Co-angler Victory Goes to Covington’s Santiago

EUFAULA, Ala. (Oct. 5, 2020) Boater Shane Powell of Dothan, Alabama brought a two-day total of 10 bass to the scale weighing 38 pounds, 15 ounces to win the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine Bulldog Division Super-Tournament at Lake Eufaula. For his victory, Powell earned $5,831.

This was the fifth and final qualifying event in the 2020 Bulldog Division and was hosted by the Eufaula Barbour County Chamber of Commerce.

“Sunday, I started at a new location where I hadn’t fished during practice, or on day one, and caught several key bass which really set the tempo for the day,” said Powell. “I ran all the way up and down the lake, burning an entire tank of gas on day one. I got a little more focused on the second day and stayed toward the south end of the lake.”

Powell said he caught most of his fish shallow, four- to five-feet-deep, on a ChatterBait and an unnamed jig.

“The water was about four-feet low and had a lot of color, allowing me to throw a ChatterBait and other moving baits, which the fish were really keying in on.

“This is my second BFL win, but my first two-day tournament win,” Powell continued. “These wins are hard to come by and I’m definitely proud.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:

            1^st:       Shane Powelll of Dothan, Ala., 10 bass, 38-15, $5,831

            2^nd:      Scott Montgomery of Eufaula, Ala., 10 bass, 34-11, $3,415

            3^rd:       Matt Baty of Bainbridge, Ga., 10 bass, 34-3, $1,945

            4^th:       Josh Stracner of Vandiver, Ala., 10 bass, 32-0, $1,361

            5^th:       Jay Grogan of Fort Mitchell, Ala., 10 bass, 30-8, $1,166

            6^th:       Brad Stalnaker of Eatonton, Ga., 10 bass, 30-6, $1,069

            7^th:       Al Cleghorn of Fitzgerald, Ga., 10 bass, 28-12, $972

            8^th:       Dylan Peppers of Social Circle, Ga., nine bass, 27-7, $875

            9^th:       Michael M. Smith of Andalusia, Ala., 10 bass, 27-5, $777

            10^th:     Michael Conley of Bainbridge, Ga., 10 bass, 27-4, $680

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Steve Graziano of Phenix City, Alabama earned the day’s $787 Boater Big Bass award with a 6-pound, 10-ounce bass.

Montgomery 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.

Jans Santiago of Covington, Georgia, earned the win in the Co-angler Division Sunday after catching a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 25 pounds, 10 ounces. Santiago earned $2,916 for his victory.

The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:

            1^st:       Jans Santiago of Covington, Ga., 10 bass, 25-10, $2,916

            2^nd:      Kiwanas Andrews of Atlanta, Ga., 10 bass, 22-8, $1,655

            3^rd:       Justin Nalley of Fayetteville, Ga., 10 bass, 20-9, $971

            4^th:       Ronald Harris of Jefferson, Ga., eight bass, 18-12, $680

            5^th:       Jamie Childree of Valdosta, Ga., nine bass, 18-1, $583

            6^th:       Hayden Marbut of Birmingham, Ala., seven bass, 18-0, $535

            7^th:       Todd Anderson of Dawsonville, Ga., seven bass, 17-13, $486

            8^th:       Conery Williams of Macon, Ga., eight bass, 16-0, $437

            9^th:       Daniel Buswell, Jr. of Fayetteville, Ga., eight bass, 13-11, $389

            10^th:     Ryan Frisch of Eatonton, Ga., six bass, 13-5, $340

Andrews earned the event’s Co-angler Big Bass Award of $197 with a 5-pound, 10-ounce bass.

Now the top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Bulldog Division based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will advance to the Oct. 16-18 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Lake Cherokee  in Jefferson City, Tennessee, hosted by the Jefferson County Department of 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.