Louisiana’s Higginbotham Wins Co-Angler Division

IUKA, Miss. (Sept. 14, 2026) – Boater Donny Beck of Killen, Alabama, caught a total of 10 bass weighing 39 pounds, 12 ounces, over two days to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Pickwick Lake. The tournament was the fifth and final event of the season for the BFL Mississippi Division. Beck earned $3,180 for his victory.

“On Day 1 I ran all the way to the other end to the dam, and it just was not happening,” Beck said. “I had three little fish at 11:30 or 12 o’clock. And then I turned my (Garmin) LiveScope on. And I’m not a ’Scoper. But I caught all my fish ’Scoping. I had a spot where I had found fish in about 20 feet of water. They were just stacked in there.”

All of Beck’s Day 1 fish came on a new Johnston Lures Strolling Jig Head with a Rapala Crush City Freeloader. However, he turned to a swimbait on a ½-ounce Johnston Lures Strolling Jig Head on Day 2 to fish current by making random drifts.

“On Day 2 I hit about five spots and there was nothing,” Beck went on to say. “Then we got on a good bite. We hadn’t even hit the spot where I caught them the first day and I had my weight for the day and my co-angler did, too. I caught those fish random places here and there; places I hadn’t really fished before.”

Beck intended to return to his Day 1 spot, but an equipment malfunction ended his day at 11 a.m. Another competitor graciously took their fish to the scales and Beck’s tournament was over.

“I couldn’t believe I had won,” Beck said. “They had to text me. I didn’t know. One of the MLF staff actually met me in Florence where I was to bring me my trophy and check, because he had to come through here anyway. Sometimes it’s just your time to win.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:         Donny Beck, Killen, Ala., 10 bass, 39-12, $3,180
2nd:        Jackson Bennett, Knoxville, Tenn., 10 bass, 37-12, $1,640
3rd:         Hunter Brewer, Lawrenceburg, Tenn., 10 bass, 35-10, $1,420 (includes $500 Phoenix bonus)
4th:         Clayton Ellis, Saltillo, Miss., nine bass, 35-8, $770
5th:         Dave Russell, Tupelo, Miss., 10 bass, 33-6, $980
6th:         Colton Boelkes, Roscoe, Ill., 10 bass, 32-12, $650
7th:         Edward Gettys, Dover, Tenn., 10 bass, 30-15, $630
8th:         Brock Vogel, Perrysburg, Ohio, nine bass, 30-5, $600
9th:         Skip Howell, Okolona, Miss., eight bass, 29-0, $580
10th:       Walker Brown, Loretto, Tenn., seven bass, 20-7, $560

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Dave Russell of Tupelo, Mississippi, earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award after landing an 8-pound, 5-ounce bass worth $300.

John Higginbotham of Denham Springs, Louisiana, won the co-angler division and the top prize of $1,540 Sunday after bringing six bass to the scale that totaled 21 pounds even.

The top 10 co-anglers finished:

1st:          John Higginbotham, Denham Springs, La., six bass, 21-0, $1,540
2nd:        Tommy Pritchard, Bargersville, Ind., six bass, 16-11, $870
3rd:         Kevin Culpepper, Seminary, Miss., six bass, 16-11, $460
4th:         Dalton Starnes, Louisville, Miss., five bass, 14-14, $385
5th:         Troy Ladner, Bay St. Louis, Miss., four bass, 14-7, $440
6th:         Greg Long, Munford, Tenn., five bass, 14-5, $325
7th:         Austin Conn, Cordova, Tenn., four bass, 13-0, $320
8th:         Blake Morris, Meridian, Miss., five bass, 11-14, $300
9th:         Joe Cornelius, Corinth, Miss., four bass, 11-9, $290
10th:       Mitchell Bond, Collins, Miss., three bass, 9-13, $280

Larry Stewart Jr. of Brandon, Mississippi, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award after landing a 5-pound, 13-ounce bass worth $150.

With all five events in the division now complete, boater Skip Howell of Okolona, Mississippi, won the 7 Brew Mississippi Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 1,301 points and earned the $1,000 prize, while Mitchell Bond of Collins, Mississippi, won the Mississippi Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 1,319 points and earned the $500 payout.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the division based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 8-10 BFL Regional tournament on Lake Eufaula in Eufaula, Alabama. Boaters will fish for a top award of a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard worth $50,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top prize of a new Phoenix 518 pro with a 115-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard, worth $33,500.

The 2026 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 co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying tournament winners, will advance to one of six BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top seven, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2027 BFL All-American will take place June 5-7, at the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes in Kissimmee, Florida, and is hosted by Experience Kissimmee.

Proud sponsors of the 2026 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7 Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Buffalo, BUBBA, Cigars International, Epic Baits, Grizzly Nicotine Pouches, Mercury, MillerTech, Mystik Lubricants, OFF! Deep Woods, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, PiranhO2, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, VOSKER, YETI and Yuengling.

For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular BFL 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, Outdoor Channel, VICE, World Fishing Network, RFD-TV, Game & Fish TV and Rumble, 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 20 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.