Co-angler Victory Goes to Trion’s Brown

EUFAULA, Ala. (Sept. 14, 2020) Boater Michael M. Smith of Andalusia, Alabama brought a two-day total of 10 bass to the scale weighing 40 pounds, 4 ounces to win the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine Bama Division Super-Tournament at Lake Eufaula. For his victory, Smith earned $6,329.

“The key to this win was running as many places as I could where I had found big fish over the past couple months,” said Smith. “I probably pulled the trolling motor up more than fifty times today and the key was to just keep moving.

“Almost every fish I caught this weekend was on the first or second cast on a spot, so if I’d made five casts and hadn’t caught one, I’d move somewhere else,” Smith continued. “I spent a lot of time practicing up here and finding as many places as I could and it certainly paid off.”

Smith said this was his third BFL win and he was excited to get a win on one of his home lakes.

“Out deep I was cranking a 6^th Sense C20 and C15 Crankbait in a custom color, so I had something a little different than anyone else on the lake,” Smith said. “I’ve run my Mercury outboard all over this place the past two days. Having great equipment definitely helps, as well as using products you’re confident in and trusting what you’ve got.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:

1^st:       Michael M. Smith of Andalusia, Ala, 10 bass, 40-4, $6,329

2^nd:      Ryan Ingram of Phenix City, Ala., 10 bass, 32-14, $2,664

            3^rd:       Dustin Wood of Eufaula, Ala., 10 bass, 32-13, $1,777

            4^th:       Robert Werner of Spanish Fort, Ala., 10 bass, 31-3, $1,925

            5^th:       Josh Stracner of Vandiver, Ala., 10 bass, 30-9, $1,066

            6^th:       Clayton Batts of Butler, Ga., 10 bass, 29-0, $1,477

            7^th:       Ashley Brasher of Clanton, Ala., eight bass, 26-14, $888

            8^th:       Ethan Greene of Eufaula, Ala., 10 bass, 25-13, $799

            9^th:       Scott Daughtry of Abbeville, Ala., 10 bass, 24-11, $710

            10^th:     Guy Jordan of Gainesville, Ga., 10 bass, 24-1, $622

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Werner earned the day’s $682 Boater Big Bass award with a 6-pound, 4-ounce bass.

Batts 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.

Garrett Brown of Trion, Georgia earned the win in the Co-angler Division Saturday after catching a two-day total of eight bass weighing 20 pounds,11 ounces. Brown earned $2,658 for his victory.

The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:

            1^st:       Garrett Brown of Trion, Ga., eight bass, 20-11, $2,658

            2^nd:      Mark Denney of Perry, Ga., 10 bass, 20-10, $1,329

            3^rd:       Charles Davis of Wetumpka, Ala., seven bass, 19-5, $886

            4^th:       Michael Anderson of Newton, Ala., nine bass, 18-11, $620

5^th:       Jacob Smith of Daleville, Ala., seven bass, 17-5, $532

            6^th:       Christian Bladen of Dothan, Ala., nine bass, 16-2, $487

            7^th:       Randy Hill of Athens, Ala., nine bass, 15-10, $443

            8^th:       Randy Brooks of Dozier, Ala., eight bass, 15-2, $399

            9^th:       Keith Lynch of River Falls, Ala., seven bass, 14-12, $354

            10^th:     Keith Reynolds of Ozark, Ala., six bass, 13-9, $310

Girdner earned the event’s Co-angler Big Bass Award of $334 with a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 9 ounces.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on Lake Eufaula was the fifth and final qualifying event in the 2020 Bama Division.

Now the top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Bama Division based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will advance to the Oct. 8-10 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Lake Chickamauga in Dayton, Tennessee, hosted by Rhea Economic and Tourism Council. 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.