Co-angler Victory Goes to Hollywood’s Hoy
– Boater Joshua Rockefeller of Harlem, Georgia, brought a two-day total of nine bass to the scale weighing 21 pounds even to win the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine South Carolina Division Super-Tournament at Clarks Hill Lake. For his victory, Rockefeller earned $4,668.
“I caught them frogging,” said Rockefeller, who earned his first career Bass Fishing League victory. “I was throwing a Zoom Horny Toad and a (Stanley) Ribbit frog, and I was also mixing it up with a Strike King hollow-body frog.
“The key was never putting it down,” Rockefeller continued. “I was on the north end, fishing about three miles north of the bridge, right around Murray Creek. I kept that frog in my hand all day – you’d get the bites, but you had to keep your bait in the water. It feels awesome to get the win.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:
1st: Joshua Rockefeller of Harlem, Ga., nine bass, 21-0, $4,668
2nd: Ross Burns of Columbia, S.C., 10 bass, 20-14, $2,334
3rd: Jeremiah Jensen of Columbia, S.C., seven bass, 20-2, $1,557
4th: Donald Miller of Thomson, Ga., 10 bass, 18-13, $1,636
5th: Chuck Howard of Elloree, S.C., nine bass, 14-4, $934
6th: Sandy Oliver of Hartsville, S.C., six bass, 13-13, $856
7th: Jerry Pelfrey of Laurens, S.C., 10 bass, 13-13, $778
8th: Austin Johnson of Chesnee, S.C., 10 bass, 13-11, $700
9th: Winston Husband of Gilbert, S.C., eight bass, 12-10, $622
10th: Nick Gant of Myrtle Beach, S.C., eight bass, 12-9, $545
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Miller earned the day’s $547 Boater Big Bass award with a 5-pound, 5-ounce bass.
Roger Medlock of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, 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.
Jack Daniel Hoy of Hollywood, South Carolina, earned the win in the Co-angler Division Sunday after catching a two-day total of nine bass weighing 16 pounds, 6 ounces. Hoy earned $2,334 for his victory.
The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:
1st: Jack Daniel Hoy of Hollywood, S.C., nine bass, 16-6, $2,334
2nd: Roger Coggins of Greenville, S.C., eight bass, 12-15, $1,167
3rd: Blake Winans of Sumter, S.C., six bass, 11-7, $779
4th: Jeff Rikard of Leesville, S.C., six bass, 11-5, $1,045
5th: Markice Johnson of Thomson, Ga., nine bass, 10-15, $467
6th: Michael Penney of Columbia, S.C., five bass, 10-14, $702
7th: Dave Leggett of McCormick, S.C., seven bass, 10-3, $389
8th: Thomas Robbins of Jackson, S.C., eight bass, 9-1, $350
9th: Ken Hodges of Hodges, S.C., five bass, 8-11, $311
10th: Eddie Hall of Inman, S.C., five bass, 8-7, $272
Penney earned the event’s Co-angler Big Bass Award of $274 with a fish weighing in at 4 pounds, 4 ounces.
The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on Clarks Hill Lake was the fifth and final qualifying event in the 2020 South Carolina Division.
Now the top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the South Carolina Division based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 16-18 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Lake Cherokee 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 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
By: Joe Opager, Director of Public Relations
