Fordsville’s Sorrels Earns Co-angler Victory
Boater Jeramiah Sifers of Sellersburg, Indiana, brought a two-day total of 10 bass to the scale this weekend weighing 22 pounds, 14 ounces to win the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine Hoosier Division Super-Tournament at the Rough River. Sifers earned a total of $6,917 for his victory.
Sifers caught a monster limit weighing 19 pounds, 11 ounces on day one of the event that gave him a near 10-pound lead to start the second day of competition. Sifers said he targeted shallow water in the north end.
“I flipped a black and blue jig, threw a Whopper Plopper, a buzzbait and a spinnerbait,” Sifers said. “It was just a shallow-water deal – the fish were really keying on the channel stumps.
“This is my third career win, but I haven’t won since 2004,” Sifers went on to say. “I’ve had lots of second- and third-place finishes since, but it’s awesome to get the win. When it’s your time, it’s your time.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:
1st: Jeramiah Sifers of Sellersburg, Ind., seven bass, 22-14, $6,917
2nd: Michael Bays of Bellevue, Ky., 10 bass, 18-5, $2,628
3rd: B.J. Fitzgerald of Whitesville, Ky., nine bass, 17-1, $1,752
4th: Chris Martinkovic of Hamilton, Ohio, 10 bass, 17-0, $1,927
5th: Ryan Deal of Elberfeld, Ind., 10 bass, 15-14, $1,051
6th: Brody Campbell of Oxford, Ohio, nine bass, 15-14, $964
7th: Phil Hunt of Connersville, Ind., eight bass, 15-12, $876
8th: Larry Sisk of Evansville, Ind., nine bass, 15-9, $788
9th: Chris Wilkinson of Farmersburg, Ind., eight bass, 14-15, $701
10th: Craig Carns of Noblesville, Ind., seven bass, 14-11, $613
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Sifers brought a 6-pound, 12-ounce largemouth bass to the scale to win the Boater Big Bass award of $660.
Frank Haysley of Louisville, Kentucky, 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 atPhoenixBassBoats.com.
Colby Sorrels of Fordsville, Kentucky, won the Co-angler Division and $2,958 Sunday after catching a two-day total of six bass weighing 14 pounds, 4 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:
1st: Colby Sorrels of Fordsville, Ky., six bass, 14-4, $2,958
2nd: Ronnie Gill of Indianapolis, Ind., seven bass, 12-7, $1,314
3rd: Jeffery Johnson of Austin, Ind., seven bass, 12-7, $1,077
4th: Mark Sollman of Haubstadt, Ind., seven bass, 11-7, $613
5th: Ryan Sykes of Hamilton, Ohio, five bass, 11-0, $526
6th: Lincoln Bowen of Crothersville, Ind., six bass, 8-15, $482
7th: Cory Malcom of Bremen, Ind., six bass, 8-13, $438
8th: Payne Blackburn of Muncie, Ind., five bass, 8-9, $394
9th: Chris Hogue of Bargersville, Ind., four bass, 8-9, $350
10th: Rod Yoder of West Lafayette, Ind., six bass, 8-3, $307
Sorrels also caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 4 ounces. The catch earned him the Co-angler Big Bass award and added $330 to his winnings.
The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine Super Tournament on the Rough River was the fifth and final qualifying event in the Hoosier Division.
Now the top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Hoosier Division based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 15-17 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin, hosted by Explore La Crosse. 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: John Orberg, N. FL Director, Fishers of Men Trail
