Kentucky’s Fouts Wins Co-angler Division

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: SCOTTSBORO, Ala. (Jan. 27, 2020) – Boater James Swindle of Parrish, Alabama, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 20 pounds, 7 ounces to top 223 boats and win the 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine at Lake Guntersville in Scottsville, Alabama. Swindle earned $6,000 for his victory.

“This is awesome,” said Swindle, who earned his first career win in Bass Fishing League competition. “My dad has fished in BFL tournaments since I can remember, and I’ve seen him bring home a couple of trophies over the years. So to get one of my own is pretty special, and I’m so proud to be bringing this home.”

Swindle said that he spent the day fishing up past the B.B. Comer Bridge, because he knew that the fishing pressure would not be as bad. One a tough day where most anglers had to scramble to catch a limit, Swindle boated more than 40 keepers throughout the day.

“I commited to a jig and a crankbait for most of the day,” Swindle said. “I had some deeper stuff and some shallow stuff, but most of my fish came from 6-foot of water. My key bait was a green-pumpkin-colored structure jig with a twin-tail grub trailer.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:

1^st:       James Swindle of Parrish, Ala., five bass, 20-7, $6,000

2^nd:      Will Robinson of Columbia, Tenn., five bass, 18-14, $3,000

3^rd:       Jordan Wiggins of Cullman, Ala., five bass, 17-11, $1,574

3^rd:       Matt Adams of Oxford, Ala., five bass, 17-11, $1,101

3^rd:       Brad Harmon of Ringgold, Ga., three bass, 17-11, $944

6^th:       Gavin Ainslie of Harrison, Tenn., five bass, 17-9, $865

7^th:       Cassidy Evans of Auburn, Ala., five bass, 17-1, $787

8^th:       Derek Miller of Grant, Ala., five bass, 17-0, $708

8^th:       Will Yelverton of Hazel Green, Ala., five bass, 17-0, $629

10^th:     Terry Tucker of Gadsden, Ala., five bass, 16-12, $551

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Rick Williams of Decatur, Alabama, brought a 7-pound, 6-ounce largemouth to the scale to win the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $1,000.

Jim Leary of Guntersville, Alabama, 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.

Benjamin Fouts of Morehead, Kentucky, won the Co-angler Division and $3,000 Saturday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 17 pounds, 1 ounce.

The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:

1^st:       Benjamin Fouts of Morehead, Ky., five bass, 17-1, $3,000

2^nd:      Tony Pendley of Oakman, Ala., five bass, 16-14, $1,500

3^rd:       Bruce Stanley of Jasper, Ala., five bass, 16-9, $1,000

4^th:       Brian Martin of Ranburne, Ala., five bass, 15-10, $700

5^th:       Jacob Daily of Chattanooga, Tenn., five bass, 15-2, $600

6^th:       Randy Hill of Athens, Ala., five bass, 14-12, $550

7^th:       Shane Browder of Lynnville, Ind., four bass, 14-3, $500

8^th:       Christian Greico of Tampa, Fla., four bass, 13-15, $450

9^th:       Roger King of Killeen, Texas, five bass, 13-10, $400

10^th:     Lynn Spears, Athens, Tenn., five bass, 13-7, $350

Chase Fleeman of Summertown, Tennessee, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 8 pounds, 3 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $500.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on Lake Guntersville was hosted by the Mountain Lakes Chamber of Commerce. It was the opening event of five qualifying tournaments in the Choo Choo division.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Choo Choo based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 16-18 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Lake Cherokee in Jefferson City, Tennessee, hosted by the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce. Boaters will compete for a $60,000 prize package, including a new 18-foot Phoenix bass boat with a 200-horsepower 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 April 30 through May 2 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.