Reeves Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division

HENDERSON, N.C. (May 2, 2022) – Boater Kevin Chandler of New London, North Carolina, caught five bass Saturday weighing 18 pounds, 12 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Kerr Lake . The tournament, hosted by Vance County Tourism, was the third event for the Bass Fishing League Piedmont Division. Chandler earned $3,804 for his victory.

“Fishing wasn’t extremely good; I’ve caught them a lot better than what I did today,” Chandler said. “I caught one right off the bat throwing a spinnerbait. So that kind of got the day rolling.”

Chandler said he used a War Eagle spinnerbait to catch his early bass. He caught one under a pier on a jig, two on shallow brush laydowns, and landed several 14- and 15-inch bass for the next couple of hours before catching another solid 4-pound bass to add to his weigh-in total.

“I caught 10 or 12 keepers, but I only caught five really good ones all day,” Chandler said. “It’s been a while since I’ve won, so this feels great.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:          Kevin Chandler, New London, N.C., five bass, 18-12, $3,804
2nd:        Tyler Trent, Nathalie, Va., five bass, 17-8, $2,402 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
3rd:        David Williams, Newton, N.C., five bass, 16-5, $1,267
4th:         David Wright, Lexington, N.C., five bass, 15-15, $1,088
5th:         Eric Johnson, Partlow, Va., five bass, 14-2, $761
6th:         Brian Calloway, Danville, Va., five bass, 14-1, $697
7th:         Johnathan Crossland, Chapin, S.C., five bass, 13-12, $1,134
8th:         Greg Chuhta, Germantown, Md., five bass, 13-10, $539
8th:         Richard Hodges Jr., Camden, N.C., five bass, 13-10, $539
10th:      Billy Shelton III, La Crosse, Va., five bass, 13-8, $644

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Ryan Harrell of Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $505 with a largemouth that weighed 5 pounds, 6 ounces.

Nathan Reeves of Lynchburg, Virginia, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,002 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 12 pounds, 8 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st:          Nathan Reeves, Lynchburg, Va., five bass, 12-8, $2,002
2nd:        Travis Ruff, Connelly Springs, N.C., five bass, 10-11, $951
3rd:        Tony Toombs, Drakes Branch, Va., five bass, 10-10, $634
4th:         Callahan Cochran, Chantilly, Va., five bass, 10-4, $444
5th:         Pat Kendrick, Bumpass, Va., five bass, 9-14, $580
6th:         Mekye Barnes, Raleigh, N.C., four bass, 9-10, $601
7th:         Greg Ravitsky, Palmyra, Va., four bass, 9-7, $269
7th:         Justin Lee, Liberty, N.C., four bass, 9-7, $269
7th:         James Calhoun, Norfolk, Va., four bass, 9-7, $269
7th:         William Dalton, Laurel Fork, Va., four bass, 9-7, $269

Barnes caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 4 pounds, 2 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $252.

After three events, Eric Johnson of Partlow, Virginia, leads the Bass Fishing League Piedmont Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 703 points, while Nathan Reeves of Lynchburg, Virginia, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 742 points.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 6-8 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Lake Murray in Prosperity, South Carolina. Boaters will compete for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

The 2022 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 Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six Regional Championships 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 2022 All-American will be held June 2-4 at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.

The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the MLF Toyota Series, the pathway to the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.

Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, AFTCO, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Revital Outdoors, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X, YETI and Yo-Zuri.

For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.