John Mobley of Macclenny, Florida, brought a three-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 20 pounds, 6 ounces to win the 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine event at the Harris Chain of Lakes in Leesburg, Florida. For his victory, Mobley earned $3,926.
The tournament was the fourth of five events in the Gator Division presented by A.R.E. Truck Caps.
“This is my first year fishing BFLs, and I’m super pumped to get a win,” says Mobley, who currently sits in third place in the Gator Division Angler of the Year race.
“I locked down to Lake Griffin and was catching them in hydrilla mats and lily pads,” Mobley says. “I was flipping all day. I stumbled upon the bluegill bedding in the pads and that was the key – matching what the fish were eating.”
Mobley flipped hydrilla mats with a Texas-rigged Missile Baits D Bomb (black and blue) with a 1-ounce tungsten weight ,and caught his fish out of the pads with a 1-ounce Medlock jig with the D Bomb as a trailer.
The top 10 boaters:
1st: John Mobley of Macclenny, Fla., three bass, 20-6, $3,926
2nd: Trevor Fitzgerald of Belleview, Fla., three bass, 19-10, $1,963
3rd: Christian Greico of Tampa, Fla., three bass, 19-7, $1,839
4th: Matt Gee of Grand Island, Fla., three bass, 19-5, $1,416
5th: Levi Crossway of Jacksonville, Fla., three bass, 18-9, $785
6th: Kurt Diesing of Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla., three bass, 17-2, $720
7th: Ricky Congero of Windermere, Fla., three bass, 15-6, $654
8th: Robert Crosnoe of Inverness, Fla., three bass, 14-12, $589
9th: Scott Kirsch of Edgewater, Fla., three bass, 13-13, $523
10th: Kennie Steverson of Umatilla, Fla., three bass, 13-3, $458
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Greico caught a 9-pound, 4-ounce largemouth to win the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $530.
Gee 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.
Bruton wins co-angler title
Mike Bruton of Oakland, Florida, won the Co-angler Division and $1,963 Saturday after catching a three-bass limit weighing 15 pounds, 15 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers:
1st: Mike Bruton of Oakland, Fla., three bass, 15-15, $1,963
2nd: Doug Staetter of Sanford, Fla., three bass, 15-12, $981
3rd: Reyes Reyes Jr. of Belle Glade, Fla., three bass, 15-1, $655
4th: Chuck Crow of Windermere, Fla., three bass, 13-12, $458
5th: Chris Nickle of Sanford, Fla., three bass, 12-5, $393
6th: Carl Scott of Coral Springs, Fla., three bass, 10-5, $343
6th: Dana Bass of Miami, Fla., three bass, 10-5, $343
8th: Jackie Barber of Cocoa, Fla., two bass, 9-12, $294
9th: Chris Westhelle of Sanford, Fla., three bass, 9-6, $262
10th: Rusty Fox of Palatka, Fla., one bass, 9-2, $494
Fox caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 9 pounds, 2 ounces. The catch alone earned him 10th place and the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $265.
The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on the Harris Chain of Lakes was hosted by Lake County, Florida.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Gator Division presented by A.R.E. based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 22-24 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.