Okeana’s Jones Wins Co-angler Division

LAKEVIEW, Ohio (June 8, 2020) – Boater John Barnett of Huntsville, Ohio, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 13 pounds even to win the 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine event at Indian Lake in Lakeview, Ohio. For his victory, Barnett earned a total of $4,872.

The tournament was the first of five events in the Buckeye Division presented by A.R.E. Truck Caps.

“I fished on the north end of the lake, by Long Island,” said Barnett, who earned his first career FLW win. “I was punching a mixture of grass – a lot of coon tails – keying in on patches that had deeper water around it. I got most of my good bites around 3½- to 4-foot-deep, which on this lake is relatively deep.”

Although he didn’t divulge any specifics, Barnett said he punched with both beaver- and craw-type baits with ¾- and 1¼-ounce weights, cycling through different setups to see what the bass wanted.

“I found those fish two weeks ago and pretty much just expanded on my area,” Barnett went on to say. “I had a set game plan of what I wanted to do in this tournament, and everything worked out for me.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:

1^st:       John Barnett of Huntsville, Ohio., five bass, 13-0, $4,872

2^nd:      Brody Campbell of Oxford, Ohio, five bass, 12-13, $2,436

3^rd:       Benjamin Quisno of Maineville, Ohio, five bass, 11-4, $1,623

4^th:       Gaige Hennon of New Hampshire, Ohio, five bass, 11-3, $1,137

5^th:       Robert Grosse of Thornville, Ohio, five bass, 11-0, $1,474

6^th:       Douglas Lyon of Cincinnati, Ohio, five bass, 10-10, $893

7^th:       Todd Miller of Hamilton, Ohio, five bass, 10-8, $812

8^th:       Ronald Nutter of Newark, Ohio, five bass, 10-5, $731

9^th:       Michael Nesbitt of St. Paris, Ohio, five bass, 10-3, $609

9^th:       Brandon Cline of Wheelersburg, Ohio, five bass, 10-3, $609

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

William Redmond of Sciotoville, Ohio, claimed the day’s Boater Big Bass Award of $735 after bringing a 4-pound bass to the scale.

Grosse 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.

Brent Jones of Okeana, Ohio, won the Co-angler Division and $2,436 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 9 pounds, 4 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:

1^st:       Brent Jones of Okeana, Ohio, five bass, 9-4, $2,436

2^nd:      Eric Wild of Brooklyn, Mich., five bass, 8-12, $1,383

2^nd:      Jefferey Shields of Covington, Ohio, five bass, 8-12, $1,016

4^th:       John McKenzie of Athens, Ohio, five bass, 8-8, $568

5^th:       Aaron Stahley of Batavia, Ohio, five bass, 8-7, $487

6^th:       Joel Berelsman of Minster, Ohio, five bass, 7-15, $447

7^th:       James Mayle of Newark, Ohio, four bass, 7-10, $406

8^th:       Chris McCusker of Beaver Falls, Pa., four bass, 7-9, $345

8^th:       Steve Sorrell of Beavercreek, Ohio, five bass, 7-9, $345

10^th:     Jeff Gauspohl of Dayton, Ky., four bass, 7-8, $284

Wild caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, weighing in at 3 pounds, 11 ounces. The catch added to his winnings as he earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $367.

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.