Indiana’s Bauer Wins Co-angler Division

HARRISON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (Aug. 3, 2020) – Boater Buck Mallory of Lawton, Michigan, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 25 pounds, 5 ounces to win the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine event at Lake St. Clair in Harrison Township, Michigan. For his victory, Mallory earned a total of $4,652.

” src=”blob:https://anglerschannel.com/7c178de2-44fb-426c-953a-abd3f3bb97c3″ alt=”A person wearing a helmet Description automatically generated” align=”right” hspace=”12″ v:shapes=”Picture_x0020_2″ class=”Apple-web-attachment Singleton” style=”width: 4in; height: 2.25in; opacity: 1;”>The tournament was the second of five events in the Michigan Division presented by A.R.E. Truck Caps.

“I was fishing in the main lake on St. Clair,” said Mallory, who earned the first victory of his career. “The key was sticking around and grinding it out. I didn’t leave a 100-yard stretch the whole day.  I just did circles and circles and circles until I couldn’t do them anymore. And then I did it five more times and caught one more good one that got me the win.”

Mallory said that his key bait was a drop-shot rig with a Strike King ElazTech Z Too soft jerkbait with an Eco Pro Tungsten Full Contact drop-shot weight.

“I didn’t realize that I would be so emotional when I finally got a win,” Mallory went on to say. “I was so due. I’m really excited.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:

1^st:       Buck Mallory of Lawton, Mich., five bass, 25-5, $4,652

2^nd:      Mike Raber of Wolcottville, Ind., five bass, 24-10, $2,326

3^rd:       Heath Wagner of Angola, Ind., five bass, 23-3, $1,318

4^th:       Beau Bickford of Findlay, Ohio, five bass, 23-3, $1,318

5^th:       Hugh Cosculluela of The Woodlands, Texas., five bass, 22-12, $894

6^th:       Wyatt Walker of Parma, Mich., five bass, 22-9, $820

7^th:       Robert Lefere of Jackson, Mich, five bass, 22-1, $708

7^th:       Wayne Macklin of Linden, Mich., five bass, 21-10, $708

9^th:       Chris Stanford of Omaha, Neb., five bass, 21-6, $596

10^th:     Andrew Smith of Chesterfield Township, Mich., five bass, 21-3, $496

10^th:     Chase Morgan of Danville, Ind., five bass, 21-3, $496

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Smith earned the day’s Boater Big Bass Award of $685 after bringing a 5-pound, 11-ounce bass to the scale.

Cosculluela was also 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.

Tom Bauer of Martinsville, Indiana, won the Co-angler Division and $2,326 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 23 pounds, 10 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:

1^st:       Tom Bauer of Martinsville, Ind., five bass, 23-10, $2,326

2^nd:      Austin Freed of Wolcottville, Ind., five bass, 22-14, $1,163

3^rd:       Kenneth Lesner of Westland, Mich., five bass, 22-4, $777

4^th:       Davis Stutzman of Shipshewana, Ind., five bass, 21-12, $543

5^th:       Daniel Hechler of Franklin, Ohio, five bass, 21-4, $465

6^th:       Marvin Washington of Canton, Mich., five bass, 21-3, $426

6^th:       Aaron Stahley of Batavia, Ohio, five bass, 20-12, $388

8^th:       Matthew Kime of Holland, Ohio, five bass, 19-14, $349

9^th:       Scott Sims of Morgantown, Ind., five bass, 19-13, $310

10^th:     Bill Miller of Metamora, Mich., five bass, 19-12, $613

Miller caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, weighing in at 6 pounds, 5 ounces. The catch added to his winnings as he earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $342.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Michigan 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. 15-17 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin, hosted by Explore La Crosse. 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.