Morrilton’s Dixon and Mabelvale’s Houchin Earn Wins at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Double-Header on Lake Dardanelle
Houchin Cleans Up, Winning Two Big Bass Awards and PHOENIX Bonus to Earn $15k+
RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – It was a double-header for bass anglers this past weekend in Russellville with the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on Lake Dardanelle events. FLW, the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, rescheduled the events after the coronavirus pandemic forced the organization to pause competition in mid-March.
Boater Wayne Dixon of Morrilton, Arkansas, brought three bass to the scale totaling 10 pounds, 11 ounces to win Saturday’s event and earn $5,127, but Mabelvale’s Quincy Houchin was the big winner on the weekend. Houchin finished second Saturday – good for $3,139 – then backed it up with a win on Sunday, which earned him the top prize of $12,309, including the lucrative $7,000 FLW PHOENIX Bonus contingency award.
Houchin also cashed the Boater Big Bass Award in both days of competition, weighing a 4-pound, 11-ouncer on Saturday to win $575 and a 5-pound, 10-ounce bass on Sunday to earn $505.
“The key was staying consistent with it,” Houchin said. “I figured out a little something – certain targets and how they lined up on the bank – and that was key this weekend.”
“The tough conditions played to my advantage,” said Dixon, who picked up his second career FLW win Saturday. “I fished on the lower end of the lake, fishing rock and brush that was 5 to 15 feet deep. I caught seven keepers on multiple different baits.”
The top five boaters on Saturday were:
1st: Wayne Dixon of Morrilton, Ark., three bass, 10-11, $5,127
2nd: Quincy Houchin of Mabelvale, Ark., three bass, 10-7, $3,139
3rd: Larry Gragg of Pine Bluff, Ark., three bass, 10-1, $1,377
4th: Travis Mosley of Benton, Ark., three bass, 9-12, $963
5th: Jessie Clark of Bonnerdale, Ark., three bass, 9-4, $791
5th: Justin Hake of Conway, Ark., three bass, 9-4, $791
Complete results for Saturday can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Houchin was the highest-finishing FLW PHOENIX BONUS member and took home an extra $500 Saturday. 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.
Randy Allen of Russellville, Arkansas, won the Co-angler Division and $2,059 Saturday after catching three bass weighing 10 pounds even.
The top five co-anglers Saturday finished as follows:
1st: Randy Allen of Russellville, Ark., three bass, 10-0, $2,059
2nd: Geoffrey Lancaster of Conway, Ark., three bass, 8-13, $1,030
3rd: Bradley McDaniel of Wynne, Ark., three bass, 8-11, $969
4th: Ethan Sutton of Hot Springs, Ark., three bass, 7-14, $480
5th: William Davis of Booneville, Ark., three bass, 7-11, $412
Bradley McDaniel of Wynne, Arkansas, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division Saturday, weighing in at 5 pounds, 1 ounce. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $282.
On Sunday, Houchin said he caught his fish throwing a black buzzbait and flipping an unnamed black-and-blue-colored Beaver-style bait.
“I started at the same place I caught a big one on Saturday and never caught a fish,” Houchin said. “I started working my way upriver and I ended up finding them. They bit much more aggressively today (Sunday).”
The top five boaters on Sunday were:
1st: Quincy Houchin of Mabelvale, Ark., three bass, 13-14, $12,309
2nd: Charles Williams of Clarksville, Ark., three bass, 10-13, $1,902
3rd: Derek Sandlin of Mount Ida, Ark., three bass, 10-10, $1,267
4th: Scott Hardin of Little Rock, Ark., three bass, 10-9, $888
5th: Steve Howard of Conway, Ark., three bass, 10-5, $729
5th: Josh Hilton of Clarksville, Ark., three bass, 10-5, $729
Complete results for Sunday’s event on Lake Dardanelle can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Houchin was also Sunday’s highest-finishing FLW PHOENIX BONUS member and took home an extra $7,000 for winning the tournament.
Jared Allen of Conway, Arkansas, won the Co-angler Division and $1,902 Sunday after catching three bass weighing 11 pounds, 13 ounces.
The top five co-anglers Sunday finished as follows:
1st: Jared Allen of Conway, Ark., three bass, 11-13, $1,902
2nd: Johnny Payne of Leslie, Ark., three bass, 11-7, $1,203
3rd: Buck Blackwell of Pine Bluff, Ark., three bass, 10-10, $634
4th: Alvin Williams of Hartman, Ark., three bass, 7-13, $444
4th: Bradley McDaniel of Wynne, Ark., three bass, 7-4, $380
Payne caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, weighing in at 5 pounds, 13 ounces. The catch earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $252.
The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine Double-Header on Lake Dardanelle was hosted by Russellville Advertising & Promotions. It was the second and third of five qualifying events in the Arkie Division.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Arkie Division 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 Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri, hosted by ExploreBranson.com. 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.
The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.
The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American will be held Nov. 11-13 at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina and is hosted by Visit Anderson. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division earn priority entry into the FLW Series, the pathway to the FLW Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour, where top pros compete with no entry fees.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, FLW and its partners conduct more than 290 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Namibia, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, and Zimbabwe.
FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show while Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. Acquired by Major League Fishing in late 2019, FLW is expanding its programming in 2020 to the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel as well as on-demand at MyOutdoorTV (MOTV).
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