Joliet, Illinois’ Bernicky Earns Co-angler Victory

WARSAW, Mo. (Sept. 14, 2020) – Boater Mike Wallis of Hallsville, Missouri, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 19 pounds, 14 ounces to win the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine event on Lake Truman in Warsaw, Missouri. For his victory, Wallis earned a total of $5,009.

The tournament was the third of five events in the Ozark Division presented by Tournament Anglers Group (TAG).

“My day started off real slow – I went to primary spot and didn’t have fish before 10 o’clock,” said Wallis, who was fishing in his first career Bass Fishing League event. “After the sun popped out I caught a couple of big ones, then the sun went back in and they stopped. Later in the day they started biting again and I caught three more.”

Wallis said that his key baits were a shaky-head rig and a Pig Sticker jig.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:

1^st:       Mike Wallis of Hallsville, Mo., five bass, 19-14, $5,009

2^nd:      Kyle Alsop of Overland Park, Kan., five bass, 19-2, $2,505

3^rd:       Darrell Reach of Kansas City, Mo., five bass, 18-10, $1,336

4^th:       Andy Newcomb of Camdenton, Mo., five bass, 18-0, $935

5^th:       Mark Tucker of Kirkwood, Mo., five bass, 17-12, $802

6^th:       Chris Aswegan of Tiffin, Iowa, five bass, 17-10, $735

7^th:       Roger Fitzpatrick of Eldon, Mo., five bass, 17-9, $668

8^th:       Tom Alsop of Overland Park, Kan., five bass, 16-7, $601

8^th:       Jared Knuth of Wahoo, Neb., five bass, 16-1, $535

10^th:     Keith Nickell of Raymore, Mo., five bass, 15-12, $468

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

McCormick earned the day’s $550 Boater Big Bass award with a 6-pound, 11-ounce bass.

Alsop 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.

Alan Bernicky of Joliet, Illinois, earned the win in the Co-angler Division Saturday after catching five bass weighing 14 pounds, 15 ounces. Bernicky earned $2,705 for his victory.

The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:

1^st:       Alan Bernicky of Joliet, Ill., five bass, 14-15, $2,705

2^nd:      Ryan Stagner of Robertsville, Mo., five bass, 14-14, $1,002

3^rd:       Anthony Johnson of Excelsior Springs, Mo., five bass, 14-3, $668

4^th:       Brian Huber of Saint Peters, Mo., four bass, 12-4, $468

5^th:       Cameron Rieder of Independence, Mo., four bass, 11-7, $401

6^th:       Larry Rothweil of Saint Charles, Mo., five bass, 10-15, $368

7^th:       William Hoffert of Columbia, Mo., four bass, 9-9, $334

8^th:       Tim Sisco of Fair Grove, Mo., two bass, 9-4, $301

9^th:       Jon Cordray of House Springs, Mo., three bass, 9-3, $250

9^th:       Kyle Anderson of Foley, Mo., three bass, 9-3, $250

Steve Schaefer of Palmyra, Missouri, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 12 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $275.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Ozark Division presented by TAG, 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.