Shaffer Gets Sweet 16
Horne takes co-angler title in Buckeye Division event
Boater Dick Shaffer of Rockford, Ohio, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 8 pounds, 2 ounces to win the 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine event on the Ohio River in Maysville, Kentucky. For his victory, Shaffer earned a total of $3,879.
The tournament was the third of five events in the Buckeye Division presented by A.R.E. Truck Caps.
“It’s been a long time – my last win was in 2011 – so I feel a lot better, now,” says Shaffer, who earned his 16th career victory in FLW competition. “I was just upriver, fishing main-river stuff. I haven’t been up in that area for four or five years, so I just went fishing blind.”
Shaffer says that he caught his fish on two baits – a Yamamoto Senko and a Zoom Speed Craw.
“I got lucky and caught two off of one stump on back-to-back casts,” Shaffer says. “Then I saw a green tree that looked good, so I stopped and fished it. I ended up catching four fish off of it.
“Late in the day I caught a fish off of a dock that culled me up a half-pound and that one ended up making the difference and getting me the win.”
The top 10 boaters:
1st: Dick Shaffer of Rockford, Ohio, five bass, 8-2, $3,879
2nd: Roger Hahn of Fairfield, Ohio, five bass, 7-13, $1,940
3rd: Jamie Cunnagin of New Lebanon, Ohio, five bass, 7-7, $1,293
4th: Brandon Cline of Wheelersburg, Ohio, four bass, 7-4, $1,405
5th: Brody Campbell of Oxford, Ohio, five bass, 7-0, $776
6th: Donald Sibley of Strasburg, Ohio, five bass, 6-3, $679
6th: Ronald Nutter of Newark, Ohio, three bass, 6-3, $679
8th: Josh Smith of Hamilton, Ohio, five bass, 6-1, $582
9th: Benjamin Quisno of Maineville, Ohio, two bass, 5-6, $517
10th: Brad Baldwin of Waynesville, Ohio, five bass, 5-5, $430
10th: Pete Justice of Sharonville, Ohio, four bass, 5-5, $430
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
David Spivey of Hamilton, Ohio, claimed the day’s Boater Big Bass Award of $515 after bringing a 4-pound, 13-ounce bass to the scale.
Cline 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.
Horne wins co-angler title
Michael Horne of Dodson, La., won the Co-angler Division and $2,197 Saturday after catching two bass weighing 5 pounds, 7 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers:
1st: Michael Horne of Dodson, La., two bass, 5-7, $2,197
2nd: Austin Brock of Liberty Township, Ohio, four bass, 5-3, $1,170
3rd: Ryan Lancaster of Oxford, Ohio, three bass, 4-10, $646
4th: Jordon Smith of Middletown, Ohio, three bass, 3-13, $453
5th: Ryan Rich of Eaton, Ohio, one bass, 3-9, $372
5th: Derrick Sadlowski of Steubenville, Ohio, two bass, 3-9, $372
7th: Ron Weisenburger of Continental, Ohio, two bass, 3-7, $307
7th: John Lane of Findlay, Ohio, two bass, 3-7, $307
9th: Darrell Carroll of Independence, Ky., two bass, 3-2, $259
10th: James Wilcox of Cincinnati, Ohio, two bass, 3-1, $465
10th: J.R. Selke of Waynesville, Ohio, two bass, 3-1, $215
Horne also caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, weighing in at 3 pounds, 13 ounces. The catch added to his winnings as he earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $257.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Buckeye 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. 16-18 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Cherokee Lake in Jefferson City, Tennessee, hosted by the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce. 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.