Salisbury’s File Wins Co-angler Division

SALISBURY, N.C. (June 8, 2020) – Boater Jason Thomas of Lexington, North Carolina, earned the win Saturday at the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine event at High Rock Lake after bringing a five-bass limit to the scale weighing 17 pounds, 10 ounces. For his victory, Thomas earned a total of $11,794, including the lucrative $7,000 FLW PHOENIX Bonus contingency award. The victory was the first win of Thomas’ FLW career.

“I’m good friends with a lot of guys that have wins, so this is really a nice notch in my belt,” said Thomas. “I was out practicing every day this week and it was a huge advantage for me – it showed me where not to fish.”

Thomas mainly focused on the creeks of High Rock Lake during the tournament, paying special attention to Second Creek where he seemed to catch most of his fish.

“Pretty much the only creeks that I didn’t fish today were Abbott’s Creek, or up the river,” Thomas said. “I caught a few on a jig, but then things got tough and I switched to a shaky-head rig to fill out my limit.

Thomas said his jig of choice was a ½-ounce Shooter Jig with a Strike King Rage Bug trailer, and he threw a 3/8-ounce shaky-head rig with a Zoom Trick Worm.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:

1^st:       Jason Thomas of Lexington, N.C., five bass, 17-10, $11,794

2^nd:      Doug Young of Salisbury, N.C, four bass, 16-11, $1,897

3^rd:       Scott Henley of Randleman, N.C., five bass, 15-13, $1,265

4^th:       Jack Dice of Lynchburg, Va., five bass, 15-7, $885

5^th:       Robert Walser of Lexington, N.C., five bass, 13-11, $759

6^th:       Mike Miller of Trinity, N.C., five bass, 13-10, $664

6^th:       Rick Tilley of Moneta, Va., five bass, 13-10, $664

8^th:       James Funk of Chesapeake, Va., five bass, 13-5, $569

9^th:       Landon Whicker of Winston-Salem, N.C., five bass, 12-12, $506

10^th:     Randall Vanlear of Madison Heights, Va., five bass, 12-10, $443

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Craig Wright of Rustburg, Virginia, claimed the day’s Boater Big Bass Award of $495 after bringing a 5-pound, 15-ounce bass to the scale.

Thomas took home an extra $7,000 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.

Tom File of Salisbury, North Carolina, won the Co-angler Division and $1,897 Saturday after catching three bass weighing 10 pounds, 6 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:

1^st:       Tom File of Salisbury, N.C., three bass, 10-6, $1,897

2^nd:      Orlando Giles of Lexington, N.C., four bass, 10-5, $949

3^rd:       Anthony Rife of Max Meadows, Va., three bass, 9-14, $538

3^rd:       Terry Graham of Leesburg, Va., four bass, 9-14, $538

5^th:       Jesse Jodon of Windber, Pa., three bass, 8-4, $379

6^th:       Brandon Shaver of Albemarle, N.C., three bass, 8-0, $332

6^th:       Micah Speights of Oakboro, N.C., three bass, 8-0, $332

8^th:       Michael Trivette of Blackstone, Va., three bass, 7-14, $285

9^th:       Barry Burford of Charlotte, N.C., two bass, 7-10, $253

10^th:     David Miller of China Grove, N.C., two bass, 7-9, $221

Martin Rushing of Albemarle, North Carolina, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, weighing in at 5 pounds, 9 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $247.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on High Rock Lake was the opening event of five qualifying tournaments in the Piedmont division.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Piedmont Division based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 22-24 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Georgia, hosted by the Gainesville Convention & Visitors Bureau. 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.