Mallory Drops 25-5 at St. Clair
Bauer cracks 23 pounds for Michigan Division co-angler title
Boater Buck Mallory of Lawton, Michigan, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 25 pounds, 5 ounces to win the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine event at Lake St. Clair in Harrison Township, Michigan. For his victory, Mallory earned a total of $4,652.
The tournament was the second of five events in the Michigan Division presented by A.R.E. Truck Caps.
“I was fishing in the main lake on St. Clair,” says Mallory, who earned the first victory of his career. “The key was sticking around and grinding it out. I didn’t leave a 100-yard stretch the whole day. I just did circles and circles and circles until I couldn’t do them anymore. And then I did it five more times and caught one more good one that got me the win.”
Mallory says that his key bait was a drop-shot with a Strike King ElazTech Z Too soft jerkbait with an Eco Pro Tungsten Full Contact drop-shot weight.
“I didn’t realize that I would be so emotional when I finally got a win,” Mallory goes on to say. “I was so due. I’m really excited.”
The top 10 boaters:
1st: Buck Mallory of Lawton, Mich., five bass, 25-5, $4,652
2nd: Mike Raber of Wolcottville, Ind., five bass, 24-10, $2,326
3rd: Heath Wagner of Angola, Ind., five bass, 23-3, $1,318
4th: Beau Bickford of Findlay, Ohio, five bass, 23-3, $1,318
5th: Hugh Cosculluela of The Woodlands, Texas., five bass, 22-12, $894
6th: Wyatt Walker of Parma, Mich., five bass, 22-9, $820
7th: Robert Lefere of Jackson, Mich, five bass, 22-1, $708
7th: Wayne Macklin of Linden, Mich., five bass, 21-10, $708
9th: Chris Stanford of Omaha, Neb., five bass, 21-6, $596
10th: Andrew Smith of Chesterfield Township, Mich., five bass, 21-3, $496
10th: Chase Morgan of Danville, Ind., five bass, 21-3, $496
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Smith earned the day’s Boater Big Bass Award of $685 after bringing a 5-pound, 11-ounce bass to the scale.
Cosculluela was also 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.
Bauer wins co-angler title
Tom Bauer of Martinsville, Indiana, won the Co-angler Division and $2,326 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 23 pounds, 10 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers:
1st: Tom Bauer of Martinsville, Ind., five bass, 23-10, $2,326
2nd: Austin Freed of Wolcottville, Ind., five bass, 22-14, $1,163
3rd: Kenneth Lesner of Westland, Mich., five bass, 22-4, $777
4th: Davis Stutzman of Shipshewana, Ind., five bass, 21-12, $543
5th: Daniel Hechler of Franklin, Ohio, five bass, 21-4, $465
6th: Marvin Washington of Canton, Mich., five bass, 21-3, $426
6th: Aaron Stahley of Batavia, Ohio, five bass, 20-12, $388
8th: Matthew Kime of Holland, Ohio, five bass, 19-14, $349
9th: Scott Sims of Morgantown, Ind., five bass, 19-13, $310
10th: Bill Miller of Metamora, Mich., five bass, 19-12, $613
Miller caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, weighing in at 6 pounds, 5 ounces. The catch added to his winnings as he earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $342.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Michigan Division presented by A.R.E. Truck Caps 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.