AnglersChannel

Wisconsin’s Leidholdt Overcomes Adversity to Claim Victory at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional on the Mississippi River

Illinois’ Chumbler Takes Co-Angler Division

QUAD CITIES, Ill. (Oct. 6, 2025) – Boater Rob Leidholdt of Milton, Wisconsin, caught a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 30 pounds, 13 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine Regional on the Mississippi River Presented by Mando Deodorant. The tournament, which was hosted by Visit Quad Cities, concluded Saturday. For his win, Leidholdt earned a prize package valued at $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200hp Mercury or Suzuki outboard.

“Partnering with Major League Fishing to host the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional here in the Quad Cities was an incredible opportunity for Sports QC, Powered By Visit Quad Cities,” said Joan Kranovich, Vice President of Business Growth & Director, Sports QC. “This event showcased the strength of our partnership with MLF, the beauty and challenge of the Mississippi River, and the community pride that comes with welcoming anglers and fans from across the country.”

The Mississippi River event served as the Regional championship for the BFL Great Lakes and Illini divisions. The field included the top 60 boaters and co-anglers based on point standings, plus each division’s tournament winners. The top three boaters and co-anglers have also now qualified to compete at the 2026 BFL All-American.

“Oh boy, where do I start?” Leidholdt said with a laugh after learning he had won. “I had a fantastic first day. I went to my first spot and caught quite a few fish. There were quite a few boats in that area, but I was fishing a bit slower and a little bit more off the bank than the other anglers in the area.”

Leidholdt said his first two fish of the day Friday were his biggest two of the day, and he then added some nice bass to his first-day weight. Saturday on Day 2, however, turned out to be more of a challenge for him, as boat problems he discovered on Friday night forced him to borrow a boat from a co-angler he had fished with earlier this season. As soon as Leidholdt got to his spot on Saturday morning, the borrowed boat broke down. He was able to fish – and fill his limit – but he was forced to end his day a little earlier than expected and get a ride to weigh-in.

“It was quite eventful and very stressful,” Leidholdt said.

Leidholdt said when he was fishing, he targeted bass in three to eight feet of water near mud and wood banks with a 5/16-ounce black and blue jig. Leidholdt said he fishes a jig 80 percent of the time when he’s on the water.

“I felt very confident today,” Leidholdt said. “I knew if I could just get to my spot that there were good quality fish there.

“To get the win after all of this feels incredible,” Leidholdt said. “I was up late (Friday night) trying to figure out my next day’s plan of attack, and I thought I wasn’t going to be fishing because I had no boat. Then a former co-angler I had stepped up and let me borrow a boat. From the highs to the lows in this tournament … it just feels unreal. I have to pinch myself right now to remind myself that I actually won.”

The top three boaters who qualified for the 2026 Phoenix BFL All-American finished:

1st:      Rob Leidholdt, Milton, Wis., 10 bass, 30-13, $51,100
2nd:    Chris Aswegan, Tiffin, Iowa, 10 bass, 26-4, $7,073 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
3rd:     Jeremy Mull, Pawnee, Ill., nine bass, 24-9, $3,419

Rounding out the top 10 boaters were:

4th:     J.J. Patton, Eldridge, Iowa, 10 bass, 24-3, $2,158
5th:     Tony Puelz, Garnavillo, Iowa, nine bass, 23-10, $1,527
6th:     Mike Brueggen, La Crosse, Wis., 10 bass, 23-5, $1,401
7th:     Austin Howard, Granby, Colo., eight bass, 22-10, $1,274
8th:     Mike Feldermann, Galena, Ill., 10 bass, 21-14, $1,148
9th:     Jeff Ritter, Prairie Du Chien, Wis., eight bass, 20-14, $1,172
10th:   Glenn Walker, Savage, Minn, nine bass, 20-11, $1,958

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Leidholdt also won the Berkley Big Bass Boater award and $1,000 for bringing the largest bass to the scale – 5 pounds, 8 ounces.

Matt Chumbler of Carbondale, Illinois, won the co-angler division Saturday after bringing a two-day total of five bass weighing 16 pounds, 3 ounces, to the scale. Chumbler earned the top co-angler award of $13,251 for his victory.

The top three co-anglers who qualified for the 2026 Phoenix BFL All-American finished:

1st:      Matt Chumbler, Carbondale, Ill., five bass, 16-3, $13,251
2nd:    Blake Miller, Cedar Falls, Iowa, six bass, 15-13, $3,393
3rd:     Zachary Howell, Tipton, Iowa, six bass, 15-2, $1,759

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:

4th:     Timothy Wittren, Ontario, Wis., five bass, 14-0, $1,100
5th:     Aaron Konopacki, New Albin, Iowa, four bass, 12-8, $1,270
6th:     Ron Mairet, Columbus Junction, Iowa, five bass, 11-13, $704
7th:     Doug Miller, Peoria, Ill., five bass, 11-12, $637
8th:     Caleb Peck, Atwood, Ill., five bass, 11-9, $571
9th:     Matthew Tinsman, Peoria, Ill., five bass, 11-5, $505
10th:   Owen Boyer, Cantrall, Ill., five bass, 10-8, $472

Aaron Konopacki of New Albin, Iowa, caught a bass that weighed 5 pounds even to win the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award worth $500.

The 2025 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 134 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 60 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying tournament winners, now advance to one of 12 BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top three, 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 2025 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, Deep Dive App, E3 Sport Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Humminbird, Lew’s, Li Time Batteries, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, PirahnO2, Polaris, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, 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, Discovery+, Discovery GO, Animal Planet, Outdoor Channel, VICE, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network, RFD-TV and Game & Fish TV, 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.

by AnglersChannel

Medina’s Petz Uses Home-Water Knowledge to Take Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional on Lake Erie Presented by Lew’s

Michigan’s Hawley Wins Co-Angler Division

SANDUSKY, Ohio (Oct. 6, 2025) – Boater Correy Petz of Medina, Ohio, caught a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 49 pounds, 7 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine Regional on Lake Erie Presented by Lew’s. The tournament, which was hosted by Shores & Islands Ohio, concluded Saturday. For his win, Petz earned a prize package valued at $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200hp Mercury or Suzuki outboard.

The Lake Erie event served as the Regional championship for the BFL Buckeye and Michigan divisions. The field included the top 60 boaters and co-anglers based on point standings, plus each division’s tournament winners. The top three boaters and co-anglers have also now qualified for the 2026 BFL All-American.

“I felt like there was a tougher bite for this time of year,” Petz said. “The water temp was kind of higher than normal, and there was a lot of pressure on the fish. I didn’t catch my fish on one single bait. I caught them on a drop-shot, a tube, a minnow – there was no rhyme or reason – and they came from 15 feet all the way out to 24 feet.

“I have a lot of history and time on the water there, and that definitely helped me,” Petz added.

Petz said he found two new areas during practice that held big fish – the first produced well for him on Friday, but the bass bite shut down a bit Saturday.

“I never sat down in one area and really hammered them other than the first day,” Petz said.

Petz said he had “a lot” of fish he lost during the tournament, especially on the second day. The first four fish he hooked came unbuttoned.

“I thought I had lost it with the first four fish of the morning,” Petz said. “Then I jumped off a 5-pounder later during the day.  But, thankfully, I hooked two nice ones in the last hour of the day that kind of sealed the deal for me.

“I’ve had some other tournaments where I faced adversity and challenges, so I never panicked,” Petz went on to say. “I just kind of kept moving. I just kept working. All of the pieces just came together the first day when I had my fish by 10 or 10:30.

“I had a late check-in on Saturday at 4:00, and I needed that late check-in,” Petz added. “If I hadn’t had that, I probably wouldn’t have won.”

The top three boaters who qualified for the 2026 Phoenix BFL All-American finished:

1st:     Correy Petz, Medina, Ohio, 10 bass, 49-7, $50,000
2nd:    Jesse Hickman, Waynesville, Ohio, 10 bass, 48-3, $8,223
3rd:    Scott Dobson, Clarkston, Mich., 10 bass, 47-11, $4,550 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)

Rounding out the top 10 boater finishers were:

4th:     Nicholas Seitz, Maumee, Ohio, 10 bass, 46-2, $2,480
5th:     Ty Fain, Springfield, Ohio, 10 bass, 45-8, $1,696
6th:     Tyler Brown, Marblehead, Ohio, 10 bass, 45-2, $1,539
7th:     Seth Fricke, Oxford, Ohio, 10 bass, 43-11, $1,382
8th:     Heath Wagner, Angola, Ind., 10 bass, 43-6, $1,225
9th:     David Matual, Chicago, Ill., 10 bass, 43-6, $1,068
10th:   Nolan Mandel, Kimball, Mich., 10 bass, 42-13, $990

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Bill Cisler of Delton, Michigan, won the Berkley Big Bass Boater award and $1,000 for landing a bass that weighed 6 pounds, 8 ounces, the biggest of the tournament.

Sean Hawley of Jackson, Michigan, won the co-angler division Saturday after bringing a two-day total of five bass weighing 24 pounds, 8 ounces, to the scale. Hawley earned the top co-angler award of $16,406 for his victory.

The top three co-anglers who qualified for the 2026 Phoenix BFL All-American finished:

1st:     Sean Hawley, Jackson, Mich., five bass, 24-8, $16,406
2nd:    Jordan Smith, Middletown, Ohio, six bass, 23-3, $4,022
3rd:    Thomas Rizzo, Mercer, Pa., five bass, 22-2, $2,041

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:

4th:     Dylan Phillips, Albany, Ohio, six bass, 21-13, $1,249
5th:     Mark Miller, Baltic, Ohio, six bass, 21-6, $852
6th:     Philip Castrodale, Bloomfield, Mich., five bass, 20-14, $773
7th:     Ryan Crider, Kettering, Ohio, five bass, 19-9, $694
8th:     Thomas Illar Jr., Hyde Park, Pa., five bass, 18-13, $615
9th:     Justen Fain, Springfield, Ohio, four bass, 18-8, $585
10th:   Greg Elswick, Goshen, Ind., five bass, 18-7, $496

Sean Hawley of Jackson, Michigan, caught a bass that weighed 6 pounds, 8 ounces, to win the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award worth $500.

The 2025 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 134 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 60 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying tournament winners, now advance to one of 12 BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top three, 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 2025 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, Deep Dive App, E3 Sport Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Humminbird, Lew’s, Li Time Batteries, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, PirahnO2, Polaris, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, 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, Discovery+, Discovery GO, Animal Planet, Outdoor Channel, VICE, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network, RFD-TV and Game & Fish TV, 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.

by AnglersChannel

Mooresville’s Orellana Edges Field at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional on Lake Norman Presented by Mando Deodorant

South Carolina’s Rikard Claims Co-Angler Division

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (Oct. 6, 2025) – Boater Carson Orellana of Mooresville, North Carolina, caught a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 31 pounds, 8 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine Regional on Lake Norman Presented by Mando Deodorant . The tournament, which was hosted by Visit Lake Norman, Visit Charlotte & Mecklenburg County Park & Recreation, concluded Saturday. For his win, Orellana earned a prize package valued at $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200hp Mercury or Suzuki outboard.

The Lake Norman event served as the Regional championship for the BFL South Carolina and Piedmont divisions. The field included the top 60 boaters and co-anglers based on point standings, plus each division’s tournament winners. The top three boaters and co-anglers have also now qualified for the 2026 BFL All-American.

Orellana said he felt confident on his home waters of Lake Norman for the Regional championship and knew how he wanted to fish during the event, but had to make adjustments on the water.

“I started out trying to force a topwater bite that never came to fruition,” Orellana said. “Then I switched to offshore brushpile fishing and ended up catching pretty much everything skipping docks with a TrueSouth Custom Lures ½-ounce jig in a color named Dyer Special.

“On the second day, I did catch a big fish on a TruSouth Custom Lures V-Twin buzzbait,” Orellana added. “The brushpiles never worked out, and I think that’s because we had a week of cold weather before the tournament that pulled the fish shallow. And I’d rather fish offshore, because I feel I have a little bit of an advantage there.”

Orellana said he covered a lot of water during the tournament and fished up to 50 docks for a single bite. Skipping docks proved to be a productive grind for him, and bass would strike when he least expected it.

“With the weather and high winds we had on the first day I knew there would be a big bag caught,” Orellana said. “I figured if I was lucky and caught 15 or 16 (pounds) the first day that the weather would lay down a lot on Day 2, and usually when the weather lays down, it takes a lot less weight to do well.

“My goal was to do well the first day and then move out offshore the next day and scrap out 13 pounds or so to have a chance to win,” Orellana added. “I just got really lucky the second day and had a pretty good bag pretty early.”

Orellana said he slowly upgraded his limit Saturday and caught a 3- and 4-pounder in the last hour of the day that sealed his win.

“It’s been a while since I’ve won a tournament so this is pretty awesome, especially on my home lake,” Orellana said. “You always expect to do well at home, but you never expect to win, because winning is such a tough thing to do. Everything just has to come together.”

The top three boaters who qualified for the 2026 Phoenix BFL All-American finished:

1st:        Carson Orellana, Mooresville, N.C., 10 bass, 31-8, $50,000
2nd:       Cody Hoyle, Mooresboro, N.C., 10 bass, 30-12, $6,496
3rd:       Jack Story, Atlanta, Ga., 10 bass, 29-14, $3,381

Rounding out the top 10 boaters were:

4th:        Hayden Seabolt, Dawsonville, Ga., 10 bass, 29-7, $2,235
5th:        Cole Huskins, Gastonia, N.C., 10 bass, 29-6, $1,512
6th:        Travis Donaldson, Cleveland, N.C., 10 bass, 27-4, $2,387
7th:        Logan Anderson, Sherrills Ford, N.C., 10 bass, 25-15, $1,762 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
8th:        Kaden Buchmann, Troutman, N.C., 10 bass, 25-4, $1,138
9th:        Dalton Dowdy, Newberry, S.C., 10 bass, 24-13, $1,013
10th:     Shane Lineberger, Lincolnton, N.C., 10 bass, 24-12, $951

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Travis Donaldson of Cleveland, North Carolina, won the Berkley Big Bass Boater award and $1,000 for landing a bass that weighed 6 pounds, 7 ounces – the biggest of the tournament.

Jeff Rikard of Leesville, South Carolina, won the co-angler division Saturday after bringing a two-day total of six bass weighing 17 pounds, 5 ounces, to the scale. Rikard earned the top co-angler award of $12,586 for his victory.

The top three co-anglers who qualified for the 2026 Phoenix BFL All-American finished:

1st:        Jeff Rikard, Leesville, S.C., six bass, 17-5, $12,586
2nd:       Dan Marin, Appling, Ga., six bass, 13-8, $3,240
3rd:       Alan Poston, Travelers Rest, S.C., six bass, 13-4, $1,682

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:

4th:        Mark Lee, Gastonia, N.C., six bass, 13-1, $1,059
5th:        Travis Ruff, Connelly Springs, N.C., six bass, 12-15, $797
6th:        Chuck Bagwell, Laurens, S.C., six bass, 12-11, $685
7th:        Rodney Tapp, Inman, S.C., six bass, 11-15, $723
8th:        Larry Freeman Jr., La Crosse, Va., five bass, 11-2, $1,060
9th:        Tracy Gravely, Petersburg, Va., six bass, 11-2, $498
10th:     Zahreed McClinton, Columbia, S.C., five bass, 11-0, $467

Larry Freeman Jr. of La Crosse, Virginia, caught a bass that weighed 4 pounds, 10 ounces, to win the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award worth $500.

The 2025 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 134 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 60 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying tournament winners, now advance to one of 12 BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top three, 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 2025 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, Deep Dive App, E3 Sport Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Humminbird, Lew’s, Li Time Batteries, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, PirahnO2, Polaris, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, 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, Discovery+, Discovery GO, Animal Planet, Outdoor Channel, VICE, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and Game & Fish TV, 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.

by AnglersChannel

Ashburn’s McCluskey Outruns Field for Victory at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional on the James River Presented by Mando Deodorant

Virginia’s Jerman Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division

RICHMOND, Va. (Oct. 6, 2025) – Boater Matt McCluskey of Ashburn, Virginia, caught a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 34 pounds, 12 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine Regional on the James River presented by Mando Deodorant . The tournament, which was hosted by Richmond Region Tourism, concluded Saturday. For his win, McCluskey earned a prize package valued at $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200hp Mercury or Suzuki outboard.

The James River event served as the Regional championship for the BFL Northeast and Shenandoah divisions. The field included the top 60 boaters and co-anglers based on point standings, plus each division’s tournament winners. The top three boaters and co-anglers have also now qualified to compete at the 2026 BFL All-American.

“I had a pretty good practice and stumbled upon a couple of things down the Chickahominy River I felt like I could run to and get a decent limit of fish,” McCluskey said. “I found it in the afternoon and got some decent 2½-pound to 3-pound bites. When I rolled down there on tournament day, it ended up being a little bit better size fish for me. So, that was a pleasant surprise.”

McCluskey said he was worried about how two recent storms would affect the tides for the tournament, as a lot of water had been pushed into the bay area.

“I had no idea what to expect when I got down there,” McCluskey said. “But after I got there it was an hour and a half of reeling in fish for the most part.”

McCluskey said his key baits were a crankbait and a jig-head minnow fished anywhere from six to 10 feet. The spot he focused on was no bigger than 20 yards by 20 yards, but it was stacked with fish.

“I had an hour and a half both mornings where I really caught them,” McCluskey said. “On the first day, what separated my bag from Day 1 and 2 was I had a 5¼-pounder I caught up north, closer to Osborne Landing. So, I had an area where I felt I could get one big bite. I planned on going down to the Chick first thing, then make the long run back up to try and get a big one. On the first day it paid off. Then the second day, when I felt like I had the bag that I felt was good enough to seal the deal, I made the hour-and-10-minute run back early to make sure I was safe.

“I never felt like the win was a done deal,” McCluskey went on to say. “But I felt confident enough with my lead after Day 1, and second place had a giant fish – an 8-11 – but it’s hard to catch that two days in a row. I kept telling everybody it wasn’t over, because this place has 25 pounds swimming around in it.”

It turns out McCluskey had more than enough for a confident win, as he brought more than 6½ pounds more to the scale than the next-closest angler.

The top three boaters who qualified for the 2026 Phoenix BFL All-American finished:

1st:        Matt McCluskey, Ashburn, Va., 10 bass, 34-12, $50,000
2nd:       Conor Cahill, Audubon, N.J., 10 bass, 28-0, $8,695 (includes $500 Phoenix Bonus)
3rd:       Keith Estes, Spring Grove, Va., 10 bass, 23-8, $3,795

Rounding out the top 10 boaters were:

4th:        Richard Hodges Jr., Camden, N.C., 10 bass, 22-14, $2,295
5th:        Colegan Stiner, Wellsboro, Pa., 10 bass, 22-14, $1,595
6th:        Thomas Milton, Chester, Va., 10 bass, 22-1, $1,455
7th:        Christopher Wingfield, Richmond, Va., 10 bass, 21-10, $1,315
8th:        Eric Johnson, Partlow, Va., 10 bass, 21-5, $1,175
9th:        Frank Poirer, North Prince George, Va., 10 bass, 21-5, $1,035
10th:     Rick Hawkins, Roanoke, Va., 10 bass, 20-11, $965

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Conor Cahill of Audubon, New Jersey, won the Berkley Big Bass Boater award and $1,000 for landing a bass that weighed 8 pounds, 11 ounces, the biggest of the tournament.

Rick Jerman of Springfield, Virginia, won the co-angler division Saturday after bringing a two-day total of six bass weighing 14 pounds, 12 ounces, to the scale. Jerman earned the top co-angler award of $14,142 for his victory.

The top three co-anglers who qualified for the 2026 Phoenix BFL All-American finished:

1st:        Rick Jerman, Springfield, Va., six bass, 14-12, $14,142
2nd:       Randall Given, Laurel, Del., six bass, 13-14, $3,592
3rd:       Richard Williams, Sutherland, Va., six bass, 13-3, $1,842

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:

4th:        David Paszkiewicz, Kearny, N.J., six bass, 13-0, $1,242
5th:        Dante Gray, Ruther Glen, Va., six bass, 12-15, $792
6th:        Cole Bernier, Saylorsburg, Pa., six bass, 12-11, $1,222
7th:        Fan Zhang, Arlington, Va., six bass, 12-4, $652
8th:        Victor Cuevas, Supply, N.C., six bass, 12-2, $582
9th:        Douglas Washburn, Bracey, Va., five bass, 11-15, $512
10th:     Mike Coleman, South Chesterfield, Va., six bass, 11-14, $477

Cole Bernier of Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, caught a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 1 ounce, to win the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award worth $500.

The 2025 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 134 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 60 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying tournament winners, now advance to one of 12 BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top three, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the 2026 BFL All-American.

Proud sponsors of the 2025 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, Deep Dive App, E3 Sport Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Humminbird, Lew’s, Li Time Batteries, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, 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, Discovery+, Discovery GO, Animal Planet, Outdoor Channel, VICE, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and Game & Fish TV, 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.

by AnglersChannel

North Carolina’s Buchmann Records Unexpected Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Lake Hartwell

South Carolina’s Henderson Tops Co-Angler Division

ANDERSON, S.C. (Sept. 29, 2025) – Boater Kaden Buchmann of Troutman, North Carolina, caught a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 36 pounds, 7 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Hartwell. The tournament, hosted by Visit Anderson, was the fifth and final event of the season for the BFL Savannah River Division. Buchmann earned $5,814 for his victory.

Buchmann said he didn’t practice much for the two-day event. Buchmann had never posted a top-10 finish at Lake Hartwell and said he didn’t have high expectations for the tournament.

“This didn’t happen like I figured it would,” said Buchmann. “I had 6 pounds the first day at 9 or 10 o’clock. Then I caught a couple of good ones, lost a couple and kind of pulled my way up, and before I knew it, I was sitting at 17 or 18 pounds. I thought, ‘Dang, I didn’t expect this to happen today.’

“I didn’t fish very clean Saturday, but it was a much better day for me,” Buchmann went on to say about the two-day tournament. “The bass were way more active.”

Buchmann said a change in weather played a big factor for him in the tournament on Sunday. Saturday’s skies were cloudy, there wasn’t much wind and a bit of rain made for a better bite. Sunday was sunny and windy, and his bite slowed significantly.

Buchmann used a combination of observing banks, maps and contours to put together a plan to fish “anything that looked good.”

“I didn’t catch one anywhere I’d caught one before until this weekend,” Buchmann said. “I just went fishing.”

Buchmann’s key baits included a ½-ounce Muffin Top jig, a Shane’s Baits buzzbait and a Queen Tackle jighead.

“I caught one that went about 6 pounds around lunch time, and I thought, ‘Well, that was a nice boost,’” Buchmann said. “I thought I had a pretty good shot overall because of how my first day went. Then I caught one about 3½ pounds with an hour to go. I felt really good then.

“This feels unbelievable,” Buchmann added with a laugh. “I was not expecting a win at Hartwell this year at all.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:        Kaden Buchmann, Troutman, N.C., 10 bass, 36-7, $5,814
2nd:      Chase Carey, Hoschton, Ga., 10 bass, 34-3, $3,039
3rd:       Greg Glouse, Liberty, S.C., 10 bass, 30-1, $1,694
4th:        Lane Parker, Waleska, Ga., 10 bass, 30-0, $1,185
5th:        Troy Harris, Watkinsville, Ga., 10 bass, 29-7, $1,015
6th:        Brad Benfield, Demorest, Ga., 10 bass, 29-4, $1,431 (includes $500 Phoenix Bonus)
7th:        Jayme Rampey, Liberty, S.C., 10 bass, 28-13, $846
8th:        Hunter Dill, Travelers Rest, S.C., 10 bass, 28-6, $762
9th:        Keaton Owens, Inman, S.C., 10 bass, 28-3, $677
10th:     Bradley Day, Anderson, S.C., 10 bass, 27-1, $592

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Buchmann caught a bass that weighed 4 pounds, 11 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $637.

Kevin Henderson of Honea Path, South Carolina, won the co-angler division and $2,539 Sunday, after bringing six bass to the scale that totaled 16 pounds, 1 ounce.

The top 10 co-anglers finished:

1st:        Kevin Henderson Honea Path, S.C., six bass, 16-1, $2,539
2nd:      Jeff Rikard, Leesville, S.C., six bass, 13-13, $1,269
3rd:       Dusty Wood, Belton, S.C., six bass, 13-13, $846
4th:        Thomas Pennell III, Boiling Springs, S.C., six bass, 13-3, $911
5th:        Chris Wilson, Easley, S.C., six bass, 12-8, $508
6th:        Ronnie Cutshall, Piedmont, S.C., six bass, 11-12, $465
7th:        Dwayne Parton, Anderson, S.C., six bass, 11-7, $423
8th:        Corey Veal, Royston, Ga., six bass, 11-6, $381
9th:        Benjie Winkler, Cleveland, Ga., six bass, 11-2, $339
10th:     Bryan Ramey, Easley, S.C., six bass, 10-0, $296

Thomas Pennell III of Boiling Springs, South Carolina, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $319, catching a bass that weighed in at 4 pounds, 12 ounces.

With all five events in the division now complete, boater Lane Parker of Waleska, Georgia, won the Fishing Clash Savannah River Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 1,335 points and earned the $1,000 prize, while Chase Gurkin of Simpsonville, South Carolina, won the Fishing Clash Savannah River Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 1,306 points and earned the $500 payout.

The top 60 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. 10-11 BFL Regional tournament on Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina. 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 award of $20,000.

The 2025 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 134 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 60 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying tournament winners, will advance to one of 12 BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top three, 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 2025 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, Deep Dive App, E3 Sport Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Humminbird, Lew’s, Li Time Batteries, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, 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, Discovery+, Discovery GO, Animal Planet, Outdoor Channel, VICE, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network, RFD-TV and Game & Fish TV, 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.

by AnglersChannel

Lufkin’s Heck Paces Field for Victory at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Sam Rayburn Reservoir Presented by Strike King

Louisiana’s Lanclos Tops Co-Angler Division

BROOKELAND, Texas (Sept. 29, 2025) – Boater Hayden Heck of Lufkin, Texas, caught a total of 10 bass weighing 52 pounds, 7 ounces, over two days to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Sam Rayburn Reservoir Presented by Strike King. The tournament, hosted by the Jasper County Development District, was the fifth and final event of the season for the BFL Cowboy Division. Heck earned $4,882 for his victory.

“On Day 1 I started out running around,” Heck said. “It had been a cool night, so I thought the cranking bite would be pretty good. It’s a little early on Rayburn for them to get going like that, but I started out cranking and had a good bag by 9 o’clock. And then after that, it got really tough.”

Heck said the brushpile bite had been good to him during practice, so he focused his efforts on that bite.

“That was not happening,” Heck said. “So pretty much, by 11 o’clock the bite was pretty off for me.”

Somewhat discouraged, and bothered by a back pain issue, Heck weighed in early. Heck said his plan for Sunday was to try cranking early again.

“My first cast Sunday I caught a 4- or 5-pounder,” Heck said. “We ran the other spots I was catching them on the day before and didn’t catch anything doing that, so then I just started running brushpiles.”

The switch turned out to be the right move, as Heck said he hit 40 to 50 brushpiles Sunday to catch “a few good ones.”

“In the shape I was in, hurting with the back pain, I said, ‘However it ends, it’s how it’s going to be,’” said Heck, who had chalked up four BFL wins prior to the two-day event. “I was able to fish longer Sunday and was happy to have what I had. I figured I would finish in the top five.

“With Rayburn you just never know,” Heck added. “Somebody’s going to come out and bust a 30-pound limit. I was happy it worked out the way it did, but I sure didn’t think I had this thing wrapped up.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:      Hayden Heck, Lufkin, Texas, 10 bass, 52-7, $4,882
2nd:    Wyatt Frankens, Corrigan, Texas, 10 bass, 49-5, $3,041
3rd:     James Laramore, Vidor, Texas, 10 bass, 46-2, $1,625
4th:     Zane Parker, Kingwood, Texas, 10 bass, 45-13, $1,139
5th:     Kade Hillestad, Grayson, La., 10 bass, 45-1, $976
6th:     Zack Fogle, Longview, Texas, 10 bass, 44-10, $1,495 (includes $500 Phoenix Bonus)
7th:     Evan Howe, Keatchie, La., 10 bass, 43-15, $814
8th:     Clayton Boulware, Zavalla, Texas, 10 bass, 42-4, $732
9th:     Tater Reynolds, Florien, La., 10 bass, 40-13, $651
10th:   Cord Rawls, Call, Texas, 10 bass, 39-3, $570

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Wyatt Frankens of Corrigan, Texas, caught a bass that weighed 8 pounds, 1 ounce, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $600.

Carter Lanclos of Sulphur, Louisiana, won the co-angler division and $2,491 Sunday, after bringing six bass to the scale that totaled 16 pounds, 15 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished:

1st:      Carter Lanclos, Sulphur, La., six bass, 16-15, $2,491
2nd:     J.T. Turner, Minden, La., five bass, 16-0, $1,320
3rd:     Ben Barker, Porter, Texas, four bass, 15-11, $814
4th:     Floyd Frankens, Corrigan, Texas, six bass, 15-7, $570
5th:     Jordan Lane, Conroe, Texas, six bass, 14-6, $488
6th:     Jay Ferguson, Houston, Texas, six bass, 13-10, $447
7th:     Bobby Spangenberg, Montgomery, Texas, six bass, 13-4, $407
8th:     Demarcus Armstrong, Pittsburg, Texas, five bass, 12-10, $366
9th:     Jacob Smith, Frisco, Texas, five bass, 12-8, $325
10th:   Brad Poole, Roanoke, Texas, six bass, 12-8, $285

Rick Habarka of Conway, Arkansas, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $300, catching a bass that weighed in at 6 pounds even.

With all five events in the division now complete, boater Zane Parker of Kingwood, Texas, won the Fishing Clash Cowboy Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 1,336 points and earned the $1,000 prize, while Leavitt Hamilton of Gonzales, Louisiana, won the Fishing Clash Cowboy Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 1,306 points and earned the $500 payout.

The top 60 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. 24-25 BFL Regional tournament on Lake Eufaula in Eufaula, Oklahoma. 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 award of $20,000.

The 2025 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 134 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 60 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying tournament winners, will advance to one of 12 BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top three, 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 2025 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, Deep Dive App, E3 Sport Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Humminbird, Lew’s, Li Time Batteries, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, 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, Discovery+, Discovery GO, Animal Planet, Outdoor Channel, VICE, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network, RFD-TV and Game & Fish TV, 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.

by AnglersChannel

Farmington’s Vaal Gets Helping Hand for Close Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Kentucky-Barkley Lake

Indiana’s Evans Tops Co-Angler Division

GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. (Sept. 29, 2025) – Boater Dustin Vaal of Farmington, Kentucky, caught a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 35 pounds, 5 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Kentucky-Barkley Lake. The tournament, hosted by Kentucky Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau, was the fifth and final event of the season for the BFL LBL Division. Vaal earned $4,975 for his victory.

Vaal said he found something in practice that allowed him to keep his tournament approach simple.

“Friday, during practice, I got lucky at the end of the day and found a spot that was loaded with fish,” Vaal said. “I spent my tournament rotating four spots and caught my fish on a topwater, a Carolina rig and a jerkbait. I essentially just did a big circle in 3 to 6 feet of water that broke off into deeper water. That’s where the majority of my fish were.”

Vaal said he focused on the main-river area, from the Paris bridge to Leatherwood to the US 60/KY 80 bridges. Vaal said his efforts accounted for 12 keepers on Saturday and “nine or 10” Sunday. Vaal also had big bites both days to boost his weights, including the Boater Berkley Big Bass that weighed 5-6 Saturday.

As simple as his approach was, Vaal’s tournament win didn’t come without drama.

Around 1 o’clock Sunday, Vaal tried to start his boat, but nothing electrical worked. He tried switching batteries to no avail. After contacting the tournament director, Vaal called his best friend, third-place finisher Justin Berger, who picked him up and took him to weigh-in.

“If it wasn’t for Justin, this win wouldn’t have happened,” Vaal said. “When you’re meant to win a tournament, weird things happen during the day. This is my third BFL win, and every single one of them it seems that something out of your control has happened. But if it’s meant to be, it happens.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:      Dustin Vaal, Farmington, Ky., 10 bass, 35-5, $4,975
2nd:    Clint Knight, Russellville, Ky., 10 bass, 34-15, $2,333
3rd:     Justin Berger, Murray, Ky., 10 bass, 30-3, $1,488
4th:     Sam Boss, Paducah, Ky., 10 bass, 29-4, $1,042
5th:     Brady Bickers, Carrollton, Ky., eight bass, 28-4, $893
6th:     Stephen Barga, Benton, Ky., nine bass, 24-8, $819
7th:     Cody Santel, Benton, Ky., eight bass, 21-0, $744
8th:     William Merrick, Wartrace, Tenn., nine bass, 20-8, $1,170 (includes $500 Phoenix Bonus)
9th:     Richard Meuth, Henderson, Ky., seven bass, 20-7, $595
10th:   Caden Crutchfield, Stamping Ground, Ky., eight bass, 19-9, $521

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Vaal caught a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 6 ounces, and also earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $510.

Stan Evans of Newburgh, Indiana, won the co-angler division and $2,233 Sunday, after bringing six bass to the scale that totaled 17 pounds, 14 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished:

1st:      Stan Evans, Newburgh, Ind., six bass, 17-14, $2,233
2nd:    Jeff Johnston, Nashville, Tenn., five bass, 15-6, $1,371
3rd:     Gary Huber II, Saint Charles, Mo., five bass, 13-3, $744
4th:     Ben Wade, South Fulton, Tenn., four bass, 13-3, $521
5th:     Kyle Cavitt, Paducah, Ky., four bass, 12-7, $497
6th:     Sam McReynolds, Kevil, Ky., five bass, 12-6, $409
7th:     James Phillips, West Point, Ky., two bass, 7-15, $372
8th:     Barry Gunter, Trafalgar, Ind., three bass, 7-2, $335
9th:     Frank Haysley, Louisville, Ky., three bass, 7-2, $298
10th:   Marcus Mann, Benton, Ky., three bass, 6-14, $360

Jeff Johnston of Nashville, Tennessee, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $255, catching a bass that weighed in at 4 pounds, 14 ounces.

With all five events in the division now complete, boater Clint Knight of Russellville, Kentucky, won the Fishing Clash LBL Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 1,361 points and earned the $1,000 prize, while Marcus Mann of Benton, Kentucky, won the Fishing Clash LBL Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 1,304 points and earned the $500 payout.

The top 60 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. 24-25 BFL Regional tournament on Dale Hollow Lake in Byrdstown, Tennessee. 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 award of $20,000.

The 2025 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 134 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 60 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying tournament winners, will advance to one of 12 BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top three, 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 2025 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, Deep Dive App, E3 Sport Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Humminbird, Lew’s, Li Time Batteries, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, 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, Discovery+, Discovery GO, Animal Planet, Outdoor Channel, VICE, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network, RFD-TV and Game & Fish TV, 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.

by AnglersChannel

Alabama’s Mitchell Pulls Off Slim Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Pickwick Lake

Mississippi’s Lockhart Takes Co-Angler Division

IUKA, Miss. (Sept. 29, 2025) – Boater Jackson Mitchell of Sylvan Springs, Alabama, caught a total of 10 bass weighing 44 pounds, 2 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. Mitchell earned $6,965, including a $2,500 Phoenix Bonus, for his victory.

“I focused on main-river shallow bars during practice and threw a Heddon Zara Spook over them,” Mitchell said. “We had a cold front come through the night before the tournament, and it took those fish from 2 to 3 feet of water and put them out in deeper water.

“I ended up LiveScoping them with a minnow and jerkbait,” Mitchell added. “Saturday just went right. Sunday, I lost three big ones, but I ended up culling two times an hour before weigh-in.”

Mitchell said he approached the weigh-in stage convinced he didn’t have enough to win.

“I thought someone would come in with 23 or 24 pounds today,” Mitchell said. “Weights were tight, man. It just came down to five ounces.”

Mitchell won a BFL event as a co-angler in 2022 at age 16 at Lake Guntersville and was thrilled to get his first victory as a boater.

“This feels awesome,” Mitchell continued. “I’ve dreamed of winning a BFL as a boater since I won three years ago, and this just feels great. I had a bad tournament here last year, and it’s good to get it done.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:        Jackson Mitchell, Sylvan Springs, Ala., 10 bass, 44-2, $6,965 (includes $2,500 Phoenix Bonus)
2nd:      Chandler Howell, Guntown, Miss., 10 bass, 43-13, $2,743
3rd:       Banks Shaw, Harrison, Tenn., 10 bass, 43-7, $1,488
4th:        Matteo Turano, Puryear, Tenn., 10 bass, 41-5, $1,142
5th:        Clayton Ellis, Saltillo, Miss., 10 bass, 40-14, $1,393
6th:        Dustin Blasengame, Booneville, Miss., 10 bass, 40-11, $819
7th:        Kaden Casey, Clarksville, Tenn., 10 bass, 37-9, $744
8th:        Deandre Allen, Tupelo, Miss., 10 bass, 36-7, $670
9th:        Preston Kolisek, Loretto, Tenn., 10 bass, 35-11, $595
10th:     Hunter Brewer, Lawrenceburg, Tenn., 10 bass, 35-6, $521

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Chandler Howell of Guntown, Mississippi, caught a bass that weighed 6 pounds even and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $510.

Andy Lockhart of Amory, Mississippi, won the co-angler division and $2,233 Sunday, after bringing six bass to the scale that totaled 17 pounds, 13 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished:

1st:        Andy Lockhart, Amory, Miss., six bass, 17-13, $2,233
2nd:      Terry Bennett, Oxford, Miss., six bass, 17-11, $1,166
3rd:       Zach Hedges, Utica, Ky., five bass, 17-0, $744
4th:        Eric White, Vinemont, Ala., four bass, 14-7, $776
5th:        Dalton Starnes, Louisville, Miss., four bass, 13-2, $447
6th:        Wade Mitchell, Woodland, Miss., four bass, 12-4, $409
7th:        Nathan Brewer, Lawrenceburg, Tenn., five bass, 11-10, $372
8th:        Reggie Thornton, Columbus, Miss., four bass, 9-11, $335
9th:        Carson Cook, Fulton, Miss., three bass, 8-11, $298
10th:     William Walsh, Bon Aqua, Tenn., three bass, 8-7, $260

Eric White of Vinemont, Alabama, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $255, catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 13 ounces.

With all five events in the division now complete, boater Luke Glasgow of Guin, Alabama, won the Fishing Clash Mississippi Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 1,309 points and earned the $1,000 prize, while Steve Hammack of Caledonia, Mississippi, won the Fishing Clash Mississippi Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 1,243 points and earned the $500 payout.

The top 60 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. 10-11 BFL Regional tournament on Kentucky-Barkley Lake in Buchanan, Tennessee. 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 award of $20,000.

The 2025 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 134 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 60 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying tournament winners, will advance to one of 12 BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top three, 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 2025 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, Deep Dive App, E3 Sport Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Humminbird, Lew’s, Li Time Batteries, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, 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, Discovery+, Discovery GO, Animal Planet, Outdoor Channel, VICE, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network, RFD-TV and Game & Fish TV, 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.

by AnglersChannel

Green Cove Springs’ Stalvey Holds Off Field for Victory at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at St. Johns River

Florida’s Bass Claims Co-Angler Division

PALATKA, Fla. (Sept. 29, 2025) – Boater Parker Stalvey of Green Cove Springs, Florida, caught a total of 10 bass weighing 46 pounds, 7 ounces, over two days to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on St. Johns River . The tournament, hosted by Putnam County Tourist Development Council, was the fifth and final event of the season for the BFL Gator Division. Stalvey earned $5,237 for his victory.

As usual, tides proved to be the major factor on the St. Johns River, and Stalvey was tuned in to them and adjusted as necessary to capitalize on the changing conditions the water presented to earn his first BFL trophy.

“Saturday, I started north and caught them decent, probably 12 to 13 pounds by 10 o’clock,” said Stalvey, who earned his first career victory in BFL competition after two prior third-place finishes as well as a runner-up effort. “The tide was headed out pretty strong by that time, so I went south and started following the tide.

“I got around the Seven Sisters area and pulled up on a school of fish,” Stalvey added. “It was game on at that point.”

Stalvey said he caught fish early on a Heddon Zara Spook and a popping bait fished near the bank, then as the day progressed, he moved into 8 to 10 feet of water and fished a crankbait on current swings near docks or anything else fish were setting up on.

Stalvey said Sunday he tried to duplicate his first day’s success with the same pattern, but the tide was coming from the opposite direction, and he couldn’t get fish to bite. He moved south to the Crescent Lake area where the tide was coming in.

“As soon as I shut down, they were biting pretty good,” Stalvey said. “I had my weight by 11:30 or 12 o’clock.

“I told my co-angler, ‘If I can get them to bite on this brush pile, I feel like we’ll be sitting pretty,’” Stalvey added. “Then I caught a 5-pounder and one 4-pounder. I felt pretty good about it then.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:        Parker Stalvey, Green Cove Springs, Fla., 10 bass, 46-7, $5,237
2nd:      Cody Morgan, Green Cove Springs, Fla., 10 bass, 43-11, $2,569
3rd:       Austin Black, East Palatka, Fla., 10 bass, 42-8, $1,712
4th:        John Mobley, Macclenny, Fla., 10 bass, 32-10, $1,199
5th:        Wendell Burke, Cross City, Fla., 10 bass, 32-8, $1,027
6th:        Steven Eastman, Eustis, Fla., 10 bass, 27-9, $942
7th:        Chris Keith, Alachua, Fla., 10 bass, 27-7, $856
8th:        Kenton Linthout, Cape Coral, Fla., nine bass, 27-6, $771
9th:        Kyle Fox, Lakeland, Fla., seven bass, 26-11, $1,330
10th:     Ryan Lewis, Deland, Fla., 10 bass, 26-3, $599

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Kyle Fox of Lakeland, Florida, caught a bass that weighed 9 pounds, 10 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $645.

Dana Bass of Miami, Florida, won the co-angler division and $2,569 Sunday, after bringing six bass to the scale that totaled 16 pounds, 9 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished:

1st:        Dana Bass, Miami, Fla., six bass, 16-9, $2,569
2nd:      David Jones, Umatilla, Fla., six bass, 14-5, $1,284
3rd:       Danny Hinton, Saint Cloud, Fla., six bass, 13-7, $858
4th:        Hunter Kaiser, Lakeland, Fla., five bass, 12-13, $971
5th:        Conner Herring, Old Town, Fla., six bass, 12-11, $514
6th:        Pat Herolt, Citrus Springs, Fla., five bass, 11-11, $471
7th:        Robert Linthout, Cape Coral, Fla., five bass, 11-0, $428
8th:        Adrian Davies, Cocoa, Fla., five bass, 10-9, $385
9th:        Chris Nickle, Sanford, Fla, three bass, 9-9, $442
10th:     Michael Robel, Bradenton, Fla., three bass, 9-7, $300

Hunter Kaiser of Lakeland, Florida, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $322, catching a bass that weighed in at 6 pounds, 5 ounces.

With all five events in the division now complete, boater Dylan Quilatan of Windermere, Florida, won the Fishing Clash Gator Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 1,348 points and earned the $1,000 prize, while David Jones of Umatilla, Florida, won the Fishing Clash Gator Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 1,298 points and earned the $500 payout.

The top 60 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. 17-18 BFL Regional tournament on Lake Seminole in Bainbridge, Georgia. 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 award of $20,000.

The 2025 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 134 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 60 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying tournament winners, will advance to one of 12 BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top three, 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 2025 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, Deep Dive App, E3 Sport Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Humminbird, Lew’s, Li Time Batteries, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, 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, Discovery+, Discovery GO, Animal Planet, Outdoor Channel, VICE, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network, RFD-TV and Game & Fish TV, 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.

by AnglersChannel

Travis Fox Sneaks Up on Toyota Series Win at Lake of the Ozarks

OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (Sept. 28, 2025) – As usual, the final day of the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Plains Division event on Lake of the Ozarks was a doozy. With increased boat traffic and the third consecutive day of fishing pressure taking a toll, weights are seldom predictable on the final day at the big lake. Travis Fox, however, didn’t let any of the uncertainly get to him.

The Arkansas pro tallied 17 pounds, 10 ounces on the final day to move up from fourth for the win with 49-10. Fox pockets just over $36,000 for his first MLF win above the Phoenix Bass Fishing League level after more than 150 events.

Finishing second, Michael Harlin was also very consistent, but faltered a little on the final day to finish with 47-12.
In the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year race, Roger Fitzpatrick came out ahead by 2 points, with Brad Jelinek finishing runner-up and Drew Gill finishing third. The top 25 pros and co-anglers have now locked in their qualifications to the Toyota Series Championship this fall on Grand Lake.

Fox got on the right program very fast, and then rode it out throughout the event, never biting off more than he could chew, and relying on a good zone and a few key docks to get the job done.

“I mixed it up: I fished out deep some, I fished shallow some, but I really was fishing the docks,” Fox said. “I was in Cancun in Mexico last week, and our flights got messed up on the way back and my practice got shortened. I caught three 4-pounders the first day of practice in a few hours, so I knew what area was doing good. I started focusing on that area, finding docks with brush. I knew a lot of people were fishing the backs of docks, and I’d mix in the VMC HD Swim Jig doing that. Whenever I got a bite doing that, it would be a dandy.”

Fox caught plenty of fish on Day 1, but after that, he needed to grind for every bite.

“The first day, I fished with (co-angler) Scott Parsons, and we absolutely wrecked ‘em,” he said. “We caught a lot of fish, both of us. The second day, I had just six keepers, and today I had seven or eight. The big fish, all but one of them came out of the same places every time.”

Fox relied on some standards for Lake of the Ozarks to catch his fish: a ½-ounce VMC HD Swim Jig in a shad pattern, a worm on a 5/16-ounce VMC Rugby Jig, and a green pumpkin Zoom Brush Hog with a ½-ounce VMC Tungsten Worm Weight. Across the board, he used 13 Fishing rods and reels, and Suffix line.

Fox was able to stay consistent every day, and landed just enough key bites to do it.

“I knew I couldn’t beat these locals with a giant bag, but I thought I could catch a 4-pounder or two a day, and in the fall that’s pretty strong,” he said.

Fox has a long history with MLF (much of it accumulated in the FLW era). Almost a winner quite a few times, Fox had a good run on the FLW Tour, and nearly won the Forrest Wood Cup in 2017. Winning a big one was probably overdue for Fox, and he got it done on a place near and dear to his heart.

“It feels pretty good,’ he said. “I’ve got a lot of history on this lake, it’s where I started cutting my teeth, fishing BFLs and pro-ams. So, it’s special to win on a lake that I grew up competing on. My mom and my aunt drove up every day and watched the weigh-in, so that’s pretty special too. I’ve got a lot of other friends here I met through life’s journeys, and a lot of them are here and rooting for me. It’s pretty cool.”

The top 10 pros at the Toyota Series at Lake of the Ozarks finished:

1st:        Travis Fox, Rogers, Ark., 15 bass, 49-10, $36,639
2nd:       Michael Harlin, Sunrise Beach, Mo., 15 bass, 47-12, $14,197
3rd:       Roger Fitzpatrick, Eldon, Mo., 15 bass, 47-2, $11,242
4th:        Shane Long, Willard, Mo., 15 bass, 46-8, $9,160
5th:        Tyler Weberg, Eugene, Mo., 15 bass, 46-3, $8,244
6th:        Andy Newcomb, Camdenton, Mo., 15 bass, 45-14, $8,328
7th:        Cole McFarland, Lake Ozark, Mo., 15 bass, 44-15, $6,412
8th:        Hayden O’Barr, Scottsboro, Ala., 15 bass, 44-9, $5,496
9th:        Corey Cook, Osage Beach, Mo., 15 bass, 44-0, $4,580
10th:     Cory Steckler, Rocky Mount, Mo., 15 bass, 43-13, $3,664

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Pro Charlie Weyer of Branson West, Missouri, earned Thursday’s $500 Berkley Big Bass Award with a bass weighing 5 pounds, 5 ounces, while pro Anthony Johnson of Excelsior Springs, Missouri, won Friday’s $500 Berkley Big Bass, weighing in a 5-pound, 10-ouncer to earn the $500 award.

Mike Mueller of Elkhorn, Nebraska, won the co-angler division Saturday at Lake of the Ozarks with a three-day total of 13 bass weighing 35 pounds, 4 ounces. Mueller earned the top co-angler prize package worth $33,500, including a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard motor.

The top 10 co-anglers at the Toyota Series at Lake of the Ozarks finished:

1st:        Mike Mueller, Elkhorn, Neb., 13 bass, 35-4, Phoenix 518 Pro boat w/115-hp Mercury outboard
2nd:       Scott Parsons, Rogers, Ark., 14 bass, 33-9, $4,623
3rd:       Noah Dickneite, Freeburg, Mo., 14 bass, 30-8, $3,699
4th:        Alan Bernicky, Dardanelle, Ark., 14 bass, 28-8, $3,336
5th:        Mark Cowart, Kearney, Mo., 12 bass, 27-13, $2,774
6th:        Yusuke Takahashi, Inahshiki, Japan, 12 bass, 27-7, $2,312
7th:        Joe Lee, Midlothian, Texas, 11 bass, 27-1, $1,849
8th:        Mason Chambers, Galena, Mo., 12 bass, 26-1, $1,618
9th:        Takaaki Kojima, Temecula, Calif., 10 bass, 25-6, $1,387
10th:     Jason Swanson, Waterloo, Iowa, 12 bass, 25-5, $1,1156

Co-angler Jonathan Hopper of Springdale, Arkansas, earned the first Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of the week on Thursday with a 5-pound, 12-ounce bass to earn the $150 prize, while Friday’s Day 2 $150 co-angler award went to Christopher Fierce of Dixon, Missouri, who weighed in a bass totaling 5 pounds, 13 ounces.

The Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats at Lake of the Ozarks was hosted by the Tri-County Lodging Association. It was the third and final regular-season tournament for the Toyota Series Plains Division. The final event of the season for Toyota Series anglers will be the Toyota Series Championship, Nov. 6-8, at Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma. For a complete schedule of events, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The 2025 Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats consists of five divisions – Central, Northern, Plains, Southern and the Southwestern – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International and Wild Card divisions. Anglers who fish in any of the five divisions or the Wild Card division and finish in the top 25 will qualify for the no-entry-fee Toyota Series Championship for a shot at winning up to $235,000 and a qualification to REDCREST 2026. The winning co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard. The 2025 Toyota Series Championship will be held Nov. 6-8 on Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma, and is hosted by the City of Grove Convention & Tourism Bureau.

Proud sponsors of the 2025 MLF Toyota Series include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, Deep Dive App, E3 Sport Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Humminbird, Lew’s, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.

For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Toyota Series updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the MLF5 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 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.

by AnglersChannel

Evansville’s Deal Paces Pack by Almost Three Pounds to Take Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Ohio River

Ohio’s Moorman Claims Co-Angler Division

LAWRENCEBURG, Ind. (Sept. 22, 2025) – Boater Ryan Deal of Evansville, Indiana, caught a total of 10 bass weighing 18 pounds, 5 ounces, over two days to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on the Ohio River-Tanners Creek. The tournament was the fifth and final event of the season for the BFL Hoosier Division. Deal earned $6,190 for his victory.

“I fished in creeks both days and stayed out of the main river,” said Deal. “I caught nine keepers Saturday on a spinnerbait, and eight or nine keepers Sunday on a spinnerbait as well. So, creeks both days and mostly spinnerbait fish did it for me.”

Deal said in addition to the spinnerbait, soft plastics accounted for some bass in his weigh-in bag in an area he ran to, 15 miles downriver from takeoff.

Saturday Deal had a limit and a kicker bass near four pounds, and he knew he would probably be sitting in the top three after weigh-in. A better-quality bite on Sunday took some of the pressure off him, and he took a 1-pound lead into Sunday.

“I knew I had a really good shot at winning if I had a good day to back up my first day,” Deal said. “A 1-pound lead-* is a lot on the Ohio River. And it worked out well.

“Wins are few and far between,” said Deal, who notched his fourth career BFL win. “I’ve had 55 top-10s and made the All-American four times, so I’ve had a good career. But even with all of that success, wins are still few and far between. So, it feels great when you get one.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:        Ryan Deal, Evansville, Ind., 10 bass, 18-5, $6,190
2nd:      Chris Wilkinson, Farmersburg, Ind., 10 bass, 15-8, $2,845
3rd:       Pete Justice, Sharonville, Ohio, 10 bass, 15-2, $1,897
4th:        Doug Ruster, New Palestine, Ind., 10 bass, 14-5, $1,328
5th:        Adrian Urso, Union, Ky., seven bass, 13-11, $1,238
6th:        Pat White, Ameila, Ohio, eight bass, 13-11, $1,043
7th:        Tony Collins, Dayton, Ohio, 10 bass, 13-10, $1,448 (includes $500 Phoenix Bonus)
8th:        Nick Uebelhor, Jasper, Ind., 10 bass, 13-10, $853
9th:        Michael Nesbitt, St. Paris, Ohio, 10 bass, 13-7, $759
10th:     Blake Knies, Jasper, Ind., nine bass, 12-7, $664

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Chad Mrazek of Montgomery, Texas, caught a bass that weighed 4 pounds, 7 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $742.

Jeff Moorman of Liberty Township, Ohio, won the co-angler division and $3,095 Sunday, after bringing six bass to the scale that totaled 7 pounds, 14 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished:

1st:        Jeff Moorman, Liberty Township, Ohio, six bass, 7-14, $3,095
2nd:      Gary Higgins, Bloomfield, Ind., six bass, 7-6, $1,422
3rd:       Brad Hostetler Sr., Nineveh, Ind., four bass, 7-2, $948
4th:        Adam Troyer, Brownsburg, Ind., four bass, 7-0, $1,035
5th:        Billy French, Hamilton, Ohio, four bass, 6-15, $569
6th:        Jeffrey Smith, West Chester, Ohio, five bass, 6-12, $522
7th:        Nickolas Myers, Zionsville, Ind., four bass, 6-10, $474
8th:        Nathaniel Hester, Indianapolis, Ind., five bass, 6-4, $427
9th:        Michael Stevenson, Leitchfield, Ky., four bass, 5-13, $379
10th:     Dan Pardue, Morgantown, Ind., five bass, 5-11, $382

Adam Troyer of Brownsburg, Indiana, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $371, catching a bass that weighed in at 3 pounds, 7 ounces.

With all five events in the division now complete, boater Chris Wilkinson of Farmersburg, Indiana, won the Fishing Clash Hoosier Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 1,327 points and earned the $1,000 prize, while Derek Jackson of New Albany, Indiana, won the Fishing Clash Hoosier Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 1,243 points and earned the $500 payout.

The top 60 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. 10-11 BFL Regional tournament on Kentucky-Barkley Lake in Buchanan, Tennessee. 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 award of $20,000.

The 2025 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 134 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 60 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying tournament winners, will advance to one of 12 BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top three, 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 2025 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, Deep Dive App, E3 Sport Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Humminbird, Lew’s, Li Time Batteries, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, 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, Discovery+, Discovery GO, Animal Planet, Outdoor Channel, VICE, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network, RFD-TV and Game & Fish TV, 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.

by AnglersChannel

Pennsylvania’s Kauffman Nabs Slim 1-ounce Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Potomac River

Maryland’s Hornsby Tops Co-Angler Division

MARBURY, Md. (Sept. 22, 2025) – Boater Josh Kauffman of Marysville, Pennsylvania, caught a total of 10 bass weighing 29 pounds, 13 ounces, over two days to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on the Potomac River . The tournament, hosted by the Charles County Recreation, Parks, and Tourism, was the fifth and final event of the season for the BFL Northeast Division. Kauffman earned $7,509, including a $2,500 Phoenix Bonus, for his victory.

“The Potomac is really finicky right now,” Kauffman said. “You could catch a good amount of fish, but getting anything above a pound and a half was difficult. I really just tried to cover as much water as possible. You have to factor in the tide wherever you go, and I just focused on areas where I found better quality fish – even if I got only one bite in a spot in practice, I ran there during the tournament. It really just came down to getting the bigger and better-than-average bite.”

Kauffman, who stayed in the D.C. area for bass, said moving baits such as crankbaits, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits and a swim jig were key for him.

“I had to just keep covering water,” Kauffman said. “That was the name of the game. Really, I was just junk fishing a lot of high-percentage areas, just hoping I could get one here and there.”

Kauffman entered the second day of competition in ninth place and had his work cut out for him on Day 2.

“I knew I really had to catch a good bag to even have a shot (at winning),” Kauffman said. “So, I decided to change it up a little bit and I ran some new water I didn’t even fish Saturday. Sunday morning, I found an area where they were really active, and I had 13½ pounds in 15 minutes. It was every other cast for 45 minutes.

“That really calmed me down, which was really important,” Kauffman added. “I just needed a couple more good bites, and I was able to get them with a 4¼- and a 4½-pounder.

Kauffman said toward the end of the day he was just shy of 16 pounds and felt he still needed one more quality bite to finish the tournament strongly.

“I made a long run into an area where I caught a 5-pounder in practice, and started fishing,” Kauffman said. “Sure enough, I made one cast shallow, started reeling it back, and one smoked it. It was a 4¼.

“The key to my win is I fished very cleanly, which hardly ever happens,” Kauffman added. “It’s like when it’s your time, it’s your time.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:        Josh Kauffman, Marysville, Pa., 10 bass, 29-13, $7,509 (includes $2,500 Phoenix Bonus)
2nd:      Aaron Dixon, Bel Alton, Md., 10 bass, 29-12, $2,466
3rd:       Jason Burger, Bridgeton, N.J., 10 bass, 28-8, $1,577
4th:        Conor Cahill, Audubon, N.J., 10 bass, 27-12, $1,104
5th:        Todd Langford, Great Falls, Va., 10 bass, 26-10, $946
6th:        Brandon Pyles, Middletown, Md., 10 bass, 26-10, $868
7th:        Teimuraz Balachvili, Scarsdale, N.Y., 10 bass, 25-11, $789
8th:        Joshua Lewis, Rockville, Md., 10 bass, 24-4, $710
9th:        Jerry Vitiello, Verona, N.J., 10 bass, 24-4, $631
10th:     Logan Kaplon, Rural Valley, Pa., 10 bass, 23-2, $702

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Kauffman and Fred Aldridge of Brandystation, Virginia, each caught a bass that weighed 4 pounds, 8 ounces, to split the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $554.

Philip Hornsby of Hughesville, Maryland, won the co-angler division and $2,366 Sunday, after bringing six bass to the scale that totaled 19 pounds, 2 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished:

1st:        Philip Hornsby, Hughesville, Md., six bass, 19-2, $2,366
2nd:      Robert Wedding, Welcome, Md., six bass, 16-4, $1,460
3rd:       Jarrett Albert, Dillsburg, Pa., six bass, 15-6, $790
4th:        Randall Given, Laurel, Del., six bass, 15-1, $552
5th:        Mike Wotanowski, Lake Hopatcong, N.J., six bass, 14-1, $473
6th:        Jordan Petterson, Harbeson, Del., six bass, 13-5, $434
7th:        Joseph Amberg Jr., Hawley, Pa., six bass, 13-3, $394
8th:        Chuck Nale, Marydel, Md., six bass, 13-1, $405
9th:        Leon Deatrick, Orrtanna, Pa., six bass, 11-13, $315
10th:     Hampton Robinson, Bealeton, Va., six bass, 11-13, $276

Robert Wedding of Welcome, Maryland, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $277 with a bass that weighed in at 4 pounds, 14 ounces.

With all five events in the division now complete, boater Teimuraz Balachvili of Scarsdale, New York, won the Fishing Clash Northeast Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 1,304 points and earned the $1,000 prize, while Joseph Amberg Jr. of Hawley, Pennsylvania, won the Fishing Clash Northeast Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 1,312 points and earned the $500 payout.

The top 60 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. 3-4 BFL Regional tournament on the James River in Richmond, Viriginia. 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 award of $20,000.

The 2025 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 134 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 60 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying tournament winners, will advance to one of 12 BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top three, 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 2025 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, Deep Dive App, E3 Sport Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Humminbird, Lew’s, Li Time Batteries, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, 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, Discovery+, Discovery GO, Animal Planet, Outdoor Channel, VICE, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network, RFD-TV and Game & Fish TV, 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.

by AnglersChannel

Mena’s Rose Gets Particular With Jig for Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Lake Hamilton

Arkansas’ Jones Tops Co-Angler Division

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. (Sept. 22, 2025) – Boater Austin Rose of Mena, Arkansas, caught a total of 10 bass weighing 27 pounds, 3 ounces, over two days to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Hamilton. The tournament was the fifth and final event of the season for the BFL Arkie Division. Rose earned $12,177, including a $7,000 Phoenix Bonus, for his victory.

Rose said he discovered a “pretty substantial pattern” in practice leading up to the tournament when he found a jig bite using a homemade jig. That pattern, as it turns out, was also very specific, according to Rose.

“Every fish that I found was on a break line running east to west, and the fish were on the north side of the break,” Rose said. “The south side of it wasn’t near as good as the north side. It also had to be on the first 100 yards of the break facing the main lake.”

Rose said he targeted bass in 8 to 15 feet of water around brush, stumps and docks in practice.

“On the first day of the tournament, it got really tough for me,” Rose said. “Right out of the gate I lost two that were over 4 pounds. I figured that would end up biting me in the end, but it didn’t end up hurting me too bad. Then, before weigh-in, I lost one pushing 5 pounds.”

Rose said Sunday he broke off two bass but had three substantial culls in the last 30 minutes of competition.

I caught two of those late and told my co-angler, ‘I really wish I had those two from yesterday.’ I just needed a kicker – a 5-pounder. And then I got that bite and ended up breaking it off.

“It was a pretty fun day on the water,” Rose said. “Not clean fishing, but I ended up getting it done.

“This is a life-long dream of mine, a big win for me,” Rose added. “This is my first year fishing as a boater, and it hasn’t really sunk in yet.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:        Austin Rose, Mena, Ark., 10 bass, 27-3, $12,177 (includes $7,000 Phoenix Bonus)
2nd:      Chris Cusick, Hot Springs, Ark., 10 bass, 24-10, $2,539
3rd:       Dylan Hays, Hot Springs, Ark., 10 bass, 24-9, $1,694
4th:        Cody Burke, Greenbrier, Ark., 10 bass, 24-6, $1,185
5th:        Bryce Boatright, Sheridan, Ark., 10 bass, 23-8, $1,015
6th:        Lance Freeman, Hot Springs, Ark., 10 bass, 23-5, $931
7th:        Justin Bean, Benton, Ark., 10 bass, 22-11, $846
8th:        Samuel Mitchell, Kiowa, Okla., 10 bass, 21-8, $762
9th:        Zach Ward, Cabot, Ark., 10 bass, 21-7, $1,314
10th:     Carl Cole, Little Rock, Ark., 10 bass, 21-1, $592

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Zach Ward of Cabot, Arkansas, caught a bass that weighed 4 pounds, 6 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $637.

Jody Jones of Harvey, Arkansas, won the co-angler division and $2,858 Sunday, after bringing six bass to the scale that totaled 12 pounds, 2 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished:

1st:        Jody Jones, Harvey, Ark., six bass, 12-2, $2,858
2nd:      Eian Odle, Willow Springs, Mo., six bass, 12-1, $1,269
3rd:       Blake Defoor, Waldron, Ark., six bass, 11-5, $896
4th:        Mark King, Gurdon, Ark., six bass, 11-0, $592
5th:        Randy Allen, Russellville, Ark., six bass, 8-13, $508
6th:        Demarcus Armstrong, Pittsburg, Texas, six bass, 8-12, $465
7th:        John McCullar, Benton, Ark., five bass, 8-7, $423
8th:        Eli Garrison, Ward, Ark., five bass, 8-6, $381
9th:        Michael Lucas, Forrest City, Ark., four bass, 7-9, $339
10th:     Johnny Crider, Fulton, Ark., five bass, 6-9, $296

Jody Jones of Harvey, Arkansas, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $319, catching a bass that weighed in at 4 pounds, 4 ounces.

With all five events in the division now complete, boater Brian Bean of Hot Springs, Arkansas, won the Fishing Clash Arkie Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 1,312 points and earned the $1,000 prize, while Eli Garrison of Ward, Arkansas, won the Fishing Clash Arkie Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 1,310 points and earned the $500 payout.

The top 60 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. 24-25 BFL Regional tournament on Lake Eufaula in Eufaula, Oklahoma. 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 award of $20,000.

The 2025 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 134 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 60 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying tournament winners, will advance to one of 12 BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top three, 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 2025 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, Deep Dive App, E3 Sport Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Humminbird, Lew’s, Li Time Batteries, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, 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, Discovery+, Discovery GO, Animal Planet, Outdoor Channel, VICE, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network, RFD-TV and Game & Fish TV, 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.

by AnglersChannel

Virginia’s Rock Holds Off Field for Victory at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Watts Bar

Virginia’s Lyons Claims Co-Angler Division

SPRING CITY, Tenn. (Sept. 22, 2025) – Boater Matthew Rock of Bristol, Virginia, caught a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 34 pounds, 2 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Watts Bar . The tournament, hosted by the Rhea County Department of Tourism - Fish Spring City, was the fifth and final event of the season for the BFL Volunteer Division. Rock earned $4,604 for his victory.

Rock said he targeted main-river channel swings in 25 to 35 feet of water using LiveScope. He said the fish weren’t structure related and there was no rhyme or reason to the catches.

“I found an area in practice – about a 300-yard stretch – and I just sat there until about 10:30 Saturday and caught all of my weight there. Then I just went running around practicing for the next day,” said Rock. “I went back there Sunday and caught four, but the fish had left, so I relocated and caught my fifth keeper at 2:40.”

Rock said he used a Big Huey Lures custom minnow and a Big Huey Lures custom jighead to boat his bass from the channel swings. Saturday, he boated “nine or 10” keepers, and only five Sunday, but they were the right five to secure his first BFL win as a boater.

“When I caught that fifth keeper Sunday, I knew the rest of the boys would have to really catch them to beat me,” Rock said. “I wasn’t going to just let them have it.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:        Matthew Rock, Bristol, Va., 10 bass, 34-2, $4,604
2nd:      Bryce McDonald, Paintsville, Ky., 10 bass, 31-15, $2,452
3rd:       Jeremy Gordon, Rutledge, Tenn., 10 bass, 31-0, $2,036 (includes $500 Phoenix Bonus)
4th:        Turner Tharpe, Dayton, Tenn., 10 bass, 30-13, $1,074
5th:        Michael Morrison, Stamping Ground, Ky., 10 bass, 30-4, $1,461
6th:        Corey Neece, Bristol, Tenn., 10 bass, 30-2, $844
7th:        Jeffery Moore, Harriman, Tenn., 10 bass, 29-12, $767
8th:        Terry Ford, Harriman, Tenn., 10 bass, 28-8, $691
9th:        Josh Lee, Powell, Tenn., 10 bass, 28-4, $614
10th:     Camdyn Cranfill, Dayton, Tenn., 10 bass, 28-4, $537

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Michael Morrison of Stamping Ground, Kentucky, caught a bass that weighed 4 pounds, 1 ounce, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $540.

Chuck Lyons of Riner, Virginia, won the co-angler division and $2,572 Sunday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 13 pounds, 3 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished:

1st:        Chuck Lyons, Riner, Va., five bass, 13-3, $2,572
2nd:      Christopher Davis, Huntsville, Ala., four bass, 10-15, $1,151
3rd:       Dewayne Drummonds, Gray, Ky., four bass, 10-0, $767
4th:        Konnor Sweet, Abingdon, Va., four bass, 9-5, $537
5th:        Kasey Hunley, Sharps Chapel, Tenn., three bass, 9-3, $460
6th:        Billy Joe Wheat, Evensville, Tenn., four bass, 8-13, $422
7th:        Steve Ouellette, Knoxville, Tenn., four bass, 7-15, $384
8th:        Luke Shrader, Monticello, Ky., three bass, 7-8, $395
9th:        Howard Smith, Hamilton, Ohio, three bass, 6-9, $307
10th:     Don Carmack, Middlesboro, Ky., two bass, 5-7, $269

Lyons also earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $270, catching a bass that weighed in at 3 pounds, 6 ounces.

With all five events in the division now complete, boater Jeremy Gordon of Rutledge, Tennessee, won the Fishing Clash Volunteer Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 1,360 points and earned the $1,000 prize, while Kasey Hunley of Sharps Chapel, Tennessee, won the Fishing Clash Volunteer Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 1,335 points and earned the $500 payout.

The top 60 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. 24-25 BFL Regional tournament on Dale Hollow Lake in Byrdstown, Tennessee. 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 award of $20,000.

The 2025 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 134 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 60 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying tournament winners, will advance to one of 12 BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top three, 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 2025 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, Deep Dive App, E3 Sport Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Humminbird, Lew’s, Li Time Batteries, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, 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, Discovery+, Discovery GO, Animal Planet, Outdoor Channel, VICE, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network, RFD-TV and Game & Fish TV, 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.

by AnglersChannel

Louisiana’s Stevens Edges Field to Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Lake Guntersville

Alabama’s McBride Tops Co-Angler Division

SCOTTSBORO, Ala. (Sept. 22, 2025) – Boater Walt Stevens of Bernice, Louisiana, caught a total of 10 bass weighing 45 pounds, 4 ounces, over two days to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Guntersville . The tournament, hosted by the Mountain Lakes Chamber of Commerce, was the fifth and final event of the season for the BFL Choo Choo Division. Stevens earned $6,242 for his victory.

Stevens’ tournament didn’t start out exactly as he’d hoped.

“On Day 1 I went to an area and immediately lost a couple of 5-pounders,” said Stevens, who managed to weigh in 22 pounds, 10 ounces both days of competition. “I had one fish in the boat at 10:30. I pulled up on another spot and basically caught all of my fish on one stretch in about 45 minutes to cull up to 22-10.”

Stevens said he made a crucial cull at 2:45 when he pulled up to a grass mat and punched through it for a 4-pounder and then he headed to Day 1 weigh-in.

Stevens started out Sunday where he caught most of his fish the first day, but it didn’t pan out. He relocated to a secondary spot and quickly lost two large fish. His luck changed, however, and he caught all of his second day’s weight of 22-10 there.

“I caught two 4-pounders on almost back-to-back casts,” Stevens said. “At that point I knew I was close to the same weight I had on Day 1, but I was 3 pounds out of the lead after the first day. I thought the leaders would have to stumble pretty good for me to catch up. I felt like I needed 26 to 27 to secure a win.

“When I caught those two 4-pounders I thought I could at least maintain third place,” Stevens added. “(Tournament director) Alan (Gray) told me on stage I needed 22-9 to take over the lead, and when he said I had 22-10 I just couldn’t believe it.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:        Walt Stevens, Bernice, La., 10 bass, 45-4, $6,242
2nd:      Hayden Marbut, Grant, Ala., 10 bass, 45-2, $3,621 (includes $500 Phoenix Bonus)
3rd:       Evan Chandler, Rainsville, Ala., 10 bass, 44-1, $2,082
4th:        Freddy Palmer, Estill Springs, Tenn., 10 bass, 43-2, $2,326
5th:        Logan Dyar, Cleveland, Ala., 10 bass, 42-5, $1,248
6th:        Matteo Turano, Puryear, Tenn., 10 bass, 41-2, $1,244
7th:        Lake Johnson, Trinity, Ala., 10 bass, 41-2, $1,040
8th:        Matthew Tucker, Huntsville, Ala., 10 bass, 37-6, $936
9th:        Fisher Heard, Rogersville, Ala., 10 bass, 37-4, $832
10th:     Bryar Chambers, Cullman, Ala., 10 bass, 37-4, $728

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Freddy Palmer of Estill Springs, Tennessee, caught a bass that weighed 7 pounds, 3 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $870.

Todd McBride of Huntsville, Alabama, won the co-angler division and $3,309 Sunday, after bringing a two-day total of six bass to the scale that totaled 20 pounds, 15 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished:

1st:        Todd McBride, Huntsville, Ala., six bass, 20-15, $3,309
2nd:      Todd Mowery, Madison, Ala., six bass, 20-11, $1,547
3rd:       Justin Stephenson, Jasper, Ala., six bass, 17-12, $1,029
4th:        Garrett Warren, Hoover, Ala., six bass, 17-10, $722
5th:        Tyson Giesbrecht, Gurley, Ala., six bass, 17-8, $619
6th:        Tommy Pritchard, Bargersville, Ind., six bass, 17-1, $617
7th:        Rex Henry, Hixson, Tenn., five bass, 16-15, $516
8th:        Mekiah Jack, Mount Juliet, Tenn., five bass, 16-7, $464
9th:        Charles Goss, Rossville, Ga., six bass, 16-5, $413
10th:     Paul Stidham, Cullman, Ala., six bass, 15-15, $361

Todd McBride of Huntsville, Alabama, and David Marr of Cleveland, Tennessee, each caught a bass weighing 5-10 to split the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $430.

With all five events in the division now complete, boater Keith Miller of Scottsboro, Alabama, won the Fishing Clash Choo Choo Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 1,281 points and earned the $1,000 prize, while Paul Stidham of Cullman, Alabama, won the Fishing Clash Choo Choo Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 1,319 points and earned the $500 payout.

The top 60 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. 10-11 BFL Regional tournament on Logan Martin Lake in Lincoln, 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 award of $20,000.

The 2025 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 134 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 60 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying tournament winners, will advance to one of 12 BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top three, 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 2025 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, Deep Dive App, E3 Sport Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Humminbird, Lew’s, Li Time Batteries, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, 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, Discovery+, Discovery GO, Animal Planet, Outdoor Channel, VICE, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network, RFD-TV and Game & Fish TV, 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.

by AnglersChannel