Strike King co-angler Parsons wins fourth boat
OSAGE BEACH, Mo. – Some may think winning as a Strike King co-angler is more about luck than skill.
Well, Scott Parsons is either extremely lucky, or more than likely, he’s just that skilled. After all, he’s now won four times from the back of the boat in a Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats event.
This time he did it by being the only co-angler to bring in a limit on the final day. Which, despite only bringing in four fish the first two days, bumped him from sixth to first with 28 pounds, 12 ounces today to beat out Brian Lopp’s 27-4.
“Man, this doesn’t get old,” Parsons said of winning. “Plus, back in 2016, I tied for first here and lost the tiebreaker. That stung, since I hadn’t won before. It’s nice to come back and get the win now.”
While many co-anglers bring huge tackle boxes, Parsons kept it simple like always.
He threw “the only lure a co-angler really needs” – a 1/4-ounce Buckeye Lures Spot Remover shaky head with a Zoom Trick Worm (green pumpkin) – and focused on putting it anywhere around docks his pros didn’t.
The first two days that was harder, as his pros Brock Reinkemeyer and Bailey Bleser both focused a lot on skipping docks. His final-day pro Josh Tate, though, was hitting more walkways and break walls, which Parsons says gave him more freedom to fish that shaky head around the docks.
Now, with all this success comes the inevitable question of if he’ll be the next great co-angler to jump to the front of the boat. His answer is pretty clear.
“No,” Parsons said. “I like just showing up and fishing. There’s no stress. Just fun. They do all the hard work. We just jump in and have a guide trip that sometimes ends in winning a boat.”
Top 10 Strike King co-anglers
1. Scott Parsons – 28 – 12 (13) – $33,500
2. Brian Lopp – 27 – 4 (14) – $5,000
3. Anthony Scoma – 24 – 6 (11) – $4,000
4. Sakae Ushio – 22 – 7 (10) – $3,500
5. Justin Layton – 21 – 9 (11) – $3,000
6. Nycholas Swanson – 21 – 2 (9) – $2,500
7. Bill Ramsey – 20 – 15 (8) – $2,150
8. Mike Youngblood – 20 – 9 (9) – $1,750
9. Rick Dahlman – 20 – 7 (8) – $1,500
10. Chris Bunk – 18 – 14 (9) – $1,250