Newport’s Chambers Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Tournament on Douglas Lake
Kentucky’s Bailey Wins Co-angler Division
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KODAK, Tenn. (March 10, 2020) – Boater Bobby Chambers of Newport, Tennessee, brought five bass to the scale Saturday totaling 18 pounds, 14 ounces to win the 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine event at Douglas Lake in Kodak, Tennessee. For his victory, Chambers earned a total of $3,337.
“I fished from Dandridge to the river, way up the lake,” said Chambers, who earned his first career victory in just his fifth event. “I had the boat sitting in 6 to 8 feet and was casting to the bank. Most of the fish were coming shallow – around 2-foot-deep – and they were holding to any cover near the bank.
“I caught them on a little bit of everything,” Chambers continued. “I caught some on a spinnerbait, some on a ChatterBait and some on a Rapala DT6 crankbait. Most of my fish came on a custom-painted Strike King Red Eye Shad lipless crankbait.
“I really didn’t plan on going out that far, but I had found those fish earlier in the week and knew that I was going to have to do something. We stuck it out there and the bite got better as the day went on and the sun came out. It had the fish moving up.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:
1st: Bobby Chambers of Newport, Tenn., five bass, 18-14, $3,337
2nd: Eddie Ball of Newport, Tenn., five bass, 16-7, $1,668
3rd: Dylan Fehr of Crossville, Tenn., five bass, 15-6, $1,312
4th: Chris Ferguson of Wittensville, Ky., five bass, 14-11, $779
5th: Bryan Leonard of Blountville, Tenn., five bass, 14-8, $767
6th: Taylor Humberd of Spring City, Tenn., five bass, 14-5, $612
7th: Brett Rodefer of Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 14-3, $966
8th: Kevin Edwards of Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 13-12, $501
9th: Kyle Smith of Elizabethton, Tenn., five bass, 13-8, $417
9th: Justin Coffey of Rockwood, Tenn., five bass, 13-8, $417
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Rodefer brought a 5-pound, 15-ounce bass to the scale to win the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $410.
Jim Neece Jr. of Bristol, Tennessee, was the highest-finishing FLW PHOENIX BONUS member and took home an extra $500. 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.
Jarrod Bailey of Salyersville, Kentucky, won the Co-angler Division and $1,668 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 18 pounds, 6 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:
1st: Jarrod Bailey of Salyersville, Ky., five bass, 18-6, $1,668
2nd: Brian Pilon of Greeneville, Tenn., five bass, 13-3, $834
3rd: Ben Arnold of LaFollette, Tenn., five bass, 12-0, $558
4th: Bill King of Greenback, Tenn., three bass, 11-14, $389
5th: Terri Davis of Chilhowie, Va., four bass, 11-7, $334
6th: Jessee Roberts of Big Stone Gap, Va., five bass, 11-2, $306
7th: Johnny Lytle of Seymour, Tenn., four bass, 10-8, $278
8th: Jason Taylor of Harriman, Tenn., five bass, 10-6, $250
9th: Jim Neece Sr. of Bristol, Va., four bass, 9-13, $222
10th: Hunter Price of Morristown, Tenn., two bass, 8-14, $297
Price caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, weighing in at 6 pounds, 12 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $102.
The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on Douglas Lake was the first of five qualifying events in the Volunteer Division.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Volunteer Division based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 8-10 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on the James River in Richmond, Virginia, hosted by Richmond Region Tourism. 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 April 30 through May 2 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.