Rocky Mount’s Steckler Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Lake of the Ozarks
Oronogo’s Moss Wins Co-angler Division
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OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (March 16, 2020) – Boater Cory Steckler of Rocky Mount, Missouri, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 18 pounds, 7 ounces to win the 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine event at Lake of the Ozarks in Osage Beach, Missouri. For his victory, Steckler earned a total of $13,457, including the lucrative $7,000 FLW PHOENIX Bonus contingency award. The victory was the second win of Steckler’s FLW career.
The tournament was the second of five events in the Ozark Division presented by Tournament Anglers Group (TAG).
“It feels amazing – my Phoenix boat is the best boat out there and it’s amazing to win this much money,” said Steckler, who in addition to his $13,457 payout also took home an extra $5,000 as part of the TAG contingency program.
“Water clarity was everything,” Steckler continued. “I basically threw a Megabass Vision 110 jerkbait (Table Rock Shad) all day long. All my fish came in the mouth of Gravois Creek.
“I had just five keepers total,” Steckler went on to say. “I tried to throw an umbrella rig, but I never got bumped on it. I had eight bites – two came off and the other was a drum or something like that. I was just happy they were biting the jerkbait.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:
1st: Cory Steckler of Rocky Mount, Mo., five bass, 18-7, $13,457
2nd: Don Beckley of Linn Creek, Mo., five bass, 14-12, $2,728
3rd: Ben Verhoef of Osage Beach, Mo., five bass, 14-0, $1,819
4th: Adam Boehloe of Warrenton, Mo., five bass, 13-12, $1,182
4th: Kyle Alsop of Overland Park, Kan., three bass, 13-12, $1,182
6th: Ben McCord of Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, five bass, 13-4, $1,000
7th: Wes Endicott of Joplin, Mo., five bass, 13-0, $864
7th: Rob Bueltmann of Osage Beach, Mo., five bass, 13-0, $864
9th: Dennis Berhorst of Holts Summit, Mo., five bass, 12-15, $728
10th: Bill Edwards of Nixa, Mo., three bass, 12-9, $637
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Dennis Harmon of Camdenton, Missouri, brought a 6-pound, 4-ounce bass to the scale to win the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $875.
Steckler took home an extra $7,000 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.
Jeff Moss of Oronogo, Missouri, won the Co-angler Division and $2,878 Saturday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 11 pounds, 13 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:
1st: Jeff Moss of Oronogo, Mo., five bass, 11-13, $2,878
2nd: Jon Cordray of House Springs, Mo., three bass, 11-6, $1,801
3rd: Joshua Brassard of Nixa, Mo., two bass, 10-5, $911
4th: Steven Galczynski of DeSoto, Mo., four bass, 10-0, $637
5th: Ron Brake of Sullivan, Mo., three bass, 8-13, $546
6th: Noah Dickneite of Freeburg, Mo., four bass, 8-12, $477
6th: Alan Bernicky of Joliet, Ill., three bass, 8-12, $577
8th: Michael Dempsey of Wentzville, Mo., two bass, 8-8, $409
9th: Richard Rouse of House Springs, Mo., three bass, 8-7, $364
10th: Rick McGuire of Monroe City, Mo., two bass, 7-3, $318
Cordray caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 7 pounds, 2 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $437.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Ozark Division presented by the Tournament Anglers Group based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 15-17 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin, hosted by the 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 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.