Reynolds Takes Kerr Title
Blankenship wins co-angler title in Shenandoah Division event
Ben Reynolds of Callands, Virginia, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Sunday weighing 16 pounds, 9 ounces to win the 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine event at Kerr Lake in Henderson, North Carolina. For his victory, Reynolds earned a total of $4,350.
The tournament was the third of five events in the Shenandoah Division presented by A.R.E. Truck Caps.
“It feels awesome to get this win,” says Reynolds, who earned his third career win in BFL competition. “I fished mostly up towards Clarksville. I didn’t go all the way into the rivers, but I did get pretty close to that end of the lake.
“I started off the morning shallow, but I didn’t do much,” Reynolds continues. “Then I went to a deep spot and caught them pretty good there. In the afternoon I made a little move to go back shallow and I caught another big one. That was the key to my victory – making the move back shallow.”
Reynolds says this his baits of choice were a worm and a Dirty Jigs flipping jig.
The top 10 boaters finished:
1st: Ben Reynolds of Callands, Va., five bass, 16-9, $4,350
2nd: Martin Villa of Charlottesville, Va., five bass, 16-6, $2,175
3rd: Jason Tibbetts of Centreville, Va., five bass, 14-5, $1,451
4th: Bryan Elrod of Mechanicsville, Va., five bass, 13-13, $1,015
5th: Tom Wilkinson of Oxford, N.C., five bass, 13-12, $870
6th: Derik Hudson of Concord, Va., five bass, 13-7, $798
7th: Chris Brummett of Lynch Station, Va., five bass, 12-11, $725
8th: Robert Grike of Dumfries, Va., five bass, 12-8, $616
8th: Ben Jacobi of Richmond, Va., five bass, 12-8, $616
10th: Otis Darnell of Linden, Va., five bass, 12-7, $508
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Bennett Owen of Capron, Virginia, earned the day’s $615 Boater Big Bass award with a 4-pound, 15-ounce bass.
Mark Inman of Greensboro, North Carolina, 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.
Blankenship wins co-angler title
Mark Blankenship of Christianburg, Virginia, earned the win in the Co-angler Division Sunday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 13 pounds, 8 ounces. Robertson earned $2,175 for his victory.
The top 10 co-anglers:
1st: Mark Blankenship of Christianburg, Va., five bass, 13-8, $2,175
2nd: Lenny Baird of Stafford, Va., five bass, 11-10, $1,088
3rd: Colin Bennett of Axton, Va., five bass, 11-5, $726
4th: Ben Dacey of Chesterfield, Va., four bass, 11-0, $707
5th: Carl Whipple of Manassas, Va., five bass, 10-6, $435
6th: Brandon Cox of Ruther Glen, Va., four bass, 10-0, $399
7th: B.K. Kelley of Colonial Heights, Va., five bass, 9-1, $363
8th: Johnnie Hopkins of Durham, N.C., five bass, 8-13, $326
9th: Steven Jacobs of Sandford, N.C., five bass, 8-12, $290
10th: Jeff Mellott of Warfordsburg, Pa., four bass, 8-4, $254
Costas Melendez of Grottoes, Virginia, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds even. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $307.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Shenandoah 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. 8-10 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on the James River in Richmond, Virginia, hosted by Richmond Region Tourism. 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.