Celina’s Ellis Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Ohio River at Tanners Creek
Minster’s Mox Wins Co-angler Division
LAWRENCEBURG, Ind. – Boater Jay Ellis of Celina, Ohio, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 11 pounds, 13 ounces to win the 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine event on the Ohio River in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. For his victory, Ellis earned a total of $6,972.
The tournament was the second of five events in the Buckeye Division presented by A.R.E. Truck Caps.
“I went up river, about 15 miles, and fished in Muddy Creek,” said Ellis, who earned the first BFL victory of his career. “I caught them all on single tree laydowns. The water levels dropped a little bit over night, and I think it pushed those fish a little farther out, off the bank.”
Ellis said he caught his fish on a black buzzbait and a Texas-rigged black-and-blue beaver-style bait.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:
1st: Jay Ellis of Celina, Ohio, five bass, 11-13, $6,972
2nd: Dick Shaffer of Rockford, Ohio, five bass, 8-2, $2,236
3rd: Kenneth Pincombe of Hamilton, Ohio, five bass, 7-8, $1,492
4th: Seth Fricke of Hamilton, Ohio, three bass, 7-1, $1,693
5th: Brian Campbell of Oxford, Ohio, five bass, 6-11, $894
6th: Chris Martinkovic of Hamilton, Ohio, four bass, 6-9, $982
6th: Chad McCarty of Tipp City, Ohio, five bass, 6-9, $782
8th: Pete Justice of Sharonville, Ohio, four bass, 6-6, $671
9th: Donald Sibley of Strasburg, Ohio, five bass, 6-5, $596
10th: Joe Farkas of Grove City, Ohio, four bass, 6-2, $522
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Fricke claimed the day’s Boater Big Bass Award of $650 after bringing a 3-pound, 15-ounce bass to the scale.
Ellis also was the highest-finishing FLW PHOENIX BONUS member and took home an extra $2,500. 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.
Carter Mox of Minster, Ohio, won the Co-angler Division and $2,236 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 6 pounds, 11 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:
1st: Carter Mox of Minster, Ohio, five bass, 6-11, $2,236
2nd: Trapper Owens of Carlisle, Ohio, three bass, 6-4, $1,118
2nd: Cruze Eskins of Hamilton, Ohio, three bass, 5-13, $745
4th: Larry Gunville of Gahanna, Ohio, two bass, 4-13, $847
5th: Ron Weisenburger of Continental, Ohio, three bass, 4-11, $447
6th: Virgil Grant of Findlay, Ohio, three bass, 4-5, $391
6th: Kenny Smith of Austin, Ind., three bass, 4-5, $391
8th: Hunter Smith of Hamilton, Ohio, three bass, 3-15, $316
8th: Kenny Mitchell of Franklin, Ohio, two bass, 3-15, $316
10th: Brent Jones of Okeana, Ohio, two bass, 3-14, $261
Gunville caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, weighing in at 4 pounds even. The catch added to his winnings as he earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $325.
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.
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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