONUS of $500 as he was the highest-finishing member.

Mike Shatley of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, won the Co-angler Division and $1,561 Sunday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 14 pounds, 12 ounces.

The top five co-anglers Sunday finished as follows:

            1^st:       Mike Shatley of North Wilkesboro, N.C., five bass, 14-12, $1,561

            2^nd:      Eric Hawks of Galax, Va., five bass, 13-13, $781

            3^rd:       Eric Osborne of Jefferson, N.C., five bass, 11-13, $521

            4^th:       Michael Abel of Portsmouth, Va., five bass, 11-6, $364

            5^th:       Samuel Jones of Raleigh, N.C., five bass, 11-4, $312

Vernon Adams of Raleigh, North Carolina, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, weighing in at 4 pounds, 15 ounces to earn Sunday’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $187.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine Double-Header on Kerr Lake was the second and third of five qualifying events in the Piedmont Division.