Memphis’ Kelly Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division

IUKA, Miss. (Sept. 23, 2024) – Boater Dylan Nutt of Nashville, Tennessee, caught a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 47 pounds, 14 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine Super Tournament on Pickwick Lake Presented by Suzuki Marine . The tournament, which concluded Sunday, was the fifth and final event of the season for the BFL Mississippi Division. Nutt earned $4,651 for his victory.

Nutt is a great example of a collegiate angler making the most of his opportunities. The junior at the University of North Alabama (UNA) started the year by winning an Abu Garcia College Fishing tournament on the Harris Chain of Lakes. Now, he’s shown what he can do against the best weekend anglers by winning the BFL Super Tournament on Pickwick. To further illustrate the quality of the UNA bass fishing program, Nutt finished just 10 ounces ahead of Banks Shaw, a fellow UNA angler and Nutt’s own roommate.

To get it done on Pickwick, Nutt had a two-part pattern.

“In practice, I located a few schools of fish, and I had one pretty good topwater spot in the morning that was big,” he said. “I caught big ones off it both mornings. Other than that, I caught all my fish on a Scottsboro Tackle Co. Sniper Shad on a Damiki rig and also a Scottsboro Tackle Co. 3/4-ounce football jig.

“Saturday, I caught ’em pretty quick. I had most of my weight by about 8 o’clock, but Sunday was kind of slower. I caught fish throughout the day, but it was definitely better in the afternoon.”

Nutt targeted a couple keys schools of ledge fish as well as a few spots that, as a local, he knew he could rely on if needed. While he caught some of the fish using forward-facing sonar, Nutt found the jig to be more productive for getting bigger bites.

“It really just depended,” he said. “It seemed like I could throw a Damiki rig in there with that Sniper Shad and catch one or two, then I’d have to throw a jig in there. It would just be slow. That’s what I had a lot of my better bites on.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:        Dylan Nutt, Nashville, Tenn., 10 bass, 47-14, $4,651
2nd:       Banks Shaw, Harrison, Tenn., 10 bass, 47-4, $2,700 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
3rd:       Hunter Nanney, Iuka, Miss., 10 bass, 33-10, $1,466
4th:        Luke Glasgow, Guin, Ala., nine bass, 33-8, $1,027
5th:        Donny Beck, Killen, Ala., 10 bass, 32-13, $880
6th:        Lake Johnson, Trinity, Ala., 10 bass, 32-5, $807
7th:        Michael Swider, Oxford, Miss., nine bass, 28-3, $733
8th:        Mitch Crane, Columbus, Miss., 10 bass, 27-7, $660
9th:        Tim McDaniel, Grenada, Miss., 10 bass, 25-7, $587
10th:     Chris Quaintance, Muscle Shoals, Ala., nine bass, 22-2, $513

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Nutt and Skip Howell of Okolona, Mississippi, split the Berkley Big Bass Boater award, each taking home $251 for catching a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 4 ounces.

Isiah Kelly of Memphis, Tennessee, won the Strike King co-angler division and $2,162 Sunday, after bringing a two-day total of six bass to the scale that weighed 13 pounds, 11 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:

1st:        Isiah Kelly, Memphis, Tenn., six bass, 13-11, $2,162
2nd:       Brandon Mast, Mathiston, Miss., five bass, 10-13, $1,081
3rd:       Jeffery Reece, Guys, Tenn., four bass, 10-10, $723
4th:        Christopher Daughdrill, Foxworth, Miss., four bass, 10-9, $505
5th:        Troy Ladner, Bay Saint Louis, Miss., four bass, 8-12, $532
6th:        Bobby McKee, Cedar Bluff, Miss., three bass, 8-11, $396
7th:        Brent Willey, Anderson, S.C., three bass, 7-15, $360
8th:        Reggie Thornton, Columbus, Miss., three bass, 6-12, $324
9th:        Anthony Rasberry, New Albany, Miss., three bass, 6-12, $288
10th:     John Bates, Hartselle, Ala., two bass, 6-10, $492

John Bates of Hartselle, Alabama, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $240, catching a bass that weighed in at 4 pounds, 12 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the tournament.

At the conclusion of the tournament, Dakota Fleming of Oak Grove, Louisiana, was crowned the Fishing Clash Mississippi Division Angler of the Year (AOY) with 1,337 points to earn the $1,000 AOY payout, while Thomas Smith of Brandon, Mississippi, won the Fishing Clash Mississippi Division Co-angler of the Year race with 1,338 points and earned the $500 award.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, have qualified for the Oct. 17-19 BFL Regional tournament on Wright Patman Lake in Texarkana, Texas. 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. The 2025 BFL All-American will take place May 29-31, 2025, at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by hosted by Visit Hot Springs and the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.

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.