Sorrels Earns Co-angler Victory

FALLS OF ROUGH, Ky. (Sept. 21, 2020) – Boater Jeramiah Sifers of Sellersburg, Indiana, brought a two-day total of 10 bass to the scale this weekend weighing 22 pounds, 14 ounces to win the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine Hoosier Division Super-Tournament at the Rough River. Sifers earned a total of $6,917 for his victory.

Sifers caught a monster limit weighing 19 pounds, 11 ounces on day one of the event that gave him a near 10-pound lead to start the second day of competition. Sifers said he targeted shallow water in the north end.

“I flipped a black and blue jig, threw a Whopper Plopper, a buzzbait and a spinnerbait,” Sifers said. “It was just a shallow-water deal – the fish were really keying on the channel stumps.

“This is my third career win, but I haven’t won since 2004,” Sifers went on to say. “I’ve had lots of second- and third-place finishes since, but it’s awesome to get the win. When it’s your time, it’s your time.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:

            1^st:       Jeramiah Sifers of Sellersburg, Ind., seven bass, 22-14, $6,917

            2^nd:      Michael Bays of Bellevue, Ky., 10 bass, 18-5, $2,628

            3^rd:       B.J. Fitzgerald of Whitesville, Ky., nine bass, 17-1, $1,752

            4^th:       Chris Martinkovic of Hamilton, Ohio, 10 bass, 17-0, $1,927

            5^th:       Ryan Deal of Elberfeld, Ind., 10 bass, 15-14, $1,051

            6^th:       Brody Campbell of Oxford, Ohio, nine bass, 15-14, $964

            7^th:       Phil Hunt of Connersville, Ind., eight bass, 15-12, $876

            8^th:       Larry Sisk of Evansville, Ind., nine bass, 15-9, $788

            9^th:       Chris Wilkinson of Farmersburg, Ind., eight bass, 14-15, $701

            10^th:     Craig Carns of Noblesville, Ind., seven bass, 14-11, $613

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Sifers brought a 6-pound, 12-ounce largemouth bass to the scale to win the Boater Big Bass award of $660.

Frank Haysley of Louisville, Kentucky, 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.

Colby Sorrels of Fordsville, Kentucky, won the Co-angler Division and $2,958 Sunday after catching a two-day total of six bass weighing 14 pounds, 4 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:

            1^st:       Colby Sorrels of Fordsville, Ky., six bass, 14-4, $2,958

            2^nd:      Ronnie Gill of Indianapolis, Ind., seven bass, 12-7, $1,314

            3^rd:       Jeffery Johnson of Austin, Ind., seven bass, 12-7, $1,077

            4^th:       Mark Sollman of Haubstadt, Ind., seven bass, 11-7, $613

            5^th:       Ryan Sykes of Hamilton, Ohio, five bass, 11-0, $526

            6^th:       Lincoln Bowen of Crothersville, Ind., six bass, 8-15, $482

            7^th:       Cory Malcom of Bremen, Ind., six bass, 8-13, $438

            8^th:       Payne Blackburn of Muncie, Ind., five bass, 8-9, $394

            9^th:       Chris Hogue of Bargersville, Ind., four bass, 8-9, $350

            10^th:     Rod Yoder of West Lafayette, Ind., six bass, 8-3, $307

Sorrels also caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 4 ounces. The catch earned him the Co-angler Big Bass award and added $330 to his winnings.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine Super Tournament on the Rough River was the fifth and final qualifying event in the Hoosier Division.

Now the top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Hoosier Division 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.