Satsuma’s Buntin Earns Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Tournament on Alabama River
Co-angler Win Goes to Childersburg’s Graham
[print_link]
PRATTVILLE, Ala. (July 27, 2020) – Boater Sean Buntin of Satsuma, Alabama, brought a five-bass limit bass to the scale Saturday totaling 12 pounds, 1 ounce to win the 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine event on the Alabama River in Prattville, Alabama. Buntin topped his nearest competitor, Ben Weldon of Petumpka, Alabama, by just 3 ounces and earned $4,296 for his victory.
“I’m so excited and pumped, I could cry,” said Buntin, who earned the first FLW victory of his career. “I’ve fished close to 50 events and put a lot of work in. I finally got the win, and it is awesome.”
Buntin said that he was fishing a deep brush pile when he noticed bass schooling near a little outlet ditch. He quickly capitalized to put the winning limit in his livewell.
“I was fishing a deep brush pile when I happened to look up the river and there was a little ditch that looked like there was some action on it,” Buntin said. “I slowly made my way up there and chunked a (River2Sea) Whopper Plopper in there and they just smoked it. About 10 casts later I had my weight for the day.
“I had a limit by 7:45 a.m.,” Buntin continued. “They all came on the Plopper, fished on a 7-foot, 8-inch FX Custom cranking rod. It’s made for crankbaits, but it works really nice for that Plopper.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:
1st: Sean Buntin of Satsuma, Ala., five bass, 12-1, $4,296
2nd: Ben Weldon of Wetumpka, Ala., five bass, 11-14, $2,053
3rd: Steve Jones of Moss Point, Miss., five bass, 11-10, $1,099
4th: Chris Rutland of Wetumpka, Ala., five bass, 10-13, $769
5th: David Wesson of Southside, Ala., five bass, 10-3, $659
6th: Byron Smith of Tyrone, Ga., five bass, 9-15, $604
7th: Jody Wilson of Blue Ridge, Ga., five bass, 9-12, $549
8th: Casey O’Donnell of Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 9-9, $466
9th: Anthony Goggins of Clanton, Ala., five bass, 9-9, $466
10th: Brent Reaves of Alexander City, Ala., five bass, 9-8, $385
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Weldon caught brought a 5-pound, 1-ounce largemouth bass to the scale to add $515 – the day’s Boater Big Bass award – to his winnings.
Thomas Frink of Cedartown, Georgia, 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.
Rodney Graham of Childersburg, Alabama, won the Co-angler Division and $1,648 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 8 pounds, 12 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:
1st: Rodney Graham of Childersburg, Ala., five bass, 8-12, $1,648
2nd: Troy Calloway of Sylacauga, Ala., four bass, 8-8, $824
3rd: Dennis Sandoval of Decatur, Ala., five bass, 7-0, $549
4th: Donnie Gamble of Bessemer, Ala., five bass, 6-11, $385
5th: Wayne Kilgore of Attalla, Ala., four bass, 6-5, $330
6th: Mark Denney of Perry, Ga., five bass, 6-4, $302
7th: Willie Hill of Tuskegee, Ala., four bass, 6-3, $275
8th: William Yoerg of Odenville, Ala., two bass, 6-2, $449
9th: Justin Foster of Zebulon, Ga., five bass, 6-1, $220
10th: Gary Marlowe of Montgomery, Ala., three bass, 5-11, $192
Yoerg caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a nice 4-pound, 11-ouncer. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $202.
The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on the Alabama River was the fourth of five qualifying events in the Bama Division.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Bama 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 Lake Chickamauga in Dayton, Tennessee, hosted by the Rhea Economic and Tourism Council. 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.