Natchitoches’ Hortman Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Lake of the Pines
JEFFERSON, Texas – Boater Brett Hortman of Natchitoches, Louisiana, earned the win at the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine event at Lake of the Pines Saturday after bringing a five-bass limit to the scale weighing 26 pounds, 11 ounces. For his victory, Hortman earned $4,315.
The tournament was the fourth of five events in the Cowboy Division presented by A.R.E. Truck Caps.
“I was mid-lake, fishing secondary points,” said Hortman, who earned the first tournament win of his FLW career. “I was mainly fishing around 10 feet of water, throwing a 5/16-ounce magnum shaky head-rig with a Zoom Magnum Trick Worm (red bug).
“The key was my Humminbird electronics,” Hortman continued. “I hadn’t been on this lake before, but I put in a lot of windshield time during practice. I pretty much idled the whole lake and the shade mapping allowed me to idle right at that depth for two days and find a couple of good schools.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:
1st: Brett Hortman of Natchitoches, La., five bass, 26-11, $4,315
2nd: Shane Gibson of Kilgore, Texas, five bass, 24-7, $2,157
3rd: James Ware of Longview, Texas, five bass, 22-12, $1,939
4th: Lamonte Loyd of Pittsburg, Texas, five bass, 21-6, $1,007
5th: Brad Smith of Longview, Texas, five bass, 19-1, $863
6th: Kevin Lasyone of Dry Prong, La., five bass, 18-8, $791
7th: Blake Istre of Orange, Texas, five bass, 18-7, $719
8th: Wyatt Frankens of Corrigan, Texas, five bass, 18-4, $611
8th: Kyle Dragulski of Lufkin, Texas, five bass, 18-4, $1,221
10th: Andrew Harp of Linden, Texas, five bass, 17-11, $503
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Dragulski claimed the day’s Boater Big Bass Award of $610 after bringing a 7-pound, 10-ounce largemouth to the scale.
Ware 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.
Austin Roach of Big Sandy, Texas, won the Co-angler Division and $2,1577 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 20 pounds, 6 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:
1st: Austin Roach of Big Sandy, Texas, five bass, 20-6, $2,157
2nd: Clarence Schwarz of Irving, Texas, five bass, 17-2, $1,079
3rd: Ron Aulds of Choudrant, La., five bass, 16-13, $717
3rd: Julio Garza of Houston, Texas, five bass, 15-14, $503
5th: Chris Morris of Forest Hill, La., five bass, 15-5, $431
6th: James Moore Jr. of Lampasas, Texas, five bass, 14-14, $396
6th: Jake Inderman of Allen, Texas, five bass, 14-9, $360
8th: Ty Haymon of Oakdale, La., five bass, 14-8, $324
9th: Larry Davis of Gladewater, Texas, five bass, 14-1, $288
10th: David Cox of Silsbee, Texas, five bass, 13-12, $252
Alford Cherry of Monroe, Louisiana, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, weighing in at 7 pounds, 7 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $305.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Cowboy 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 Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri, hosted by Explore Branson. 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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