Ridgeville’s Austin Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Clarks Hill Lake
Hollywood’s Hoy Wins Co-angler Division
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MCCORMICK, S.C. (March 10, 2020) – Boater Kyle Austin of Ridgeville, South Carolina, brought five bass to the scale totaling 13 pounds, 15 ounces to win the 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine event at Clarks Hill Lake Saturday in McCormick, South Carolina. For his victory, Austin earned $3,426.
“I was fishing mainly on the bottom end of the lake, fishing a mixture of muddy and clean water,” said Austin, who earned his first career victory in FLW competition. “I was trying to find creeks that were muddy at the base but had clean water in the backs.
“I was catching them a few different ways,” Austin continued. “I caught two in the morning out deep, then a couple up shallow and a couple off boat ramps – I was just kind of hodge-podging around.
“My first two fish came on a Carolina rig with a black Zoom Lizard, with a chartreuse tail. Two of my fish came on a Treeshaker spinnerbait and one came on a Treeshaker bladed jig. I caught a few non-keepers on a Rat-L-Trap.
“The key to my victory was probably just fishing my style of fishing,” Austin went on to say. “I like to not be on anything. I like to drive as fast as I can down the lake and fish whatever looks good.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:
1st: Kyle Austin of Ridgeville, S.C., five bass, 13-15, $3,426
2nd: Jeff Bailey of Inman, S.C., three bass, 13-7, $1,713
3rd: Nick Gant of Myrtle Beach, S.C., five bass, 11-14, $1,141
4th: Brayden Rakes of Winston-Salem, N.C., four bass, 11-3, $799
5th: Nelson Walker of Manning, S.C., five bass, 9-9, $685
6th: Charles Cannington of Moncks Corner, S.C., five bass, 9-8, $828
7th: Timmy Thompkins of Myrtle Beach, S.C., five bass, 9-6, $514
7th: Michael Campbell of Pineville, S.C., five bass, 9-6, $514
7th: Ross Burns of Columbia, S.C., five bass, 9-6, $614
10th: Jerry Pelfrey of Laurens, S.C., three bass, 9-1, $400
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Roger Farr of Little Mountain, 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.
Robbie Mills of Appling, Georgia, brought a 6-pound, 14-ounce bass to the scale to win the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $430.
Jack Daniel Hoy of Hollywood, South Carolina, won the Co-angler Division and $1,928 Saturday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 13 pounds, 15 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:
1st: Jack Daniel Hoy of Hollywood, S.C., five bass, 21-2, $1,928
2nd: Casey Griffith of Guyton, Ga., four bass, 10-11, $1,006
3rd: Taylor Barnette of Landrum, S.C., three bass, 9-11, $485
3rd: John Joyce II of Inman, S.C., five bass, 9-11, $485
5th: Lonnie Drusch of Sumter, S.C., five bass, 8-10, $443
6th: Brian Ruppe of Irmo, S.C., four bass, 8-4, $314
7th: Stephen Britt of Chapin, S.C., five bass, 8-2, $285
8th: Danny Bickley of Chapin, S.C., five bass, 6-15, $257
9th: Travis Ruff of Connelly Springs, N.C., three bass, 6-14, $228
10th: Terry Coleman of Sumter, S.C., five bass, 6-10, $200
Hoy also earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $215 after bringing a bass weighing 6 pounds, 13 ounces to the scale.
The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on Clarks Hill Lake was the second of five events in the South Carolina Division.
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 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.