DAYTON, Tenn. (Oct. 5, 2026) – Major League Fishing (MLF) announced today that Chickamauga Lake and Dayton, Tennessee, has been selected to host the 2026 Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine Wild Card tournament, which will take place Nov. 13-14. The two-day event, hosted by Fish Dayton North/Rhea County Department of Tourism, will launch from the new Fish Dayton North launch ramp.

In order to be eligible to fish the Wild Card tournament, anglers must have entered all five events within a Phoenix BFL division during the 2026 season, fished at least two of them, and are not already advancing to the All-American via a previous qualification.

Anglers will take off from the Fish Dayton North launch ramp, located at 8055 Old Washington Highway in Dayton, at 7:30 a.m. ET each day of competition. Weigh-ins will be held at the State Park both days beginning at 3:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend the takeoffs and weigh-ins, as well as follow the action online through the “MLF Live” weigh-in broadcasts at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The full field competes both days at the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Wild Card, with winners determined by the heaviest two-day catch. The top seven boaters and top seven co-anglers will advance to the 2027 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine All-American, held on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes in Kissimmee, Florida, June 5-7, 2027, and hosted by Experience Kissimmee.

There will be no off-limits period prior to the pretournament meeting for the Wild Card. No contestant may be on tournament waters for the purpose of locating bass or potential fishing waters after the start of the pretournament meeting except during tournament hours.

Entry for the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Wild Card at Chickamauga Lake opens Monday, Oct. 5 at 8 a.m. CT and runs through Thursday, Nov. 5 at 5 p.m. CT. Anglers can enter by phone at 270.252.1000.

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.