Providence Forge’s Baker Goes Two-for-Two – Wins Both Days of Phoenix Bass Fishing League Double-Header on Kerr Lake
Co-angler Wins Go to Bracey’s Enos & North Wilkesboro’s Shatley
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HENDERSON, N.C. (July 20, 2020) – It was a double-header for weekend bass anglers this past weekend in Henderson with the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on Kerr Lake events.
Boater Ronnie Baker of Providence Forge, Virginia, had a very successful weekend, winning both events back-to-back. Baker brought a five-bass limit to the scale totaling 16 pounds even to win Saturday’s event and earn $3,466, then backed it up with another five-bass limit on Sunday – this one totaling 14 pounds, 15 ounces – to earn the win $3,122.
“Winning is hard enough, but to win two in a row against this field of anglers is unbelievable,” said Baker, who had one prior career victory coming into the weekend. “Going back-to-back is a dream come true.
“I stayed mostly in Nutbush Creek both days; I maybe ventured out a mile,” Baker continued. “I rotated through the same four or five spots both days. There is a lot of shad out on the points, and they reload overnight.”
Baker said he caught the majority of his fish in 12 to 15 feet of water on an unnamed ½-ounce swimjig with a green-pumpkin Zoom Speed Craw, although he also mixed in a ½-ounce football jig on Sunday.
“They bit good until about 10 (a.m.) each day, then it really slowed down,” Baker said. “You could still catch a few after 10, but it was a grind.”
The top five boaters on Saturday were:
1st: Ronnie Baker of Providence Forge, Va., five bass, 16-0, $3,466
1st: Ben Reynolds of Callands, Va., five bass, 15-13, $1,733
3rd: Mike Miller of Trinity, N.C., five bass, 14-11, $1,155
4th: Ryan Harrell of Roanoke Rapids, N.C., five bass, 14-7, $1,244
5th: David Wright of Lexington, N.C., five bass, 14-5, $1,193
Complete results for Saturday can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Harrell brought a 5-pound, 11-ounce largemouth to the scale to earn Saturday’s Boater Big Bass award of $435.
Wright picked up Saturday’s FLW PHOENIX BONUS of $500 as he was the highest-finishing 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.
Carl Enos of Bracey, Virginia, won the Co-angler Division and $1,905 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 13 pounds, 4 ounces.
The top five co-anglers Saturday finished as follows:
1st: Carl Enos of Bracey, Va., three bass, 13-4, $1,905
2nd: Victor Riveras of Newport News, Va., three bass, 10-1, $846
3rd: Joseph Kozlinski of Fayetteville, N.C., three bass, 9-15, $564
4th: Barry Burford of Charlotte, N.C., three bass, 9-10, $567
4th: Robert Raymond of Farmville, Va., three bass, 9-10, $367
Enos caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, weighing in at 5 pounds, 2 ounces, to win the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $212.
The top five boaters on Sunday were:
1st: Ronnie Baker of Providence Forge, Va., five bass, 14-15, $3,122
2nd: David Wright of Lexington, N.C., five bass, 13-15, $2,061
3rd: Martin Villa of Charlottesville, Va., five bass, 13-14, $1,043
4th: Tim Wiltfong of Wake Forest, N.C., five bass, 13-8, $728
5th: Paul Worthington of Benson, N.C., five bass, 12-2, $624
Complete results for Sunday’s event on Kerr Lake can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Curtis Talbott of Forest, Virginia, brought a 5-pound, 6-ounce bass to the scale to win Sunday’s Boater Big Bass award of $375.
Wright also added Sunday’s FLW PHOENIX BONUS of $500 as he was the highest-finishing member.
Mike Shatley of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, won the Co-angler Division and $1,561 Sunday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 14 pounds, 12 ounces.
The top five co-anglers Sunday finished as follows:
1st: Mike Shatley of North Wilkesboro, N.C., five bass, 14-12, $1,561
2nd: Eric Hawks of Galax, Va., five bass, 13-13, $781
3rd: Eric Osborne of Jefferson, N.C., five bass, 11-13, $521
4th: Michael Abel of Portsmouth, Va., five bass, 11-6, $364
5th: Samuel Jones of Raleigh, N.C., five bass, 11-4, $312
Vernon Adams of Raleigh, North Carolina, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, weighing in at 4 pounds, 15 ounces to earn Sunday’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $187.
The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine Double-Header on Kerr Lake was the second and third of five qualifying events in the Piedmont Division.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Piedmont Division based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 22-24 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Georgia, hosted by the Gainesville Convention & Visitors Bureau. 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.