Co-angler Victory Goes to Natchitoches’ Faucheaux
Boater Shane Williams of Keithville, Louisiana, brought a two-day total of 10 bass to the scale weighing 30 pounds, 2 ounces to win the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine Cowboy Division Super-Tournament at Sam Rayburn Reservoir presented by Navionics. For his victory, Williams earned $7,630.
The tournament was the fifth and final event in the 2020 Cowboy Division presented byA.R.E. Truck Caps.
“This win felt incredible,” said Williams, who earned his first career Bass Fishing League win. “I’ve been fishing these tournaments since I was 16 years old and have been close to a win several times, so it feels unbelievable to finally pull it off.”
Williams said he practiced all over the lake, but found his quality fish along the Ayish Bayou throughout both days.
“I caught my best fish on the Crock-O-Gator X-Bite Skirtless Buzzbait, using black early in the day, then switching to white once the sun got above the trees,” said Williams. “I caught a couple flipping and punching grass with a black-and-blue-colored Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver and caught several key fish winding a Reaction Innovations Little Dipper through the grass real slow.
“Keeping my head in the game was the key to my victory,” said Williams. “It’s real easy to get spun out, but I was able to spend some time with my family during the evening and having their support and encouragement meant the world.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:
1st: Shane Williams of Keithville, La., 10 bass, 30-2, $7,630
2nd: Kenneth Cates of Zavalla, Texas, 10 bass, 27-13, $3,815
3rd: Jacob Williams of Westlake, La., 10 bass, 26-13, $2,544
4th: Jace Lindsay of Beckville, Texas, 10 bass, 26-1, $1,780
5th: Clay Phillips of Huntington, Texas, 10 bass, 25-6, $1,526
6th: Neal Gilmore of Magnolia, Texas, nine bass, 24-14, $1,899
7th: Cade Lemoine of Brookeland, Texas, seven bass, 23-5, $1,472
8th: Wesley Dawson of Chester, Texas, seven bass, 22-11, $1,144
9th: Kraig Chapman of Bossier City, La., 10 bass, 22-9, $1,017
10th: Richard Wagnon of Jasper, Texas, five bass, 22-5, $890
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Cody Barchenger of Taylor, Texas earned the day’s $1,177 Boater Big Bass award with a 8-pound, 7-ounce bass.
Gilmore 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.
Ben Faucheaux of Natchitoches, Louisiana, earned the win in the Co-angler Division Sunday after catching a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 22 pounds, 8 ounces. Faucheaux earned $3,815 for his victory.
The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:
1st: Ben Faucheaux of Natchitoches, La., 10 bass, 22-8, $3,815
2nd: Zachary McDaniel of Pitkin, La., eight bass, 15-11, $1,907
3rd: Jaden Parrish of Liberty, Texas, five bass, 15-1, $1,862
4th: Eddie Burns of Little Rock, Ark., seven bass, 13-11, $890
5th: Lat Nichols of Deport, Texas, six bass, 13-5, $763
6th: Albert Ignacio of Dallas, Texas, four bass, 13-5, $699
7th: Denny Swartz of Broussard, La., five bass, 13-0, $636
8th: Samuel Riche of Maurice, La., five bass, 12-2, $572
9th: Greg Boik of College Station, Texas, five bass 11-15, $509
10th: Raymond Gomez of Beeville, Texas, four bass, 11-11, $445
Parrish earned the event’s Co-angler Big Bass Award of $589 with a 7-pound, 4-ounce bass.
The event was hosted by the Jasper County Development District.
Now the top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Cowboy Division presented by A.R.E. Truck Caps 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 Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri, hosted by Jasper County Development District. 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
