Boater Brian Morgan of Sherrills Ford, North Carolina, brought five bass to the scale Saturday totaling 18 pounds, 13 ounces to win the 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine event at Lake Norman in Mooresville, North Carolina. For his victory, Morgan earned a total of $5,014.
“The key to my victory was cranking all day,” says Morgan, who earned his first career victory in FLW competition. “I told my co-angler that I was not going to put the crankbait down and we ran all over the lake. I kept the crankbait in my hand all day.”
Morgan remained tight-lipped about his specific color and presentation but mentioned that his lure of choice was a Lucky Craft crankbait.
“I was fishing stained water on the south end of the lake,” Morgan went on to say. “It feels awesome to get this win. I’ve had a chance to win many of them, and then I end up blowing it. To win this one feels great – it’s been a long time coming.”
The top 10 boaters:
1st: Brian Morgan of Sherrills Ford, N.C., five bass, 18-13, $5,014
2nd: Cole Blythe of Stanley, N.C., five bass, 17-14, $2,507
3rd: Stephen Cannon of Wilkesboro, N.C., five bass, 17-8, $1,670
4th: Derik Hudson of Concord, Va., five bass, 17-0, $1,370
5th: Roger Pope of Statesville, N.C., five bass, 16-11, $1,103
6th: David Cooke of Mooresville, N.C., five bass, 16-7, $877
6th: Scott Hamrick of Denver, N.C., five bass, 16-7, $877
8th: Kelly Logan of Morganton, N.C., five bass, 16-3, $752
9th: Robert Walser of Lexington, N.C., five bass, 15-14, $1,433
10th: Michael Stephens of Gastonia, N.C., five bass, 15-12, $585
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Walser brought a 7-pound, 2-ounce bass to the scale to win the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $765.
Adam Waters of Denver, North Carolina was the highest-finishing FLW PHOENIX BONUS member and took home an extra $500. 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.
Artie Phillips of Monroe, North Carolina, won the Co-angler Division and $2,507 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 15 pounds, 5 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers:
1st: Artie Phillips of Monroe, N.C., five bass, 15-5, $2,507
2nd: David Deciucis of Chester, Va., five bass, 13-2, $1,253
3rd: Nathan Grose of Summersville, W. Va., five bass, 12-15, $837
4th: Colby Schuping of North Wilkesboro, N.C., five bass, 12-11, $585
5th: Mathew Baker of Asheboro, N.C., five bass, 11-10, $501
6th: Quin Motley of Sherrills Ford, N.C., five bass, 11-6, $439
7th: Stuart Hicks of Statesville, N.C., five bass, 11-6, $439
8th: Josh Neal of Lincolnton, N.C., five bass, 10-11, $376
9th: Charles Wood of Thomasville, N.C., four bass, 10-4, $334
10th: Jesse Jodon of Windber, Pa., three bass, 9-10, $674
Jodon caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, weighing in at 5 pounds, 5 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $382.
The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on Lake Norman was hosted by the Mooresville Convention & Visitors Bureau and was the first of five qualifying events in the North Carolina Division.
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 Visit Richmond. 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.