Co-angler Victory Goes to Hiawassee’s McClure

ANDERSON, S.C. (Oct. 13, 2020) Boater Troy Morrow of Eastanollee, Georgia, brought a two-day total of 10 bass to the scale weighing 32 pounds even, to win the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine Savannah River Division Super-Tournament at Lake Hartwell presented by Fish-Intel. For his victory, Morrow earned $6,415.

I didn’t start catching fish until after 9 a.m, but I had found a spot in practice with some big ones on a timber line,” said Morrow. “I broke a big one off yesterday that would have really helped but I went back today and they were schooling so I caught them all on top.”

Morrow comes from a recent Toyota Series win on Lake Norman, only a few short weeks ago.

“On Hartwell, it all depends on what bait the fish are currently eating,” Morrow continued. “These were eating small fish so I threw small topwater baits. Normally if you can find them eating on the bluebacks, you go with pencil poppers, big sammies and your bigger walking baits.”

Morrow said if he had to name his key bait it would be the Zoom Shakey Head Worm in green-pumpkin color.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:

1st: Troy Morrow of Eastonellee, Ga.,10 bass, 32-0, $6,415

2nd: Derek Lehtonen of Woodruff, S.C., 10 bass, 28-4, $3,708

3rd: Chris Nelson of Social Circle, Ga., 10 bass, 27-4, $2,141

4th: Jayme Rampey of Liberty, S.C., 10 bass, 26-11, $1,497

5th: Tony Holliday of Piedmont, S.C., 10 bass, 25-5, $1,283

6th: Justin Singleton of Myrtle Beach, S.C., 10 bass, 24-12, $1,376

7th: Lane Wright of Cumming, Ga., 10 bass, 24-6, $1,069

8th: Bo Price of Seneca, S.C., 10 bass, 23-12, $962

9th: Trent Palmer of Cumming, Ga., 10 bass, 23-1, $855

10th: Collin Smith of Honea Path, S.C., 10 bass, 21-11, $748

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Jeremy Strong of Elberton, Georgia earned the day’s $907 Boater Big Bass award with a 5-pound, 5-ounce bass.

Lehtonen 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.

Nathan McClure of Hiawassee, Georgia earned the win in the Co-angler Division Sunday after catching a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 19 pounds, 6 ounces. McClure earned $3,181 for his victory.

The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:

1st: Nathan McClure of Hiawassee, Ga., 10 bass, 19-6, $3,181

2nd: Adam Tanner of Cleveland, Ga., 10 bass, 18-10, $1,591

3rd: Wendell Grantham of Athens, Ga., 10 bass, 17-13, $1,061

4th: Christopher Chavis of Guyton, Ga., nine bass, 17-5, $742

5th: Blake Wilson of Benton, Ark., 10 bass, 17-3, $636

6th: Wayne Hancock of Cumming, Ga., 10 bass, 16-15, $583

7th: Cody Coker of Comer, Ga., eight bass, 15-13, $530

8th: Brian Anthony of Pickens, S.C., 10 bass, 15-9, $677

9th: Gary Haraguchi of Phoenix, Ariz., nine bass, 15-7, $424

10th: Kevin Henderson of Honea Path, S.C., seven bass, 15-3, $371

Collin Cribb of Sumter, South Carolina, earned the event’s Co-angler Big Bass Award of $450 with a fish weighing in at 3 pounds, 7 ounces

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on Lake Hartwell was hosted by the Anderson Convention and Visitors Bureau and was the fifth and final qualifying event in the 2020 Savannah River Division.

Now the top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Savannah River Division based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will advance to the Oct. 22-24 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Georgia, hosted by Gainesville Convention and Visitors Bureau. 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.