Whittaker Claims Strike King Co-Angler Division

BYRDSTOWN, Tenn. (April 3, 2023) – Boater Gavin Cloutier of Jonesboro, Tennessee, caught a five-bass limit weighing 21 pounds, 13 ounces, Sunday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Dale Hollow Lake. The tournament, hosted by Star Point Marina, was the second event of the season for the BFL Music City Division. Cloutier earned $4,729 for his victory.

“I started out by running up the river, and my starting spot had gotten blown out from all the rain we’ve had,” said Cloutier. “So, I ran back down to fish some shallow stuff and pulled into a creek where I had found some shad in practice. When I put the trolling motor down, it was like the fish just showed up.

“In practice my biggest fish was 3½ pounds, and today my smallest fish was 3½ pounds,” Cloutier added.

Cloutier said he focused on the shad and targeted larger bass holding away from the baitfish in ambush. Cloutier said he caught most of his bass in 15 to 20 feet of water, on a 2.8-inch electric blue and chartreuse Keitech Swing Impact FAT Swimbait. His technique produced 14 bass, 13 of which were keepers.

Cloutier said fishing began rather slow for him then died off from 11 to 1 o’clock. He finished the last two hours of the tournament with two late fish that culled to boost his final weight.

“When I had 20 pounds, I felt like I was two fish away from winning,” Cloutier said. “When I caught the two last fish at the very end, something told me I had it.

“This is amazing,” Cloutier added. “Dale Hollow has been special to me, even in high school. I qualified for the 2018 High School National Championship on Dale Hollow and had my first top 10 BFL finish on Dale Hollow last month. And now, the win.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:        Gavin Cloutier, Jonesboro, Tenn., five bass, 21-13, $4,729
2nd:       Brody Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, five bass, 21-1, $2,884
3rd:       Christian Nash, Allons, Tenn., five bass, 19-13, $2,076 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
4th:        Tony Eckler, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 19-10, $1,103
5th:        Aaron Bidarian, Lexington, Ky., five bass, 19-7, $946
6th:        Grant Adams, Campbellsville, Ky., five bass, 19-5, $867
7th:        Chris Gerrein, Villa Hills, Ky., five bass, 18-11, $788
8th:        Cole Logsdon, Brownsville, Ky., five bass, 18-1, $709
9th:        Michael Morrison, Stamping Ground, Ky., five bass, 17-12, $591
9th:        Brandon Maynard, Cookeville, Tenn., five bass, 17-12, $591

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Eric Ries of Kings Mills, Ohio, caught a bass that weighed 6 pounds, 3 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $705.

Blake Whittaker of Lenoir City, Tennessee, won the Strike King co-angler division and a total of $2,540 Sunday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 16 pounds, 2 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:

1st:        Blake Whittaker, Lenoir City, Tenn., five bass, 16-2, $2,540
2nd:       Andrew Rogers, Bristol, Tenn., five bass, 15-0, $1,182
3rd:       Christopher Stites Jr., La Vergne, Tenn., five bass, 14-15, $788
4th:        Brent Clark, Bowling Green, Ky., five bass, 14-11, $688
4th:        Will Prater, McMinnville, Tenn., five bass, 14-11, $512
6th:        Craig Lonkard, Walton, Ky., five bass, 14-7, $433
7th:        Pop Catalin, Cookeville, Tenn., five bass, 14-3, $394
8th:        Tim Staples, Shelbyville, Ky., four bass, 14-0, $355
9th:        Rocky Williams, Portland, Tenn., five bass, 13-13, $515
10th:     Brandon Lake, Berea, Ky., five bass, 13-5, $426

Blake Whittaker of Lenoir City, Tennessee, and Brent Clark of Bowling Green, Kentucky, each caught a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds even to split the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $352.

After two events, Gavin Cloutier of Jonesboro, Tennessee, leads the BFL Music City Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 494 points, while Blake Whittaker of Lenoir City, Tennessee, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 493 points.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 12-14 BFL Regional tournament on Lake Eufaula in Eufaula, Alabama. Boaters will fish 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 compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

The 2023 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL 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 BFL All-American. The 2023 All-American event will take place May 31-June 2, on Lake Hartwell in Seneca, South Carolina. The event is hosted by Visit Oconee SC.

Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, General Tire, Grundéns, Gill, Lew’s, Lowrance, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X and YETI.

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.