Mooresville Angler Wins Third BFL North Carolina Division Event in 2020

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Sept. 14, 2020) – Boater Brian Morgan of Mooresville, North Carolina, brought a two-day total of 10 bass to the scale this weekend weighing 24 pounds, 10 ounces to win the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine North Carolina Division Super-Tournament at Lake Norman. Morgan earned a total of $5,831 for his victory – his third win of the year in the North Carolina division.

“To be honest, I kind of want to cry right now,” said Morgan, who earned a total of $16,693 in Bass Fishing League tournaments this season. “I can’t even think straight. To win three in a year… unbelievable.”

Morgan said that his key bait throughout the weekend was a jig.

“I caught most of my fish on a jig, but I got my biggest one of the day Sunday on a buzzbait,” Morgan said. “I worked hard for this one. I spent almost three months planting brush piles.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:

            1^st:       Brian Morgan of Mooresville, N.C., 10 bass, 24-10, $5,831

            2^nd:      Chris Baumgardner of Gastonia, N.C., 10 bass, 24-2, $3,702

            3^rd:       Craig Chambers of Charlotte, N.C., 10 bass, 23-0, $1,945

            4^th:       John Parker of Gaffney, S.C., 10 bass, 22-14, $1,361

            5^th:       Maurice Freeze of Concord, N.C., 10 bass, 22-12, $1,166

            6^th:       Bryan Thrift of Shelby, N.C., 10 bass, 22-10, $1,069

            7^th:       Drew Montgomery of Maiden, N.C., nine bass, 22-7, $972

            8^th:       Kyle Austin of Ridgeville, S.C., 10 bass, 21-12, $875

            9^th:       Donald Poteat of Morganton, N.C., 10 bass, 21-10, $777

            10^th:     Scott Hamrick of Denver, N.C., 10 bass, 21-3, $680

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Baumgardner brought a 4-pound, 1-ounce bass to the scale to win the Boater Big Bass award of $787.

Jake Monti of Mooresville, North Carolina, 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.

Hunter Harwell of Hickory, North Carolina, won the Co-angler Division and $2,916 Sunday after catching a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 20 pounds, 2 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:

            1^st:       Hunter Harwell of Hickory, N.C., 10 bass, 20-2, $2,916

            2^nd:      Carson Palmer of Richfield, N.C., nine bass, 16-4, $1,458

            3^rd:       Dale Surrett of Midland, N.C., seven bass, 13-10, $971

            4^th:       Willard Taylor of Newton, N.C., seven bass, 13-5, $680

            5^th:       David Miller of China Grove, N.C., eight bass, 13-3, $583

            6^th:       Logan Anderson of Catawba, N.C., seven bass, 13-0, $535

            7^th:       David Deciucis of Chester, Va., eight bass, 12-5, $628

            8^th:       Bryon Medeiros of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., four bass, 11-8, $565

            9^th:       Steven Jacobs of Sanford, N.C., seven bass, 11-1, $502

            10^th:     Artie Phillips of Monroe, N.C., six bass, 11-0, $439

Medeiros caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 4 pounds, 12 ounces. The catch earned him the Co-angler Big Bass award and added $394 to his winnings.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine Super-Tournament on Lake Norman was hosted by the Marshall County Convention & Visitors Bureau. It was the fifth and final qualifying event in the 2020 North Carolina Division.

Now, the top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the North Carolina Division based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 8-10 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on the James River in Richmond, Virginia, hosted by Richmond Region Tourism. 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.