Co-angler Victory Goes to Hiawassee’s McClure
Boater Troy Morrow of Eastanollee, Georgia, brought a two-day total of 10 bass to the scale weighing 32 pounds even, to win the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine Savannah River Division Super-Tournament at Lake Hartwellpresented by Fish-Intel. For his victory, Morrow earned $6,415.
I didn’t start catching fish until after 9 a.m, but I had found a spot in practice with some big ones on a timber line,” said Morrow. “I broke a big one off yesterday that would have really helped but I went back today and they were schooling so I caught them all on top.”
Morrow comes from a recent Toyota Series win on Lake Norman, only a few short weeks ago.
“On Hartwell, it all depends on what bait the fish are currently eating,” Morrow continued. “These were eating small fish so I threw small topwater baits. Normally if you can find them eating on the bluebacks, you go with pencil poppers, big sammies and your bigger walking baits.”
Morrow said if he had to name his key bait it would be the Zoom Shakey Head Worm in green-pumpkin color.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:
1st: Troy Morrow of Eastonellee, Ga.,10 bass, 32-0, $6,415
2nd: Derek Lehtonen of Woodruff, S.C., 10 bass, 28-4, $3,708
3rd: Chris Nelson of Social Circle, Ga., 10 bass, 27-4, $2,141
4th: Jayme Rampey of Liberty, S.C., 10 bass, 26-11, $1,497
5th: Tony Holliday of Piedmont, S.C., 10 bass, 25-5, $1,283
6th: Justin Singleton of Myrtle Beach, S.C., 10 bass, 24-12, $1,376
7th: Lane Wright of Cumming, Ga., 10 bass, 24-6, $1,069
8th: Bo Price of Seneca, S.C., 10 bass, 23-12, $962
9th: Trent Palmer of Cumming, Ga., 10 bass, 23-1, $855
10th: Collin Smith of Honea Path, S.C., 10 bass, 21-11, $748
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Jeremy Strong of Elberton, Georgia earned the day’s $907 Boater Big Bass award with a 5-pound, 5-ounce bass.
Lehtonen 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.
Nathan McClure of Hiawassee, Georgia earned the win in the Co-angler Division Sunday after catching a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 19 pounds, 6 ounces. McClure earned $3,181 for his victory.
The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:
1st: Nathan McClure of Hiawassee, Ga., 10 bass, 19-6, $3,181
2nd: Adam Tanner of Cleveland, Ga., 10 bass, 18-10, $1,591
3rd: Wendell Grantham of Athens, Ga., 10 bass, 17-13, $1,061
4th: Christopher Chavis of Guyton, Ga., nine bass, 17-5, $742
5th: Blake Wilson of Benton, Ark., 10 bass, 17-3, $636
6th: Wayne Hancock of Cumming, Ga., 10 bass, 16-15, $583
7th: Cody Coker of Comer, Ga., eight bass, 15-13, $530
8th: Brian Anthony of Pickens, S.C., 10 bass, 15-9, $677
9th: Gary Haraguchi of Phoenix, Ariz., nine bass, 15-7, $424
10th: Kevin Henderson of Honea Path, S.C., seven bass, 15-3, $371
Collin Cribb of Sumter, South Carolina, earned the event’s Co-angler Big Bass Award of $450 with a fish weighing in at 3 pounds, 7 ounces
The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on Lake Hartwell was hosted by the Anderson Convention and Visitors Bureau and was the fifth and final qualifying event in the 2020 Savannah River Division.
Now the top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Savannah River Division based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will advance to the Oct. 22-24 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Georgia, hosted by Gainesville Convention and Visitors Bureau. 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 FLWFLW 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).
By: CHARITY MUEHLENWEG, MLF
