Jordan Tops on Oconee
Thomas wins co-angler title
Boater Rob Jordan of Flowery Branch, Georgia, brought a three-bass limit bass to the scale Saturday totaling 10 pounds, 9 ounces to win the 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine event on Lake Oconee in Buckhead, Georgia. Jordan topped his nearest competitor, Kim Carver of Milledgeville, Georgia, by just 4 ounces and earned $5,784 for his victory.
“This Bulldog Division features some of the best anglers in the country, so it’s always awesome to come away with a win against these guys,” says Jordan, who earned his second career victory in FLW competition.
“I bounced around throughout the day on the upper part of Lake Oconee,” Jordan continues. “I made the decision to jump into the event late Friday, so I didn’t really have any practice time. I just ran around and fished new water. It was pretty tough. I didn’t even catch my first keeper until 11 (a.m.).”
Jordan caught his fish on two different baits – a Z-Man Palmetto BugZ creature bait and a Z-Man Mag FattyZ worm.
“I was flipping to isolated wood in areas that the fish would back off to when the sun got up,” Jordan went on to say. “I was fortunate enough to catch two big ones, and that was enough to get me the win.”
The top 10 boaters:
1st: Rob Jordan of Flowery Branch, Ga., three bass, 10-9, $5,784
2nd: Kim Carver of Milledgeville, Ga., three bass, 10-5, $2,100
3rd: John Duvall of Madison, Ga., three bass, 9-1, $1,898
4th: Cal Culpepper of Hamilton, Ga., three bass, 8-9, $980
5th: Bon-Oni Maldonado of Covington, Ga., three bass, 7-10, $840
6th: Jesse Millsaps of Jasper, Ga., three bass, 7-7, $770
7th: David Milsaps of Ranger, Ga., three bass, 7-3, $700
8th: Dylan Peppers of Social Circle, Ga., three bass, 6-14, $630
9th: Todd Lowe of Greensboro, Ga., three bass, 6-13, $560
10th: Brian Jamison of Greensboro, Ga., two bass, 6-10, $490
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Jordan also brought a 4-pound, 10-ounce bass to the scale to add $585 – the day’s Boater Big Bass award – to his winnings.
Duvall 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.
Thomas wins co-angler title
Will Thomas of Madison, Georgia, won the Co-angler Division and $2,392 Saturday after catching two bass weighing 8 pounds, 8 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers:
1st: Will Thomas of Madison, Ga., two bass, 8-8, $2,392
2nd: Ken Smith of Lula, Ga., two bass, 6-8, $1,050
3rd: Conery Williams of Macon, Ga., three bass, 5-7, $701
4th: Albert McNair of Watkinsville, Ga., two bass, 5-2, $490
5th: Chris Ford of Buford, Ga., three bass, 5-1, $420
6th: Edgar Salva of Covington, Ga., two bass, 4-12, $385
7th: March Glenn of Decatur, Ala., three bass, 4-11, $350
8th: Jacob Robinson of Temple, Ga., two bass, 4-8, $315
9th: Benjamin Schooler of Lula, Ga., two bass, 4-7, $280
10th: Gerald Bunn of Mansfield, Ga., two bass, 4-6, $232
10th: Donald Peppers of Good Hope, Ga., two bass, 4-6, $232
Thomas caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a nice 5-pound, 9-ouncer. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $292.
The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on Lake Oconee was the fourth of five qualifying events in the Bulldog Division.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Bulldog Division based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 16-18 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Lake Cherokee 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.