Paris’ Eslinger Wins Two-Day Phoenix Bass Fishing League event on Lake Shelbyville
Co-angler Victory Goes to Mascoutah’s Renth
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SHELBYVILLE, Ill. (Sept. 29, 2020) – Boater Archie Eslinger of Paris, Illinois, brought a two-day total of eight bass to the scale weighing 27 pounds, 8 ounces to win the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine Illini
Division Super-Tournament at Lake Shelbyville. For his victory, Eslinger earned $6,197.
“I started this tournament way behind in points, due to getting locked out of the lock last month in Paducah and missing the weigh-in,” said Eslinger, who earned his first career Bass Fishing League win as a boater. “This win automatically qualifies me for the La Crosse Regional Tournament in October, so that put a big smile on my face.”
Eslinger brought in the heaviest bag of the tournament on day two with a 20-pound, 6-ounce limit, catching two of his key fish within the first hour.
“I caught my limit early on a green-pumpkin-colored 7/16-ounce jig,” said Eslinger. “I never thought I had this tournament won because there were some great fishermen out there, but at 12:45 I laid my rod down and let my co-angler finish out the day.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:
1st: Archie Eslinger of Paris, Ill., eight bass, 27-8, $6,197
2nd: Bradley Smith of Saint Jacob, Ill., nine bass, 21-0, $2,815
3rd: Travis Wilson of La Harpe, Ill., seven bass, 17-1, $1,733
4th: Bobby McMullin of Pevely, Mo., nine bass, 16-10, $1,213
5th: Mike McGill of Findlay, Ill., six bass, 16-9, $1,539
6th: Terry Holsapple of Greenup, Ill., eight bass, 14-3, $953
7th: Joe Bardill of Highland, Ill., six bass, 12-14, $866
8th: Dan Shoraga of West Frankfort, Ill., six bass, 12-10, $780
9th: Ryan Lewis of Glasford, Ill., five bass, 12-6, $910
10th: Tyler Schweigert of Morton, Ill., five bass, 12-4, $606
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Timothy Rivest of Champaign, Illinois earned the day’s $217 Boater Big Bass award with a 4-pound, 9-ounce bass.
McGill 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.
Dale Renth of Mascoutah, Illinois, earned the win in the Co-angler Division Sunday after catching a two-day total of six bass weighing 9 pounds, 5 ounces. Renth earned $2,599 for his victory.
The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:
1st: Dale Renth of Mascoutah, Ill., six bass, 9-5, $2,599
2nd: James Jarvis of West Frankfort, Ill., four bass, 7-8, $1,299
3rd: Ashton Nielsen of Mount Zion, Ill., three bass, 7-1, $867
4th: Alan Bernicky of Joliet, Ill., three bass, 6-15, $1,306
5th: Gage Elder of Decatur, Ill., three bass, 6-13, $520
6th: Floyd Carder of Litchfield, Ill., four bass, 6-12, $476
7th: Jordan McWhirter of Carmi, Ill., four bass, 6-7, $433
8th: Tom Lyskawka of Arlington Heights, Ill., three bass, 6-6, $390
9th: Whitney Devall of Greenup, Ill., three bass, 6-3, $346
10th: Amanda Black of Toledo, Ill., two bass, 5-14, $629
Black earned the event’s Co-angler Big Bass Award of $326 with a 4-pound, 4-ounce bass.
The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on Lake Shelbyville was the fifth and final qualifying event in the 2020 Illini Division.
Now the top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Illini Division based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will advance to the Oct. 15-17 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin, hosted by 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 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.