Co-angler Victory Goes to Berea’s Kich

TRENTON, Mich. (Sept. 30, 2020) Boater Wilson Burton of Findlay, Ohio, brought a two-day total of 10 bass to the scale weighing 40 pounds, 2 ounces to win the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine Michigan Division Super-Tournament at the Detroit River. For his victory, Burton earned $7,829.

The tournament was the fifth and final event in the 2020 Michigan Division presented by A.R.E. Truck Caps.

“I’ve fished BFL’s for years and have come close to a win, but this is my first victory and it feels good,” said Burton. “I changed things up and started bouncing hole to hole which has been beneficial.

“I tend to get stuck in one spot and think they will show up, but the key to smallmouth is to keep jumping. I probably hit 15 different spots each day and I think it paid off.”

Burton said he caught his key fish using mango magic-colored Poor Boys Tubes and green pumpkin and goby-colored Berkley Powerbait Maxscent Flat Worms.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:

            1^st:       Wilson Burton of Findlay, Ohio, 10 bass, 40-2, $7,829

            2^nd:      Cody Kelley of Portage, Mich., 10 bass, 39-12, $2,664

            3^rd:       Scott Dobson of Clarkston, Mich., 10 bass, 39-6, $2,459

            4^th:       Heath Wagner of Angola, Ind., 10 bass, 39-5, $1,243

            5^th:       Jeremy Antrup of Fremont, Ind., 10 bass, 38-0, $1,066

            6^th:       John Devries of Fishers, Ind., 10 bass, 37-7, $977

            7^th:       Pat Upthagrove of Monroe, Mich., 10 bass, 34-13, $888

            8^th:       Randy Ramsey of Burlington, Mich., 10 bass, 34-1, $799

            9^th:       David Reault of Livonia, Mich., 10 bass, 32-9, $910

            10^th:     Nathan Troyanek of New Boston, Mich., nine bass, 30-7, $622

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Dobson earned the day’s $682 Boater Big Bass award with a 5-pound, 8-ounce bass.

Burton took home an extra $2,500 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.

Brian Kich of Berea, Ohio, earned the win in the Co-angler Division Sunday after catching a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 35 pounds, 13 ounces. Kich earned $2,664 for his victory.

The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:

            1^st:       Brian Kich of Berea, Ohio, 10 bass, 35-13, $2,664

            2^nd:      John Ward of Trenton, Mich., nine bass, 29-7, $1,332

            3^rd:       Andrew Troyer of Syracuse, Ind., eight bass, 28-3, $889

            4^th:       Rusty Low of Greenfield, Ind., nine bass, 26-14, $622

            5^th:       Todd Layne of Poca, W.Va., nine bass, 26-3, $533

            6^th:       Randall Hoover of Royal Oak, Mich., seven bass, 24-2, $829

            7^th:       David Borsa of Redford, Mich., seven bass, 21-10, $444

            8^th:       Tony Grubb of Ann Arbor, Mich., eight bass, 21-4, $400

            9^th:       Gordon Reilly of Indianapolis, Ind., six bass, 20-3, $555

            10^th:     Logan Roller of Tremont, Ill., five bass, 18-8, $311

Hoover earned the event’s Co-angler Big Bass Award of $341 with a fish weighing in at 6 pounds even.

Now 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 advance to 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.