Marion’s Wilson Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division

SANDUSKY, Ohio (Aug. 5, 2024) – Boater Michael Sitko of Pinckney, Michigan, caught a five-bass limit weighing 25 pounds, 8 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Erie Presented by Suzuki Marine . The tournament was the fourth event of the season for the BFL Buckeye Division. Sitko earned $12,143, including the lucrative $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus, for his victory.

After a recent Phoenix Bass Fishing League win on the Detroit River, Sitko is finishing out the season on a bit of a hot streak, posting his seventh career win and his second victory in the past four weeks.

“This has been pretty incredible,” Sitko said. “I don’t expect it, ever, and I don’t know how long it’s going to last, but it’s pretty amazing right now.

“I made a big run to the north shore of the lake, about 37 miles one way, which wasn’t too bad,” Sitko continued. “I targeted some isolated breaks on the bottom, boulders and other stuff up that way.”

Sitko said he caught all his fish on drop-shot rigs with a Berkley Powerbait Maxscent Flat Worm and Berkley Powerbait Maxscent Flatnose Minnow and said his key to winning was his mindset and patience.

“I pulled up to my first spot and my co-angler caught a 4-pounder on his first cast,” Sitko said. “I broke off a 5-pounder, caught my biggest fish, then lost two more – but I didn’t freak out.

“That bite dried up and I just slowly worked my way around, culling up throughout the day, and it all worked out in my favor.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:          Michael Sitko, Pinckney, Mich., five bass, 25-8, $12,143 (includes $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
2nd:        Grant Gallagher, Fremont, Ohio, five bass, 23-3, $2,249
3rd:         Joshua Barr, Louisville, Ohio, five bass, 21-10, $1,798
4th:         Cody Dawson, Mount Vernon, Ohio, five bass, 21-8, $1,050
5th:         Mike Trombly, Belleville, Mich., five bass, 21-2, $900
6th:         Hunter Colwell, Sidney, Ohio, five bass, 20-11, $825
7th:         Jarrett Martin, Mansfield, Ohio, five bass, 19-14, $750
8th:         Brody Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, five bass, 19-7, $675
9th:         Pat Upthagrove, Monroe, Mich., five bass, 19-6, $600
10th:       Jeffrey Yost, Lima, Ohio, five bass, 19-0, $525

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Sitko caught a bass that weighed 6 pounds, 6 ounces, to earn the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $645.

 

Bryan Wilson of Marion, Ohio, won the Strike King co-angler division and $2,571 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 19 pounds, 14 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:

1st:          Bryan Wilson, Marion, Ohio, five bass, 19-14, $2,571
2nd:        Joe Yocum, Strawberry Plains, Tenn., five bass, 15-14, $1,125
3rd:         Jim Feathers, Vermilion, Ohio, four bass, 14-0, $752
4th:         Jacob Alltop, Lewistown, Ohio, four bass, 13-10, $525
5th:         Jordan Smith, Middletown, Ohio, four bass, 13-5, $431
5th:         Anthony Bell Jr., Cincinnati, Ohio, five bass, 13-5, $431
7th:         Dan Goforth, Monroe, Ohio, five bass, 13-3, $375
8th:         Brent Jones, Okeana, Ohio, five bass, 12-4, $337
9th:         Brian Zelinskas, Beavercreek, Ohio, five bass, 12-2, $300
10th:       Brett Warrick, Powell, Ohio, five bass, 11-14, $262

Wilson earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $322, catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 8 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.

After four events, Sean Wieda of Alexandria, Kentucky, leads the BFL Buckeye Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 964 points, while Brent Jones of Okeana, Ohio, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 927 points.

The next event for BFL Buckeye Division anglers will be held Sept. 14-15, at Indian Lake in Lakeview, Ohio. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.

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. 3-5 BFL Regional tournament on Kerr Lake in Henderson, North Carolina. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki 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 or Suzuki outboard.

The 2024 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.

Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, PowerStop Brakes, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters 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.

About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.