Joshua Rockefeller ‘Frogs’ To Take BFL Title On Clarks Hill

Boater Joshua Rockefeller, of Harlem, brought a two-day total of nine bass to the scale weighing 21 pounds even to win the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine South Carolina Division Super-Tournament at Clarks Hill Lake. For his victory, Rockefeller earned $4,668.

“I caught them frogging,” says Rockefeller, who earned his first career Bass Fishing League victory. “I was throwing a Zoom Horny Toad and a (Stanley) Ribbit frog, and I was also mixing it up with a Strike King hollow-body frog.

“The key was never putting it down,” Rockefeller continues. “I was on the north end, fishing about three miles north of the bridge, right around Murray Creek. I kept that frog in my hand all day — you’d get the bites, but you had to keep your bait in the water. It feels awesome to get the win.”

Joshua Rockefeller

The top 10 boaters:

1st: Joshua Rockefeller of Harlem, Ga., nine bass, 21-0, $4,668

2nd: Ross Burns of Columbia, S.C., 10 bass, 20-14, $2,334

3rd: Jeremiah Jensen of Columbia, S.C., seven bass, 20-2, $1,557

4th: Donald Miller of Thomson, Ga., 10 bass, 18-13, $1,636

5th: Chuck Howard of Elloree, S.C., nine bass, 14-4, $934

6th: Sandy Oliver of Hartsville, S.C., six bass, 13-13, $856

7th: Jerry Pelfrey of Laurens, S.C., 10 bass, 13-13, $778

8th: Austin Johnson of Chesnee, S.C., 10 bass, 13-11, $700

9th: Winston Husband of Gilbert, S.C., eight bass, 12-10, $622

10th: Nick Gant of Myrtle Beach, S.C., eight bass, 12-9, $545

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Donald Miller earned the day’s $547 Boater Big Bass award with a 5-lb., 5-oz. bass.

Roger Medlock of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, 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.

The top 10 co-anglers: 

1st: Jack Daniel Hoy of Hollywood, S.C., nine bass, 16-6, $2,334

2nd: Roger Coggins of Greenville, S.C., eight bass, 12-15, $1,167

3rd: Blake Winans of Sumter, S.C., six bass, 11-7, $779

4th: Jeff Rikard of Leesville, S.C., six bass, 11-5, $1,045

5th: Markice Johnson of Thomson, Ga., nine bass, 10-15, $467

6th: Michael Penney of Columbia, S.C., five bass, 10-14, $702

7th: Dave Leggett of McCormick, S.C., seven bass, 10-3, $389

8th: Thomas Robbins of Jackson, S.C., eight bass, 9-1, $350

9th: Ken Hodges of Hodges, S.C., five bass, 8-11, $311

10th: Eddie Hall of Inman, S.C., five bass, 8-7, $272

Penney earned the event’s Co-angler Big Bass Award of $274 with a fish weighing in at 4 pounds, 4 ounces.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on Clarks Hill Lake was the fifth and final qualifying event in the 2020 South Carolina Division.

Now the top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the South Carolina Division based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 16-18 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Lake Cherokee in Jefferson City, Tennessee, hosted by the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce. 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.