[print_link]
ANDERSONVILLE, Tenn. (June 23, 2020) – It was a double-header for bass anglers this past weekend in Andersonville with the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on Norris Lake events. FLW, the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, rescheduled the events after the coronavirus pandemic forced the organization to pause competition in mid-March.
Boater Riley Faulkner of Jacksboro, Tennessee, brought a three-bass limit to the scale totaling 8 pounds, 14 ounces to win Saturday’s event, while Derek Turner, also of Jacksboro, brought in three bass weighing 7 pounds, 11 ounces on Sunday to earn the win. Faulkner earned $2,400 for his win Saturday, while Turner won Sunday’s top prize of $2,300.
“I stayed on the Powell (River), fishing brush piles from 5 to 15 feet deep,” said the 17-year-old Faulkner, who earned the win in just his fourth career event. “My key bait was a 10-inch Zoom Ol’ Monster worm (cherry seed).
“My dad won the last BFL tournament held on this lake, so it’s really cool to come out and win again right after he did. I know how hard these events are to win,” Faulkner went on to say.
The top five boaters on Saturday were:
1st: Riley Faulkner of Jacksboro, Tenn., three bass, 8-14, $2,400
1st: Eddie Richards of Corbin, Ky., three bass, 8-9, $1,200
3rd: Tate Rice of Newport, Tenn., three bass, 8-7, $800
4th: Jake Lee of Powell, Tenn., three bass, 7-14, $560
5th: Vernon Lowe of Oneida, Tenn., three bass, 7-11, $480
Complete results for Saturday can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Eddie Ball of Newport, Tennessee, won Saturday’s Big Bass Award of $240 with a 4-pound bass.
Archie Wilson Jr. of Corryton, Tennessee, was the highest-finishing FLW PHOENIX BONUS member and took home an extra $500 Saturday. 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.
Josh Smith of Siler, Kentucky, won the Co-angler Division and $1,320 Saturday after catching two bass weighing 6 pounds, 11 ounces.
The top five co-anglers Saturday finished as follows:
1st: Josh Smith of Siler, Ky., two bass, 6-11, $1,320
2nd: Gabriel Poveda of Knoxville, Tenn., three bass, 6-7, $600
3rd: John Gann of Kingston, Tenn., three bass, 6-4, $400
4th: Ben Arnold of La Follette, Tenn., three bass, 5-15, $280
5th: Ronald Musgrave of Knoxville, Tenn., three bass, 5-9, $240
Smith also caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division Saturday, weighing in at 3 pounds, 9 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $120.
On Sunday, Turner also won the event by fishing up the Powell River, but instead of brush piles he was looking for laydowns.
“I went way up the Powell River – about 20 miles,” said Turner, who also earned his first career victory. “I was looking for laydown trees, but the key was that they had to be horizontal to the surface. If they sloped down, they weren’t really productive.”
Turner also credited the Zoom Ol’ Monster (green-pumpkin) as being his key bait and was thankful to earn his first victory on a special day.
“I’m a new dad, so it’s really special to get the first win of my career on Father’s Day.”
The top five boaters on Sunday were:
1st: Derek Turner of Jacksboro, Tenn., three bass, 7-11, $2,300
2nd: Jesse Burnett of Knoxville, Tenn., three bass, 6-5, $1,150
3rd: Bryan Leonard of Blountville, Tenn., three bass, 6-0, $766
4th: Justin McGaha of Knoxville, Tenn., three bass, 5-15, $537
5th: Craig Powers of Rockwood, Tenn., three bass, 5-13, $460
Complete results for Sunday’s event on Norris Lake can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Ted Ridley of Maryville, Tennessee, brought a 3-pound, 1-ounce bass to the scale to win Sunday’s Boater Big Bass award of $230.
Eddie Ball, who weighed in Saturday’s Big Bass, was Sunday’s highest-finishing FLW PHOENIX BONUS member and took home an extra $500.
Henry Bryan of Sevierville, Tennessee, won the Co-angler Division and $1,150 Sunday after catching a three-bass limit weighing 6 pounds, 1 ounce.
The top five co-anglers Sunday finished as follows:
1st: Henry Bryan of Sevierville, Tenn., three bass, 6-1, $1,150
2nd: Ben Arnold of La Follette, Tenn., two bass, 4-13, $690
3rd: Darren Kelly of Wartburg, Tenn., three bass, 3-14, $384
4th: Terri Davis of Chilhowie, Va., two bass, 3-13, $268
5th: Curtis Crooke of Washburn, Tenn., two bass, 3-12, $230
Arnold caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, weighing in at 2 pounds, 13 ounces. The catch earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $115.
The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine Double-Header on Norris Lake was the third and fourth 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 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.