Beech Bluff’s Jones Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Kentucky/Barkley Lakes
Mayfield’s Wade Wins Co-angler Division
GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. – Boater Charles Jones of Beech Bluff, Tennessee, brought three bass to the scale Saturday weighing 12 pounds, 9 ounces to win the 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine event on Kentucky and Barkley Lakes. For his victory, Jones earned $4,385.
Already in the FLW record books for his BFL win as a boater on Kentucky and Barkley Lakes in 2014, the 75-year-old Jones broke his own record and became the second-oldest angler to ever win as a boater in the BFL’s modern era. Only fellow Tennessean George Taylor of Dresden has been older – he won a BFL event in 2014 at the age of 77.
“It feels pretty good to get a win at this age,” Jones said after the weigh-in. “I had a good day – I caught everything that bit. I thought I was going to need one more good one, but it turns out that I didn’t.
“I was fishing ledges in Tennessee,” the Beech Bluff angler went on to say. “Everything I caught came on a Strike King jig with a Rage Craw trailer.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:
1st: Charles Jones of Beech Bluff, Tenn., three bass, 12-9, $4,385
2nd: Craig Hipsher of Benton, Ky., three bass, 10-5, $2,193
3rd: Robert Linton of Cadiz, Ky., three bass, 9-4, $1,463
4th: David Carroll of Manitou, Ky., three bass, 9-3, $1,023
5th: Gary Singleton of Dickson, Tenn., two bass, 9-0, $877
6th: David Hames of Trezevant, Tenn., three bass, 8-14, $804
7th: Steve Freeman of Eddyville, Ky., three bass, 8-12, $731
8th: Kevin Caskey of Madisonville, Ky., three bass, 8-5, $658
9th: Carl Lee of Jackson, Tenn., three bass, 8-3, $585
10th: Daniel Langton of Evansville, Ind., three bass, 8-2, $486
10th: Doug Stamper of Wayne, W. Va., three bass, 8-2, $486
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Eric Sanders of Lexington, Kentucky, claimed the day’s Boater Big Bass Award of $620 after bringing a 6-pound bass to the scale.
Edward Gettys of Paris, Tennessee, 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.
Bobby Wade of Mayfield, Kentucky, won the Co-angler Division and $2,136 Saturday after catching three bass weighing 11 pounds, 12 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:
1st: Bobby Wade of Mayfield, Ky., three bass, 11-12, $2,136
2nd: William Holden of Cincinnati, Ohio, three bass, 10-13, $1,068
2nd: Charles Richardson III of Newbern, Tenn., three bass, 9-8, $712
4th: Greg Beam of Mount Sterling, Ky., three bass, 7-4, $498
5th: Benton Peoples of Bardstown, Ky., three bass, 6-15, $427
6th: Wesley Dunn of Paducah, Ky., two bass, 6-14, $392
7th: Barry Gunter of Trafalgar, Ind., three bass, 6-11, $356
8th: Andrew Dunford of Christopher, Ill., three bass, 6-7, $320
8th: Greg James of Carterville, Ill., three bass, 6-5, $285
10th: Alan Brasher of Decaturville, Tenn., two bass, 6-4, $249
Wayne Miller of Morgantown, Kentucky, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, weighing in at 5 pounds, 11 ounces. The catch earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $297.
The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on Kentucky and Barkley Lakes was the opening event of five qualifying tournaments in the LBL division.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the LBL Division based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 8-10 Phoenix 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 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.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, FLW and its partners conduct more than 290 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Namibia, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, and Zimbabwe.
FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show while Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. Acquired by Major League Fishing in late 2019, FLW is expanding its programming in 2020 to the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel as well as on-demand at MyOutdoorTV (MOTV).
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