Co-angler Victory Goes to Alvaton’s Botts

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. (Oct. 1, 2020) Boater Bill Humbard of New Market, Tennessee, brought a two-day total of 10 bass to the scale weighing 24 pounds, 4 ounces to win the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine Mountain Division Super-Tournament at Lake Cherokee. For his victory, Humbard earned $6,230.

“I’ve been blessed to win the Mountain Division prior to this event and it’s always humbling that the good Lord has blessed me to go and do what I enjoy in life,” said Humbard. “I fished a Carolina rig with a chartreuse pumpkin-colored Zoom Lizard on day one and on day two I used a Gene Larew Rattln’ Crawler  at 25 to 30 feet deep.”

Humbard said his key was staying deep and running water to find the deep-seated fish.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:

            1^st:       Bill Humbard of New Market, Tenn., 10 bass, 24-4, $6,230

            2^nd:      Josh Tramel of Smithville, Tenn., eight bass, 19-6, $3,115

            3^rd:       Pat Eichmann of Nancy, Ky., seven bass, 18-10, $2,932

            4^th:       Brent Butler of Vonore, Tenn., seven bass, 18-6, $1,454

            5^th:       Trent Adkins of East Bernstadt, Ky., seven bass, 16-3, $1,246

            6^th:       Tory Ferrell of Morristown, Tenn., eight bass, 15-9, $1,142

            7^th:       Mike Quinlin of Mooresville, Ind., six bass, 14-7, $1,538

            8^th:       Dwight Fox of Gainesboro, Tenn., seven bass, 14-7, $934

            9^th:       Justin McGaha of Knoxville, Tenn., six bass, 13-7, $831

            10^th:     Vernon Lowe of Oneida, Tenn., six bass, 12-13, $727

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Eichmann earned the day’s $855 Boater Big Bass award with a 5-pound, 5-ounce bass.

Quinlin 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.

Kenny Botts of Alvaton, Kentucky earned the win in the Co-angler Division Sunday after catching a two-day total of seven bass weighing 16 pounds, 6 ounces. Botts earned $3,115 for his victory.

The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:

            1^st:       Kenny Botts of Alvaton, Ky., seven bass, 16-6, $3,115

            2^nd:      Brent Clark of Bowling Green, Ky., five bass, 10-1, $1,557

            3^rd:       Brian Short of Oxford, Ohio, five bass, 9-7, $1,040

            4^th:       Luke Shrader of Barrington, N.J., three bass 8-14, $1,227

            5^th:       Taylor Wisniewski of Lexington, Ky., three bass, 8-7, $623

            6^th:       Ronnie Gill of Indianapolis, Ind., two bass, 8-4, $998

            7^th:       Corey Bradley of McDonald, Tenn., three bass, 7-11, $519

            8^th:       Larry Goss of Westmoreland, Tenn., four bass, 7-10, $467

            9^th:       Ernest James of Loyall, Ky., four bass, 7-4, $415

            10^th:     Bill Haunert of Byrdstown, Tenn., three bass, 6-12, $363

Gill earned the event’s Co-angler Big Bass Award of $427 with a 4-pound, 9-ounce bass.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on Lake Cherokee was hosted by the Jefferson County Department of Tourism. It was the fifth and final qualifying event in the 2020 Mountain Division.

Now the top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Mountain 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 Chickamauga Lake 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.