Thomas Takes High Rock Title
North Carolina boater wins big with FLW PHOENIX Bonus
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,” says 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 says. “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:
1st: Jason Thomas of Lexington, N.C., five bass, 17-10, $11,794
2nd: Doug Young of Salisbury, N.C, four bass, 16-11, $1,897
3rd: Scott Henley of Randleman, N.C., five bass, 15-13, $1,265
4th: Jack Dice of Lynchburg, Va., five bass, 15-7, $885
5th: Robert Walser of Lexington, N.C., five bass, 13-11, $759
6th: Mike Miller of Trinity, N.C., five bass, 13-10, $664
6th: Rick Tilley of Moneta, Va., five bass, 13-10, $664
8th: James Funk of Chesapeake, Va., five bass, 13-5, $569
9th: Landon Whicker of Winston-Salem, N.C., five bass, 12-12, $506
10th: 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.
File wins co-angler title
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:
1st: Tom File of Salisbury, N.C., three bass, 10-6, $1,897
2nd: Orlando Giles of Lexington, N.C., four bass, 10-5, $949
3rd: Anthony Rife of Max Meadows, Va., three bass, 9-14, $538
3rd: Terry Graham of Leesburg, Va., four bass, 9-14, $538
5th: Jesse Jodon of Windber, Pa., three bass, 8-4, $379
6th: Brandon Shaver of Albemarle, N.C., three bass, 8-0, $332
6th: Micah Speights of Oakboro, N.C., three bass, 8-0, $332
8th: Michael Trivette of Blackstone, Va., three bass, 7-14, $285
9th: Barry Burford of Charlotte, N.C., two bass, 7-10, $253
10th: 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.