Waverly’s Stephens Wins Two-Day Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Lake Erie
Saint Paris’ Wilt Wins Co-angler Division
SANDUSKY, Ohio – Boater Whitney Stephens of Waverly, Ohio, brought a two-day total of 10 bass to the scale over the weekend weighing 29 pounds even to win the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine Buckeye Division Super-Tournament event on Lake Erie. For his victory, Stephens earned a total of $6,011.
The tournament was the fifth and final qualifying event in the 2020 Buckeye Division presented by A.R.E. Truck Caps.
According to post-tournament reports Stephens caught his winning fish on the north end of Sandusky Bay, flipping an unnamed creature bait.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:
1st: Whitney Stephens of Waverly, Ohio, 10 bass, 29-0, $6,011
2nd: Chris Martinkovic of Hamilton, Ohio, 10 bass, 28-3, $3,706
3rd: Allex Conner of Delaware, Ohio, nine bass, 25-12, $2,002
4th: Dick Shaffer of Rockford, Ohio, 10 bass, 25-4, $1,403
5th: Seth Fricke of Hamilton, Ohio, 10 bass, 25-4, $1,202
6th: Brian Campbell of Oxford, Ohio, 10 bass, 24-12, $1,102
6th: Scott Manson of Covington, Ohio, 10 bass, 23-10, $1,002
8th: Kevin Spears of New Boston, Ohio, nine bass, 22-7, $902
9th: Michael Nesbitt of Saint Paris, Ohio, eight bass, 21-11, $802
10th: John Barnett of Huntsville, Ohio, nine bass, 21-2, $701
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
David Spivey of Hamilton, Ohio, brought a 5-pound, 4-ounce bass to the scale to claim the Boater Big Bass Award of $825.
Zachary Wilt of Saint Paris, Ohio, won the Co-angler Division and $3,006 after catching eight bass weighing 21 pounds, 1 ounce.
The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:
1st: Zachary Wilt of Saint Paris, Ohio, eight bass, 21-1, $3,006
2nd: Derrick Sadlowski of Steubenville, Ohio, eight bass, 21-0, $1,503
3rd: James Ross of Akron, Ohio, seven bass, 19-14, $1,004
4th: Ron Weisenburger of Continental, Ohio, eight bass, 18-8, $701
5th: Ryan Zwick of Oxford, Ohio, seven bass, 18-3, $601
6th: Rob Webber of Elyria, Ohio, eight bass, 16-13, $551
7th: Evan Eldred of Gaines, Mich., seven bass, 16-12, $501
8th: Steve Sorrell of Beavercreek, Ohio, five bass, 14-11, $451
9th: Jordon Smith of Middletown, Ohio, six bass, 14-5, $401
10th: Don Ward of Loveland, Ohio, six bass, 13-15, $351
Ken Barker of Middletown, Ohio, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, weighing in at 4 pounds, 2 ounces. The catch earned him the Co-angler Big Bass award of $412.
Now 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, advance to 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.
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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