Eric Panzironi of Longwood, Florida, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 24 pounds, 12 ounces to win the 2021 Bass Fishing League tournament at Harris Chain of Lakes in Leesburg, Florida. Panzironi earned $6,000 for his victory.
“I stayed on Harris all day, which was a short run for me but it worked out nicely,” said Panzironi. “I caught all my fish on a black-colored Zoom Magnum Trick Worm in 10 to 12 feet of mostly dirty water.
“The real key to the victory was the Garmin LiveScope. I caught every single one of my fish directly beneath my boat and I could see them all. I dropped down to them and they’d eat it – it was amazing.”
Panzaroni said he was excited to walk away with a win at the first tournament of the year for the Gator division.
“It’s awesome – I love it,” he said. “To start off 2021 with a win at my first event – I definitely have no regrets.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:
1st: Eric Panzironi of Longwood, Fla., five bass, 24-12, $6,000
2nd: Peter Thliveros of Saint Augustine, Fla., five bass, 22-7, $3,000
3rd: Joshua Parry of Saint Johns, Fla., five bass, 20-11, $3,000
4th: Jonathan Semento of Okahumpka, Fla., five bass, 19-8, $1,900 (includes $500 Phoenix Bonus)
5th: Tyler Sheppard of Jacksonville, Fla., five bass, 19-7, $1,200
6th: Grady Johnson of Saint Cloud, Fla., five bass, 18-7, $1,100
7th: Bill Troyer of Sarasota, Fla., five bass, 17-11, $1,000
8th: Robert Crosnoe of Inverness, Fla., five bass, 17-10, $900
9th: Grady Maynard of Umatilla, Fla., five bass, 17-4, $800
10th: McCoy (Simon) Borja of Fruitland Park, Fla., five bass, 16-9, $700
Parry also caught the largest bass in the Boater Division, a 10-pound, 2-ounce largemouth, which was good for the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $1,000.
Semento took home an extra $500 as the highest finishing Phoenix MLF BIG5 Contingency 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 Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.
Mike Garrett of Pensacola, Florida, won the Co-angler Division and $3,000 Saturday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 22 pounds, 3 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:
1st: Mike Garrett of Pensacola, Fla., five bass, 22-3, $3,000
2nd: Shaun Ireland of Lake Worth, Fla., five bass, 17-4, $1,500
3rd: Aymon Wilcox of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., five bass, 17-3, $1,000
4th: Justin Brown of Frostproof, Fla., five bass, 16-6, $900
5th: Bradley Phillips of Alachua, Fla., five bass, 15-11, $600
6th: Justin Bun of Lake Alfred, Fla., five bass, 15-0, $550
7th: Joshua Dunn of Mulberry, Fla., five bass, 14-7, $500
8th: Jason Cooper of Shelbyville, Tenn., five bass, 14-0, $450
9th: Bobby McMullin of Pevely, Mo., five bass, 13-12, $400
10th: Jake Stines of Plant City, Fla., five bass, 12-8, $350
Luke Cocke of Valdosta, Georgia caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 8 pounds, 2 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $500.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Gator Division based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 21-23 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on the St. Johns River in Palatka, Florida, hosted by the Putnam County Tourist Development 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 Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.