AnglersChannel

Anders Claims Victory at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Clarks Hill Lake

by AnglersChannel

Laufenberg Bests Field at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on the Mississippi River

Swanson Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division

LA CROSSE, Wis. (May 23, 2022) – Boater Cade Laufenberg of La Crosse, Wisconsin, caught five bass Saturday weighing 17 pounds, 3 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on the Mississippi River . The tournament, hosted by the La Crosse County Convention and Visitors Bureau, was the second event for the Bass Fishing League Great Lakes Division. Laufenberg earned $12,327, including a $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus, for his victory.

“I had a plan to go catch some largemouth first thing in the morning, and I got to my spot and there was another boat on it,” Laufenberg said. “So I had to turn around and make a 20-minute boat ride all the way back to where I came from.

“I basically had to start my mindset all over,” Laufenberg added. “I had three rods rigged for largemouth on my deck, and I had to put those away and get my smallmouth rods out.”

Laufenberg said he had two fish in the livewell when his co-angler caught a 5-pound smallmouth, and he became excited thinking he had figured out a way to post a big tournament bag. Laufenberg said he relied on a green-pumpkin Strike King Rage Twin Tail Menace Grub fished on a 1/8-ounce jighead to target the smallmouth. He said he fished the grub out of current and cast toward the bank to focus on fish in all three stages of the spawn – prespawn, spawning and post-spawn. Laufenberg said he caught 40 to 50 fish during the tournament - 20 of which were keepers.

“Once my co-angler caught that big fish it gave me the confidence to stick with the smallmouth and hop from place to place and pick one off here and there,” Laufenberg said. “Then I lucked into a bonus largemouth – a 3¾-pounder – that was the biggest fish of the day. It was a day that didn’t start the way I wanted it to, but it led me down a winning path.

“It was one of those days you hear about that when it’s your time to win, it’s your time to win, and you can’t really stop it,” Laufenberg added. “This is my hometown, and there are a lot of really talented locals who fish in these events, so when you are able to be the best on any given Saturday in a BFL tournament, you really have an accomplishment.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:        Cade Laufenberg, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 17-3, $12,327 (includes $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
2nd:       Clayton Reitz, Morton, Ill., five bass, 15-13, $2,064
3rd:       Mike Gabel, St. Charles, Ill., five bass, 15-9, $1,577
4th:        Robby Tufte, Fountain City, Wis., five bass, 15-2, $963
5th:        Conner Choate, Toddville, Iowa, five bass, 15-1, $825
6th:        Darren Zumach, Onalaska, Wis., five bass, 15-0, $757
7th:        Joseph Titus, Bemidji, Minn., five bass, 14-14, $688
8th:        Tanner Bock, Davenport, Iowa, five bass, 14-10, $619
9th:        Kevin Wolfram, Chicago, Ill., five bass, 14-9, $550
10th:     Jeff Ritter, Prairie du Chien, Wis., five bass, 14-8, $457
10th:     Jacob Ambrose, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 14-8, $457

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Joseph Vazquez of Oak Forest, Illinois, had a fish that weighed 4 pounds, 11 ounces that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $575.

Jason Swanson of Waterloo, Iowa, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,351 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 15 pounds, 5 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st:        Jason Swanson, Waterloo, Iowa, five bass, 15-5, $2,351
2nd:       Mark Folsom, Waterville, Iowa, five bass, 15-2, $1,060
2nd:       Will Ahnen, Fennimore, Wis., five bass, 15-2, $860
4th:        Chad Plaskey, West Bend, Wis., five bass, 14-14, $482
5th:        Benjamin Gusciora, Goodfield, Ill., five bass, 14-2, $413
6th:        Alan Bernicky, Joliet, Ill., five bass, 14-0, $628
7th:        Chase Traeger, Lino Lakes, Minn., five bass, 13-10, $344
8th:        Ed Remian, Schiller Park, Ill., five bass, 13-7, $292
8th:        Cody Oberfoell, Marion, Iowa, five bass, 13-7, $292
10th:     Dilan Trester, Winona, Minn., five bass, 12-14, $241

Swanson caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds even. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $287.

After two events, Darren Zumach of Onalaska, Wisconsin, leads the Bass Fishing League Great Lakes Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 495 points, while Alan Bernicky of Joliet, Illinois, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 494 points.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 20-22 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma. Boaters will compete for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

The 2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six Regional Championships where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American. The 2022 All-American will be held June 2-4 at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.

The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the MLF Toyota Series, the pathway to the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.

Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, AFTCO, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Revital Outdoors, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X, YETI and Yo-Zuri.

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.

by AnglersChannel

Lilly Earns Victory at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Douglas Lake

Barton Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division

DANDRIDGE, Tenn. (May 23, 2022) – Boater Travis Lilly of Bluff City, Tennessee, caught five bass Saturday weighing 16 pounds, 5 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Douglas Lake Presented by Lithium Pros . The tournament, hosted by the Economic Development Alliance Jefferson County, was the third event for the Bass Fishing League Volunteer Division. Lilly earned $5,874 for his victory.

Lilly said he targeted the lower end of Douglas Lake near Flat Creek, fishing a shad spawn pattern and “whatever looked good.”

“The key was just junk fishing and being in the right place at the right time,” Lilly said. “I used a white homemade jig, a Lake Fork Flutter Spoon and an Azuma Timmy Horton Z Boss crankbait.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st: Travis Lilly, Bluff City, Tenn., five bass, 16-5, $5,874
2nd: Corey Neece, Bristol, Tenn., five bass, 16-2, $3,045 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
3rd: Eddie Ball, Newport, Tenn., five bass, 15-4, $1,898
4th: Greg McDavid, Blountville, Tenn., five bass, 14-11, $1,487
5th: Derek Turner, Jacksboro, Tenn., five bass, 14-4, $1,018
6th: Mark Pappas, Dandridge, Tenn., five bass, 14-2, $933
7th: Jeremy Shuman, Louisville, Tenn., five bass, 13-13, $848
8th: Matthew Rock, Bristol, Va., five bass, 13-9, $721
8th: Brant Grimm, Church Hill, Tenn., five bass, 13-9, $721
10th: Corey Brooks, Louisville, Tenn., five bass, 13-8, $594

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Lilly had a largemouth that weighed 5 pounds, 7 ounces that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $785.

Brad Barton of Middlesboro, Kentucky, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,607 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 12 pounds, 2 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st: Brad Barton, Middlesboro, Ky., five bass, 12-2, $2,607
2nd: Keith Gunsauls, Dandridge, Tenn., four bass, 12-1, $1,635
3rd: Don Raines, five bass, 11-12, $837
4th: Hunter Cseledy, Waynesville, N.C., five bass, 11-11, $585
5th: Peyton Kent, McDonald, Tenn., five bass, 11-7, $501
6th: Jeremy Haney, Crossville, Tenn., five bass, 11-3, $460
7th: Kiel Guin, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 11-0, $418
8th: Nick Coker, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 10-14, $576
9th: Dennis Putthoff, Old Hickory, Tenn., five bass, 10-13, $334
10th: Thai Tatum, Lebanon, Va., five bass, 10-9, $277
10th: Pop Catalin, Cookeville, Tenn., five bass, 10-9, $277

Gunsauls caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 4 pounds, 12 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $382.

After three events, Jacob Woods of Loudon, Tennessee, leads the Bass Fishing League Volunteer Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 694 points, while Brad Barton of Middlesboro, Kentucky, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 730 points.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 20-22 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Smith Lake in Cullman, Alabama. Boaters will compete for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

The 2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six Regional Championships where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American. The 2022 All-American will be held June 2-4 at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.

The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the MLF Toyota Series, the pathway to the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.

Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, AFTCO, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Revital Outdoors, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X, YETI and Yo-Zuri.

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.

by AnglersChannel

Semento Rallies to Win Toyota Series Southern Division Finale on the Harris Chain of Lakes

LEESBURG, Fla. (May 22, 2022) – Despite only weighing in four bass totaling 9 pounds, 15 ounces  that had him buried in 119^th place after Day 1, pro angler Jonathan Semento of Okahumpka, Florida, rallied on the final two days – including a 25-pound, 3-ounce final-day limit – to win the Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. at the Harris Chain of Lakes and win the top payout of $80,500, including the lucrative $35,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus. Semento’s three-day total of 14 bass weighing 60-1 earned him the victory by a 3-pound, 12-ounce margin over second place pro Andrew Ready of Auburndale, Florida, who caught 15 bass weighing 56-5 to finish second and earn $17,000.

The three-day bass fishing tournament, hosted by Visit Lake County, was the third and final event of the regular season for the Toyota Series Southern Division.

“It feels great to come back from so far and win like this,” Semento told MLF reporter Rob Newell. “I was pretty frustrated that first day. But I knew those big fish were offshore and I just needed to relocate them. On the second day, I moved around a lot more and found them about 200 yards from where I caught them two weeks ago.

“What made it possible to relocate them was the fact that I had the whole lake to myself,” he added. “If 80 boats went over there every day, I wouldn’t have been able to hop around and fish as freely. Having no pressure over there was definitely a big key.”

The lake that Semento fished in was Lake Griffin, which was avoided by many tournament competitors after recent hydrilla spraying, algae blooms and rising water temperatures had colored the water into a hue that resembled pea soup. Despite the tougher conditions, Semento, a resident of nearby Okahumpka, had placed second in a local tournament after fishing in Griffin a couple of weeks ago and decided that he was going to stick with the lake for this event.

Semento’s key area in Lake Griffin was a 100-yard stretch of clumpy eelgrass in 4 to 6 feet of water. To do his work, Semento utilized two ChatterBaits: one was a 3/8-ounce golden shiner color for shallower 4-foot clumps and the other was a ½-ounce chartreuse and white model for deeper clumps in 6 feet. He trailed both with Yamamoto Zako trailers in matching colors to the ChatterBaits. He fished both on 15-pound-test  P-Line.

“Sometimes with tournament fishing, it just comes down to being stubborn enough until it pays off,” Semento said. “Some people might think I was crazy to go right back over to Griffin after catching 9 pounds there the first day. But this fishing game can get personal, and it comes down to knowing you are doing the right thing even when your weigh-in ticket doesn’t reflect it the first day. I knew in my heart what lived there and I was determined to prove it.”

The top 10 pros on the Harris Chain of Lakes finished:

1^st:          Jonathan Semento, Okahumpka, Fla., 14 bass, 60-1, $80,500
2^nd:         Andrew Ready, Auburndale, Fla., 15 bass, 56-5, $17,000
3^rd:         Flint Davis, Leesburg, Ga., 15 bass, 53-10, $12,750
4^th:         Austin Baskette, Leesburg, Fla., 15 bass, 53-1, $10,750
5^th:         Kennie Steverson, Umatilla, Fla., 15 bass, 52-7, $9,750
6^th:         Eric Conant, Lakeland, Fla., 15 bass, 52-4, $8,375
7^th:         Mike Surman, Boca Raton, Fla., 15 bass, 51-10, $7,300
8^th:         Dustin Smith, Grand Island, Fla., 15 bass, 51-2, $6,300
9^th:         Val Osinski, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., 15 bass, 50-9, $5,300
10^th:       Ben McCann, Bradenton, Fla., 15 bass, 49-6, $4,200

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Pro Nolan Gaskin of Broussard, Louisiana, won the $500 Day 1 Berkley Big Bass award in the pro division Thursday with a largemouth weighing 8 pounds, 3 ounces. Grant Valkaria, Florida’s Jonathan Mickler earned Friday’s $500 Berkley Big Bass award with a 9-pound, 5-ounce kicker.

Semento took home an extra $35,000 as the highest finishing Phoenix MLF Bonus member. Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $35,000 per event in each Toyota Series tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the Phoenix MLF Bonus contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.

Nate Bloom of Winter Springs, Florida, won the Strike King Co-angler Division Saturday with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 37 pounds, 10 ounces. Bloom took home the top prize package of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard motor.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers on the Harris Chain of Lakes finished:

1^st:          Nate Bloom, Winter Springs, Fla., 15 bass, 37-10, Phoenix 518 Pro boat w/115-hp Mercury outboard
2^nd:         Mason Chapman, Lenexa, Kan., 15 bass, 37-7, $5,375
3^rd:         William Lewis, Jacksonville, Fla., 15 bass, 36-7, $4,300
4^th:         Billy Schwach, Summerville, S.C., 15 bass, 36-2, $3,650
5^th:         Shane Zelazo, Pollocksville, N.C., 15 bass, 36-0, $3,150
6^th:         Hunter Kaiser, Lakeland, Fla., 13 bass, 35-3, $2,650
7^th:         Colten Drawdy, Plant City, Fla., 15 bass, 34-15, $2,150
8^th:         Erik Kraft, Port Saint Lucie, Fla., 14 bass, 33-12, $1,825
9^th:         Blaine Partee, Oviedo, Fla., 15 bass, 33-5, $1,530
10^th:       Jeff Turner, Plainfield, Ill., 15 bass, 33-5, $1,490

The Day 1 Berkley Big Bass $150 award winner in the Strike King co-angler division, was Justin Thompson of Marshall, Virginia, with an 8-pound, 15-ounce bass, while the Day 2 $150 award went to Hunter Rudd of Leesburg, Georgia, who weighed in a 7-pound, 15-ounce largemouth.

Now that the three regular-season events in the Toyota Series Southern Division are complete, pro Christian Greico of Tampa, Florida, has won the Toyota Series Southern Division Pro Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 711 points, while Mason Chapman of Lenexa, Kansas – son of Bass Pro Tour angler Brent Chapman – won the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 757 points.

The next event for Toyota Series anglers will take place June 1-3 – the Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. at the California Delta in Bethel Island, California. For a complete schedule, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The 2022 Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. consists of six divisions – Central, Northern, Plains Presented by Outlaw Ordnance, Southern, Southwestern Presented by Outlaw Ordnance and Western – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International and Wild Card divisions. Anglers who fish in any of the six divisions and finish in the top 25 – or the top 12 from the Wild Card division – will qualify for the no-entry-fee Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. Championship for a shot at winning up to $235,000 cash. The winning Strike King co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard. The 2022 Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. Championship will be held Nov. 3-5 on Lake Guntersville in Guntersville, Alabama, and is hosted by Marshall County Tourism and Sports.

Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, AFTCO, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Outlaw Ordnance, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X and YETI.

For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the MLF Toyota Series on the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

by AnglersChannel

Riojas Wins Rescheduled Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Lake Eufaula

Bissett Earns Strike King Co-Angler Victory

EUFAULA, Okla. (May 16, 2022) – Boater Mario “Mark” Riojas of Blanchard, Oklahoma, caught five bass Sunday weighing 13 pounds, 2 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Eufaula presented by Flamingo Fish and Marine . The tournament was the third event of the season for the Bass Fishing League Okie Division and the second event in a two-event Bass Fishing League double-header on Lake Eufaula over the weekend. Riojas earned $4,009 for his victory.

“It’s been brutally tough for Lake Eufaula for this time of year,” said Riojas. “Saturday, when I fished the first BFL of the weekend here, the lake was up and muddy. I ended up with one fish, and my co-angler pulled out two at the very end of the day.

“I stewed over that on Saturday night and decided to go back to the same spot because that’s the only spot I had caught fish,” Riojas added. “I worked a half-mile stretch of bank in the Porum Landing area back and forth all day and pulled out five keeper bites flipping buck brush in about 6 feet of water.”

Riojas said the day’s bites were few and far between and described the tournament as a “grind.” Riojas said his bait of choice for the day was a 4/0 flipping hook with a 5/16-ounce pegged weight and a green pumpkin Zoom Brush Hog.

“I’m pretty excited to win this,” Riojas said. “This was my 81^st event that I’ve fished with Major League Fishing, and I’ve never had a win. The closest I came was in 2020 at the Toyota Series Championship on Lake Cumberland as a co-angler.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:        Mario Riojas, Blanchard, Okla., five bass, 13-2, $4,009
2nd:       Chad Schmidt, Clearwater, Kan., five bass, 12-12, $2,705
3rd:       Justin Phillips, Checotah, Okla., four bass, 12-8, $1,886
4th:        Wyatt Ryan, Ada, Okla., five bass, 11-0, $935
5th:        Phillip Lunceford, Stigler, Okla., three bass, 10-10, $802
6th:        Jason Green, Oklahoma City, Okla., five bass, 9-15, $735
7th:        Harmon Davis, Marlow, Okla., two bass, 9-6, $668
8th:        Brent Homan, Graham, Texas, four bass, 9-0, $601
9th:        Ian Leybas, McAlester, Okla., three bass, 7-0, $474
9th:        Jeff Clark, Van Buren, Ark., three bass, 7-0, $474
9th:        Robert Myers, Broken Arrow, Okla., three bass, 7-0, $474

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Phillips had a largemouth that weighed 5 pounds, 8 ounces that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $550.

Wesley Bissett of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,005 Sunday after catching four bass weighing 8 pounds, 9 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st:        Wesley Bissett, Broken Arrow, Okla., four bass, 8-9, $2,005
2nd:       Preston Hickert, Wichita, Kan., three bass, 6-11, $1,002
3rd:       Arturo Baquera, Noble, Okla., two bass, 6-5, $768
4th:        Mike Ketcher, Bunch, Okla., two bass, 6-2, $618
5th:        Jacob Cooper, Leon, Kan., three bass, 5-11, $401
6th:        Brock Krohne, Belton, Mo., two bass, 5-7, $368
7th:        Mike Huddleston, Broken Arrow, Okla., one bass, 5-0, $609
8th:        Thomas Fink, Tulsa, Okla., one bass, 4-9, $301
9th:        Mike Clark, Spiro, Okla., two bass, 4-3, $267
10th:     Anthony Lewis, Arlington, Texas, two bass, 4-2, $434

Huddleston caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds even. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $275.

After three events, Brian Bean of Hot Springs, Arkansas, leads the Bass Fishing League Okie Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 742 points, while Jonathan Simms of Hot Springs, Arkansas, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 735 points.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 13-15 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Boaters will compete for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

The 2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six Regional Championships where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American. The 2022 All-American will be held June 2-4 at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.

The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the MLF Toyota Series, the pathway to the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.

Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, AFTCO, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Revital Outdoors, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X, YETI and Yo-Zuri.

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.

by AnglersChannel

Hamrick Bests Field at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Kerr Lake

Rock Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division

HENDERSON, N.C. (May 16, 2022) – Boater Scott Hamrick of Denver, North Carolina, caught five bass Sunday weighing 19 pounds, 8 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Kerr Lake . The tournament, hosted by Vance County Tourism Development Authority, was the fourth event of the season for the Bass Fishing League Shenandoah Division. Hamrick earned $6,415 for his victory.

“I fished Kerr Saturday and finished fourth in the BFL North Carolina Division event, and I had found something and keyed in on it and knew I could probably catch them again Sunday,” Hamrick said. “I was fishing a Shooter Lures jig and I caught more than 20 keepers.

“It started out a little slow, but I had a limit after about an hour,” Hamrick added. “I knew I had a good one in the box, and I thought if I could get another big one in the box I’d have a good shot at winning.

“I figured it would take 16 or 17 pounds to win,” Hamrick added. “Once I got to 15 pounds and caught the day’s 5-3 Berkley Big Bass, I knew it was pretty much over.”

Hamrick has notched 41 top-10 finishes and five career wins in MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League competition, and Sunday’s win was his second victory on Kerr Lake.

“I’ve won a lot of big tournaments there, but the BFL field is the best of the best on Kerr Lake, so it’s pretty cool,” Hamrick said.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:        Scott Hamrick, Denver, N.C., five bass, 19-8, $6,415
2nd:       Chad Poteat, Mount Airy, N.C., five bass, 16-1, $3,060
3rd:       Tyler Trent, Nathalie, Va., five bass, 15-2, $2,074 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
4th:        Ron Rousseau III, Raleigh, N.C., five bass, 14-9, $1,101
5th:        Mark Blankenship, Christiansburg, Va., five bass, 14-5, $944
6th:        Tyler Purcell, Townsville, N.C., five bass, 14-0, $865
7th:        Greg Fernandez, Chesterfield, Va., five bass, 13-8, $787
8th:        Rob Digh, Denver, N.C., five bass, 13-1, $708
9th:        Jeffrey Davis, Raleigh, N.C., five bass, 12-2, $629
10th:     Broderick Luckey, Roanoke, Va., five bass, 12-1, $523
10th:     Aaron Falwell, Forest, Va., five bass, 12-1, $523

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Hamrick’s largemouth that weighed 5 pounds, 3 ounces was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $695.

Matthew Rock of Bristol, Virginia, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,360 Sunday after catching five bass weighing 14 pounds, 5 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st:        Matthew Rock, Bristol, Va., five bass, 14-5, $2,360
2nd:       Alex Ortiz, Asheboro, N.C., five bass, 11-0, $1,180
3rd:       Wes Dacey, Henrico, Va., five bass, 10-1, $887
4th:        Rickey Wood, Smithfield, Va., five bass, 10-0, $551
5th:        Safulla Rana, Warrenton, Va., five bass, 9-9, $472
6th:        David Slaybaugh, Colonial Heights, Va., three bass, 9-5, $780
7th:        Pat Kendrick, Bumpass, Va., five bass, 8-13, $593
8th:        David Williams, Fredericksburg, Va., three bass, 8-12, $484
8th:        Carl Enos, Bracey, Va., five bass, 8-12, $334
10th:     Lenny Baird, Stafford, Va., three bass, 7-14, $275

Slaybaugh caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 5 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $347.

After four events, Chris Brummett of Lynch Station, Virginia, leads the Bass Fishing League Shenandoah Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 941 points, while Lenny Baird of Stafford, Virginia, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 930 points.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 20-22 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on the James River in Richmond, Virginia. Boaters will compete for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

The 2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six Regional Championships where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American. The 2022 All-American will be held June 2-4 at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.

The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the MLF Toyota Series, the pathway to the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.

Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, AFTCO, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Revital Outdoors, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X, YETI and Yo-Zuri.

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.

by AnglersChannel

Readhimer Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Percy Priest Lake

Haworth Claims Strike King Co-Angler Division Victory

SMYRNA, Tenn. (May 16, 2022) – Boater Kelly Readhimer of Beech Bluff, Tennessee, caught five bass Saturday weighing 18 pounds, 1 ounce, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Percy Priest Lake presented by Lithium Pros. The tournament was the third event of the season for the Bass Fishing League Music City Division. Readhimer earned $4,235 for his victory.

“I practiced on Friday and caught probably 13 or 14 pounds in one school,” Readhimer said. “I threw a crankbait into it and didn’t get bit, so I spun the boat around and fired up onto the point in 8 to 10 feet of water. I caught three 3-pounders in a row. So I marked those fish.”

Readhimer said he began the tournament Saturday fishing a shad spawn and didn’t catch a bass. He said he returned to the school he found the previous day, but nothing bit the crankbait he threw. He switched to a brown ¾-ounce football mop jig and cast to the point, hopped the jig twice and landed a 4½-pound bass.

Readhimer said he focused on the Hobson Pike Bridge area and targeted a shallow flat that ran from an island to the bank and featured a lot of large rocks. He hopped the jig, caught a couple of keeper bass, and fished the spot until he filled his limit.

“All I was doing was stroking that big mop jig,” Readhimer said. “You couldn’t drag it and get bit. I was stroking it so hard with 30 minutes left in the tournament that my right arm was cramping.”

Readhimer said he had been to Percy Priest only five times and felt fortunate to get the win.

“I don’t have a lot of experience on the lake, but I knew it was fishing tough,” Readhimer said. “Basically, I had two spots and I just milked them for all it was worth. The way I found those fish was just luck.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:        Kelly Readhimer, Beech Bluff, Tenn., five bass, 18-1, $4,235
2nd:       Billy Hinson, Mount Juliet, Tenn., five bass, 17-5, $2,618 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
3rd:       Josh Tramel, Smithville, Tenn., five bass, 16-14, $1,413
4th:        Chris Fondren, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 15-14, $988
5th:        Zach Youngblood, Smithville, Tenn., five bass, 15-6, $811
5th:        Mike Bryant, Cookeville, Tenn., five bass, 15-6, $1,011
7th:        Brandon Edel, Hendersonville, Tenn., five bass, 15-1, $706
8th:        Bryden Mugleston, Mount Juliet, Tenn., five bass, 14-3, $1,225
9th:        Michael Tuck, Old Hickory, Tenn., three bass, 13-2, $565
10th:     Dylan Wright, Murfreesboro, Tenn., five bass, 12-8, $494

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Mugleston had a largemouth that weighed 6 pounds, 6 ounces that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $590.

Brian Haworth of Cookeville, Tennessee, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,413 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 14 pounds, 11 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st:        Brian Haworth, Cookeville, Tenn., five bass, 14-11, $2,413
2nd:       Harvey Daniels, Portland, Tenn., four bass, 10-9, $1,059
3rd:       Robert Moore, Elkmont, Ala., five bass, 10-8, $806
4th:        Gary Haraguchi, Murfreesboro, Tenn., four bass, 9-7, $494
5th:        Teddy Baggett, Nashville, Tenn., four bass, 9-0, $424
6th:        Grant Frazier, Manchester, Tenn., four bass, 7-15, $388
7th:        Matt Perkins, Smyrna, Tenn., three bass, 7-11, $353
8th:        Keith Whipple, Iuka, Miss., three bass, 7-4, $318
9th:        Logan Stewart, Nashville, Tenn., four bass, 7-1, $282
10th:     Ricky England, Sparta, Tenn., three bass, 6-9, $247

Haworth caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 4 pounds, 8 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $295.

After three events, Jade Keeton of Florence, Alabama, leads the Bass Fishing League Music City Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 705 points, while Grant Frazier of Manchester, Tennessee, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 732 points.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 13-15 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Pickwick Lake in Counce, Tennessee. Boaters will compete for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

The 2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six Regional Championships where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American. The 2022 All-American will be held June 2-4 at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.

The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the MLF Toyota Series, the pathway to the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.

Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, AFTCO, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Revital Outdoors, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X, YETI and Yo-Zuri.

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.

by AnglersChannel

Anderson Claims Victory at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Kerr Lake

Swicegood Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division

HENDERSON, N.C. (May 16, 2022) – Boater Logan Anderson of Catawba, North Carolina, caught five bass Saturday weighing 17 pounds, 10 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Kerr Lake . The tournament, hosted by Vance County Tourism, was the third event of the season for the Bass Fishing League North Carolina Division. Anderson earned $7,415, including a $2,500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus, for his victory.

“We had a fog delay and still had a little bit of fog when we took off, so I knew a lot of people would stay in Nutbush and fish,” Anderson said. “I wanted to get as far away from that as I could. But, that’s the place I’m most familiar with, so I started right at the mouth of Nutbush.”

Anderson said he began fishing docks with a Queen Tackle Glimmer Blue Shad Tungsten Swim Jigand immediately caught a 4-pound bass. His co-angler caught one that weighed three pounds, so Anderson said he knew good fish were in the area. After he missed another good fish and then caught another 4-pound fish, Anderson said it was time to relocate.

“After we ran out of stuff there, we took a run up the lake to Ivy Hill,” Anderson said. “I caught some more on the swim jig and then caught a couple on a new Queen Tackle prototype spinnerbait that is coming out. That’s all I did all day – fished docks and laydown trees as the main source of cover.”

Anderson said the swim jig and spinnerbait produced 12 fish during competition – seven of which were keepers.

“Until I put them on the scales I would not have believed I had almost 18 pounds,” Anderson said. “This is my first year fishing BFLs as a boater, and as hard as it is to win one, it’s insane to win in just my third try.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:        Logan Anderson, Catawba, N.C., five bass, 17-10, $7,415 (includes $2,500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
2nd:       Aaron Digh, Denver, N.C., five bass, 16-1, $2,458
3rd:       Tyler Trent, Nathalie, Va., five bass, 15-12, $1,640
4th:        Scott Hamrick, Denver, N.C., five bass, 15-9, $1,147
5th:        Bradley Staley, Pleasant Garden, N.C., five bass, 14-8, $1,558
6th:        James Blankenship, Siler City, N.C., five bass, 14-6, $1,301
7th:        Jason Barnes, Concord, N.C., five bass, 14-2, $819
8th:        Chris Dover, Blacksburg, S.C., five bass, 14-1, $737
9th:        Jeffrey Davis, Raleigh, N.C., five bass, 13-12, $655
10th:     Jordan Hall, Leasburg, N.C., five bass, 13-10, $573

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Todd Harris of Lexington, N.C., and Staley both had largemouth that weighed 4 pounds, 13 ounces that were the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. Harris and Staley split the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $750.

Tommy Swicegood of Salisbury, North Carolina, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,458 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 12 pounds, 6 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st:        Tommy Swicegood, Salisbury, N.C., five bass, 12-6, $2,458
2nd:       Johnny Guffey, Bessemer City, N.C., five bass, 11-9, $1,229
3rd:       Mark Allen Seals, Laurinburg, N.C., three bass, 10-9, $1,004
4th:        Jacob Crook, Salisbury, N.C., five bass, 10-2, $573
5th:        Wyatt Hammond, Fayetteville, N.C., five bass, 9-12, $492
6th:        Jonathan Strickland, Graham, N.C., four bass, 9-2, $451
7th:        Samuel Jones, Fuquay Varina, N.C., three bass, 9-1, $597
8th:        Thomas McDermott, Madison, N.C., three bass, 8-5, $369
9th:        Riley Smallwood, Shallotte, N.C., four bass, 8-0, $628
10th:     Adam Gum, Charleston, W.V., four bass, 7-15, $287

Seals and Jones tied for the largest bass in the Co-angler Division with fish weighing in at 4 pounds, 7 ounces each. They split the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $374.

After three events, James Blankenship of Siler City, North Carolina, leads the Bass Fishing League North Carolina Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 727 points, while Eric Osborne of Jefferson, North Carolina, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 700 points.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 20-22 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on the James River in Richmond, Virginia. Boaters will compete for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

The 2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six Regional Championships where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American. The 2022 All-American will be held June 2-4 at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.

The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the MLF Toyota Series, the pathway to the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.

Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, AFTCO, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Revital Outdoors, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X, YETI and Yo-Zuri.

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.

by AnglersChannel

Hahne Bests Field at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Lake Eufaula

Moody Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division

EUFAULA, Okla. (May 16, 2022) – Boater Darren Hahne of Ottawa, Illinois, caught five bass Saturday weighing 16 pounds, 12 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Eufaula presented by Flamingo Fish and Marine . The tournament was the second event of the season for the Bass Fishing League Okie Division, and the first of a tournament double-header weekend as another event took place on Sunday. Hahne earned $4,698 for his victory.

“It was real tough fishing,” Hahne said. “I found a couple of spots on some points back near Porum Landing, and I caught them there on a spinnerbait and a jig. I caught probably 15 bass in all, six or seven keepers, and lost a couple of good ones.”

Hahne said his baits of choice were a white Terminator Spinnerbait and a brown jig, and he targeted buck bushes in 6 to 8 feet of water. Hahne said his familiarity with Lake Eufaula paid off during the tournament.

“It’s about time I won here,” Hahne said. “I’ve finished second on Eufaula twice, and I’m just glad to get this one. It’s my home lake, even though I live in Illinois and have been gone for 25 years. I was raised on that lake as a kid. So it felt good to finally get the win.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:        Darren Hahne, Ottawa, Ill., five bass, 16-12, $4,698
2nd:       Ian Leybas, McAlester, Okla., four bass, 13-1, $1,873
2nd:       Mike Paul, Tuttle, Okla., four bass, 13-1, $2,073
4th:        Shawn Mote, Ardmore, Okla., five bass, 13-0, $1,050
5th:        Derek Fulps, Broken Arrow, Okla., five bass, 12-10, $1,400 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
6th:        Justin Phillips, Checotah, Okla., five bass, 12-4, $1,025
7th:        Joshua Teply, Harrah, Okla., three bass, 11-10, $1,395
8th:        Austin Cranford, Moore, Okla., five bass, 10-12, $675
9th:        Phillip Lunceford, Stigler, Okla., four bass, 10-10, $600
10th:     Nic Conger, Fort Smith, Ark., five bass, 10-7, $525

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Teply had a largemouth that weighed 6 pounds, 14 ounces that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $645.

Ray Moody of Norman, Oklahoma, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,249 Saturday after catching three bass weighing 9 pounds, 10 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st:        Ray Moody, Norman, Okla., three bass, 9-10, $2,249
2nd:       Garrett Howard, Cameron, Okla., two bass, 7-3, $1,125
3rd:       Derrick Skinner, Muskogee, Okla., three bass, 7-2, $752
4th:        Brennon Sharp, Folsom, Calif., two bass, 6-13, $525
5th:        Aaron Warren, Collinsville, Okla., two bass, 5-4, $550
6th:        David Blankinship, Cushing, Okla., two bass, 5-1, $412
7th:        Alan Hill, Ada, Okla., two bass, 4-13, $375
8th:        Blake Dominguez, Edmond, Okla., two bass, 4-6, $337
9th:        Jeff Corriveau, Owasso, Okla., two bass, 4-1, $300
10th:     Jim Wylie, Yukon, Okla., two bass, 4-0, $249
10th:     Brian Radford, Bixby, Okla., two bass, 4-0, $249

Thad Hewitt of Delaware, Oklahoma, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 3 pounds, 15 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $322.

After Saturday’s event, Shawn Mote of Ardmore, Oklahoma, led the Bass Fishing League Okie Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 496 points, while David Blankinship of Cushing, Oklahoma, led the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 490 points.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 13-15 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Boaters will compete for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

The 2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six Regional Championships where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American. The 2022 All-American will be held June 2-4 at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.

The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the MLF Toyota Series, the pathway to the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.

Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, AFTCO, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Revital Outdoors, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X, YETI and Yo-Zuri.

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.

by AnglersChannel

Bissonett Tops Field at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Lake Patoka

Myers Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division

BIRDSEYE, Ind. (May 16, 2022) – Boater Clint Bissonett of Dayton, Ohio, caught five bass Saturday weighing 19 pounds, 14 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Patoka Lake. The tournament was the second event of the season for the Bass Fishing League Hoosier Division. Bissonett earned $4,435 for his victory.

“I had 140 waypoints marking bed fish that were spawning, so I just ran through them and caught the ones I could,” Bissonett said. “Some you could catch on one cast, and some you’d have to work on a while.

“My last fish I had tried for an hour on Thursday to get it to bite and on Friday for an hour to get it to bite during practice,” Bissonett added. “At the end of the day during the tournament I didn’t have any other big ones located that would help me, so I ran back up the river and went back to that fish and caught it within 10 minutes.”

Bissonett said he relied on “typical” bed-fish baits – creature baits, tubes and finesse worms – manufactured by Bent Rod Baits to load his limit.

“This feels really good,” Bissonett went on to say. “I had a really good chance to win this same event last year, but I ended up coming in fourth. It just wasn’t my day. It was a day where everything went wrong. Every single day since then I have thought about coming back and winning. So, to finally get to go back and win feels great.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:        Clint Bissonett, Dayton, Ohio, five bass, 19-14, $4,435
2nd:       Chris Klosterman, Dupont, Ind., five bass, 17-10, $2,413
3rd:       Brody Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, five bass, 17-8, $1,413
4th:        Chris Martinkovic, Hamilton, Ohio, five bass, 17-0, $1,688
5th:        Blake Knies, Jasper, Ind., five bass, 16-11, $811
5th:        Sean Mickey, Terre Haute, Ind., five bass, 16-11, $1,311 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
7th:        Nick Uebelhor, Jasper, Ind., five bass, 15-10, $706
8th:        Kevin Meunier, Lamar, Ind., four bass, 15-3, $635
9th:        Mike Quinlin, Mooresville, Ind., five bass, 15-0, $565
10th:     Chris Myers, Madison, Ind., five bass, 14-6, $494

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Klosterman and boater Jamil Abdullah of Indianapolis, Indiana, both caught largemouth that weighed 5 pounds, 10 ounces that were the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. Klosterman and Abdullah split the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $590.

Patrick Myers of Lebanon, Indiana, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,082 Saturday after catching three bass weighing 9 pounds, 5 ounces. The Patoka Lake event was Myers’ debut in MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League competition.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st:        Patrick Myers, Lebanon, Ind., three bass, 9-5, $2,082
2nd:       Tobie Ummel, Leitchfield, Ky., three bass, 8-1, $1,041
3rd:       Ryan Sykes, Fairfield, Ohio, three bass, 7-10, $992
4th:        Jeremy Johnson, Austin, Ind., two bass, 7-5, $486
5th:        Troy Gorham, Indianapolis, Ind., three bass, 7-2, $416
6th:        Mark Dehart, Brownstown, Ind., two bass, 7-0, $382
7th:        Shon Smith, Dubois, Ind., three bass, 6-12, $347
8th:        Chris Reynolds, Lewis, Ind., three bass, 6-6, $312
9th:        Collin Hillen, Evansville, Ind., two bass, 6-3, $278
10th:     Daniel Czaja, South Bend, Ind., two bass, 5-15, $243

James McWhorter of Hamilton, Ohio, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 4 pounds, 14 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $290.

After two events, Chris Martinkovic of Hamilton, Ohio, leads the Bass Fishing League Hoosier Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 496 points, while Ryan Sykes of Fairfield, Ohio, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 488 points.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 13-15 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Boaters will compete for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

The 2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six Regional Championships where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American. The 2022 All-American will be held June 2-4 at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.

The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the MLF Toyota Series, the pathway to the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.

Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, AFTCO, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Revital Outdoors, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X, YETI and Yo-Zuri.

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.

by AnglersChannel

Ford Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Lake O’ the Pines

Sherrer Tops Field in Strike King Co-Angler Division

JEFFERSON, Texas (May 16, 2022) – Boater Raymond Ford of Beaumont, Texas, caught five bass Saturday weighing 29 pounds, 7 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Lake ‘O the Pines. The tournament was the fourth event of the season for the Bass Fishing League Cowboy Division. Ford earned $5,122 for his victory.

“There were other boats at the spot I wanted to start at, but one left, and I was able to move in where I wanted to a little closer,” Ford said. “My co-angler caught a 3-pounder first on a wacky worm. I’m a crankbait fisherman, but tried a jigging spoon, a tail spinner and a drop-shot rig, but I ended up going back to my crankbait.”

Ford said the change back to his crankbait paid off, as he hooked his largest fish of the day – an 8-pound largemouth – that boosted his confidence for the rest of the tournament. Ford finished up the day with six keepers on a Strike King Pro Model 8XD and a Strike King Pro Model 5XD crankbait.

“About every hour I would hook into one,” Ford said. “I fished clean and didn’t lose any fish. My first four fish weighed more than 20 pounds.

“The water temp was 85 degrees with an air temperature of 90 degrees,” Ford added. “We were doing everything we could to keep fish alive.”

Ford said he called the tournament director to see if he could weigh in early to preserve the fish he had and ended up weighing in by 1 o’clock.

“I really didn’t know what I had at that time,” Ford said. “I didn’t think I had 30 pounds.

“With bass fishing there are a lot of lows,” Ford added. “I zeroed in my last tournament, so to go from zero to win this one, I won’t lie to you, this feels real good. But I’m staying humble. I know I could go out next week and strike out. But I’m enjoying the moment right now.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:        Raymond Ford, Beaumont, Texas, five bass, 29-7, $5,122
2nd:       Rickey Elliott, Spring, Texas, five bass, 22-2, $2,064
2nd:       Craig Lawless, De Berry, Texas, five bass, 22-2, $1,864
4th:        Rich Richardson, Lufkin, Texas, five bass, 21-12, $1,043
5th:        Kyle Everett, Deridder, La., five bass, 21-9, $894
6th:        Wade Hudgens, Longview, Texas, four bass, 21-5, $820
7th:        Tater Reynolds, Florien, La., five bass, 20-7, $745
8th:        Earl Ates, Longview, Texas, five bass, 20-4, $971
9th:        Bart Doty, Kilgore, Texas, five bass, 20-1, $596
10th:     Cannon Bird, Marshall, Texas, five bass, 19-11, $522

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Ford’s largemouth that weighed 8 pounds, 2 ounces, was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $650.

David Sherrer of Elm Grove, Texas, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,336 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 25 pounds even.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st:        David Sherrer, Elm Grove, Texas, five bass, 25-0, $2,336
2nd:       Greg Dennis, Fort Worth, Texas, five bass, 20-14, $1,118
3rd:       Jacob Smith, McKinney, Texas, five bass, 19-3, $1,070
4th:        Charlie Saucier, New Orleans, La., five bass, 17-5, $522
5th:        Cedric Jackson, Sicily Island, La., four bass, 15-10, $447
6th:        Daniel Bryant, Lafayette, La., five bass, 15-5, $410
7th:        Bradley Murray, The Woodlands, Texas, five bass, 15-0, $373
8th:        Jenn Nolan, Baytown, Texas, five bass, 14-12, $335
9th:        Audric Horton, Whitehouse, Texas, five bass, 14-11, $298
10th:     Connie Mack Martin, Shreveport, La., five bass, 13-10, $261

Smith caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 6 pounds, 9 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $325.

After four events, Tater Reynolds of Florien, Louisiana, leads the Bass Fishing League Cowboy Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 988 points, while Greg Dennis of Fort Worth, Texas, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 896 points.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 20-22 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma. Boaters will compete for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

The 2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six Regional Championships where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American. The 2022 All-American will be held June 2-4 at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.

The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the MLF Toyota Series, the pathway to the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.

Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, AFTCO, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Revital Outdoors, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X, YETI and Yo-Zuri.

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.

by AnglersChannel

Henry Wins Rescheduled Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Lake Sinclair

Morgan Earns Strike King Co-Angler Victory

MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. (May 9, 2022) – Boater Matt Henry of Milledgeville, Georgia, caught five bass Sunday weighing 21 pounds, 6 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Sinclair . The tournament was the third event of the regular season for the Bass Fishing League Bulldog Division, and the second event in a two event Bass Fishing League double-header on Lake Sinclair over the weekend. Henry earned $6,434 for his victory Sunday.

“I had three of my weigh fish in the first hour,” Henry said. “Then it got brutally tough for the next three to four hours. I kept being stubborn doing what I was doing, knowing I needed two more good bites to probably win it.”

Henry said his bait of choice during competition was a Spro Dean Rojas Bronzeye Poppin’ Frog,fished over grass and around seawalls in the lower half of the lake. His approach resulted in 15 keepers and no short fish.

After targting the shad spawn early in the morning, Henry said the bite slowed down and then came back late in the day.

“I only had four keepers up until the last hour, then I caught quite a few at the end,” Henry said. “Both Saturday and Sunday it was that way.”

Henry said he lives and works on Lake Sinclair and is very comfortable fishing the body of water.

“This win feels good,” said Henry, who recorded BFL wins on Lake Oconee in 2010 and on Lake Eufaula in 2011. “It’s been 11 years since my last BFL win, so it’s been a while trying to get that third one.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:        Matt Henry, Milledgeville, Ga., five bass, 21-6, $6,434
2nd:       James Barnett, Locust Grove, Ga., five bass, 18-8, $2,364
3rd:       Kip Carter, Eatonton, Ga., five bass, 17-6, $1,576
4th:        Shane Salisbury, Newnan, Ga., five bass, 14-12, $1,103
5th:        Steven King, Cumming, Ga., five bass, 13-7, $946
6th:        Andrew Allen, Waterloo, S.C., five bass, 13-1, $1,067
7th:        Mitchell Grimsley, Hiawassee, Ga., five bass, 12-14, $788
8th:        Steve Stanfill, Dawsonville, Ga., five bass, 12-8, $709
9th:        Joshua Weaver, Monroe, Ga., five bass, 12-7, $1,131 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
10th:     Brad Stalnaker, Eatonton, Ga., five bass, 12-6, $552

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Henry had a largemouth that weighed 7 pounds, 3 ounces that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $705.

Joe Morgan of Woodstock, Georgia, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,364 Sunday after catching five bass weighing 14 pounds, 2 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st:        Joe Morgan, Woodstock, Ga., five bass, 14-2, $2,364
2nd:       Garrett Brown, Trion, Ga., five bass, 13-5, $1,182
3rd:       Todd Collins, Sparta, Ga., five bass, 13-2, $788
4th:        Noah Armstrong, Fayetteville, Ga., five bass, 10-15, $512
4th:        Wes Wilson, Cornelia, Ga., five bass, 10-15, $864
6th:        Jesse Hultberg, Marietta, Ga., five bass, 10-6, $433
7th:        Devereaux Adams, Powder Springs, Ga., five bass, 10-2, $394
8th:        Carlos Guzman, Fayetteville, Ga., four bass, 9-10, $355
9th:        Joe Goodman, Winder, Ga., five bass, 9-4, $315
10th:     Robert Enke, Columbus, Ga., five bass, 9-0, $276

Wilson caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 15 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $352.

After three events, Kip Carter of Eatonton, Georgia, leads the Bass Fishing League Bulldog Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 734 points, while Chris Pfrogner of Dawsonville, Georgia, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 710 points.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 6-8 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Lake Murray in Prosperity, South Carolina. Boaters will compete for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

The 2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six Regional Championships where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American. The 2022 All-American will be held June 2-4 at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.

The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the MLF Toyota Series, the pathway to the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.

Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, AFTCO, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Revital Outdoors, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X, YETI and Yo-Zuri.

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.

by AnglersChannel

Stanfill Tops Field at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Lake Murray

Upchurch Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division

PROSPERITY, S.C. (May 9, 2022) – Boater Bobby Stanfill of Greenwood, South Carolina, caught five bass Saturday weighing 27 pounds, 11 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Murray . The tournament, hosted by Capital City Lake Murray Country Regional Tourism Board, was the third event for the Bass Fishing League South Carolina Division. Stanfill earned $4,864 for his victory.

“I caught a lot of fish, and I caught them all day long,” Stanfill said. “This was a culmination of a whole lot of decisions I made throughout the day, and every single one of them was right. I had a starting place where I ended up catching a pretty decent limit right out of the gate. Then the pressure was kind of off me.”

Stanfill said after he caught his limit he moved to a different location where blueback herring had not been present on the bank and not spawning during practice. He said he threw a spinnerbait across a windy flat and about 25 6-inch herring followed the bait. Stanfill said he knew the wind and herring meant largemouth would be nearby.

“I said, “I’m just going to hang in this area and go with it,’” Stanfill said. “I saw a fish break at the surface, tossed a topwater bait to it, and the fish came up to it and killed it. I caught several more in a row and said, ‘I’m just going to go with this.’”

Stanfill said the bass were “flat absolutely biting” during the event, and the fishing was fantastic for many competitors. He said he expected to see 20- and 21-pound stringers during weigh-in, but the baitfish and wind provided anglers with ample opportunities for big bags.

“I didn’t realize what size stringer I was building,” Stanfill added. “I don’t focus on that. I just look at the smallest one I’ve got and try to replace it. What it all boiled down to was just some vicious flurries where I just wrecked them.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:        Bobby Stanfill, Greenwood, S.C., five bass, 27-11, $4,864
2nd:       Roger Medlock, Mount Pleasant, S.C., five bass, 22-15, $2,048
3rd:       Jason Burroughs, Hodges, S.C., five bass, 22-12, $2,310 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
4th:        Ricky Basey, Warrenville, S.C., five bass, 21-2, $847
5th:        Nelson Walker, Manning, S.C., five bass, 20-14, $726
6th:        Chris Blanchette, Charleston, S.C., five bass, 20-11, $666
7th:        Bradford Beavers, Summerville, S.C., five bass, 20-5, $605
8th:        Josh Rennebaum, Chapin, S.C., five bass, 20-2, $545
9th:        Derek Lehtonen, Woodruff, S.C., five bass, 20-1, $484
10th:     Kevin Whitmore, Easley, S.C., five bass, 19-11, $424

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Stanfill and Medlock each had largemouth that weighed 7 pounds, 4 ounces that tied for the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division, and they split the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $464.

Jared Upchurch of Lugoff, South Carolina, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $1,816 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 15 pounds, 2 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st:        Jared Upchurch, Lugoff, S.C., five bass, 15-2, $1,816
2nd:       Tracy Harrington, Rock Hill, S.C., four bass, 14-14, $1,290
3rd:       Kevin Henderson, Honea Path, S.C., five bass, 14-12, $606
4th:        John Joyce II, Inman, S.C., five bass, 14-0, $424
5th:        Lonnie Drusch, Sumter, S.C., five bass, 13-8, $363
6th:        Stephen Britt, Chapin, S.C., three bass, 12-14, $333
7th:        Jason Hueble, Whitmire, S.C., five bass, 12-1, $303
8th:        Mel Tolson, Hartsville, S.C., four bass, 9-14, $272
9th:        Erik Girouard, Sumter, S.C., three bass, 9-11, $227
9th:        Christopher Helton, Greer, S.C., five bass, 9-11, $227

Harrington caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 9 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $232.

After three events, Jason Burroughs of Hodges, South Carolina, leads the Bass Fishing League South Carolina Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 740 points, while Jacob Barfield of Conway, South Carolina, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 715 points.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 13-15 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Pickwick Lake in Counce, Tennessee. Boaters will compete for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

The 2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six Regional Championships where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American. The 2022 All-American will be held June 2-4 at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.

The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the MLF Toyota Series, the pathway to the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.

Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, AFTCO, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Revital Outdoors, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X, YETI and Yo-Zuri.

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.

by AnglersChannel

McFarland Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Table Rock Lake

Huber Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division

KIMBERLING CITY, Mo. (May 9, 2022) – Boater Cole McFarland of Lake Ozark, Missouri, caught five bass Saturday weighing 16 pounds, 6 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Table Rock Lake. The tournament was the third event for the Bass Fishing League Ozark Division. McFarland earned $8,000 for his victory.

“We had a pretty nasty fog delay, and I was the last boat out,” McFarland said. “I started out flipping bushes, and it didn’t pan out. I practiced last Sunday and had them located pretty good up shallow, but the lake was up 10 feet higher (during the tournament).”

McFarland said he switched his approach to looking for smallmouth by fishing a flat and caught a couple of bass, then targeted docks with a 5/16-ounce Crock-O-Gator shaky-head rig. He said he stayed close to the Kimberling City area for the duration of the tournament.

“The shaky-head rig was the bulk of it, honestly,” McFarland said. “I caught my largest and one of my better ones that way, then caught a 3-pounder flipping a bush later in the day. Then, with about 10 minutes to go before weigh-in, I culled out my smallest smallmouth with a 2½-pounder dragging the shaky head on a point.”

McFarland said he culled twice during the day and his weigh bag consisted of four largemouth and one big smallmouth.

“This is just surreal,” McFarland said. “This feeling hasn’t worn off yet. It’s just awesome to win such a well-put-together event.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:        Cole McFarland, Lake Ozark, Mo., five bass, 16-6, $8,000
2nd:       Travis Harriman, Huntsville, Ark., five bass, 15-12, $3,200
3rd:       Mike Webb, Sparta, Mo., five bass, 14-10, $2,000
4th:        Aaron Foglesong, Raymore, Mo., five bass, 14-4, $1,400
5th:        Dustin Back, Galena, Mo., five bass, 14-1, $1,200
6th:        Matt Ells, Shell Knob, Mo., five bass, 13-15, $1,100
7th:        Brent Chapman, Lake Quivira, Kans., five bass, 13-12, $1,000
8th:        Mike Roller, Purdy, Mo., five bass, 13-5, $900
9th:        Marcus Sykora, Osage Beach, Mo., five bass, 13-1, $800
10th:     Tyler Casey, Harrison, Ark., five bass, 12-10, $900

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

McFarland had a largemouth that weighed 4 pounds, 14 ounces that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $1,000.

Brian Huber of Saint Peters, Missouri, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $3,000 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 12 pounds, 14 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st:        Brian Huber, Saint Peters, Mo., five bass, 12-14, $3,000
2nd:       Jim Kopff, Old Monroe, Mo., five bass, 12-11, $1,500
3rd:       Vincent Jones, Robertsville, Mo., five bass, 12-7, $1,000
4th:        Chris Dougan, Clayton, Mo., five bass, 12-1, $700
5th:        Gabe Montgomery, Jackson, Mo., five bass, 11-15, $700
6th:        Walter Hammond, Lees Summit, Mo., five bass, 11-8, $550
7th:        Brett Hurst, Helena, Mo., five bass, 10-5, $500
8th:        Drew Boehle, Saint Charles, Mo., four bass, 10-0, $450
9th:        Larry Weeks, Ridgedale, Mo., four bass, 9-11, $400
10th:     Ronin Picker, Moscow Mills, Mo., five bass, 9-0, $350

Hunter Hansen of Overland Park, Kansas, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 6 pounds, 13 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $500.

After three events, Tyler Casey of Harrison, Arkansas, leads the Bass Fishing League Ozark Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 717 points, while Drew Boehle of Saint Charles, Missouri, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 715 points.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 20-22 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma. Boaters will compete for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

The 2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six Regional Championships where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American. The 2022 All-American will be held June 2-4 at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.

The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the MLF Toyota Series, the pathway to the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.

Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, AFTCO, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Revital Outdoors, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X, YETI and Yo-Zuri.

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.

by AnglersChannel

Dixon Tops Phoenix Bass Fishing League Field on the Potomac River

Ivey Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division

MARBURY, Md. (May 9, 2022) – Boater Aaron Dixon of Bel Alton, Maryland, caught five bass Saturday weighing 18 pounds, 2 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on the Potomac River. The tournament, hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners, was the season-opener for the Bass Fishing League Northeast Division. Dixon earned $4,127 for his victory.

“I took a long run in rough water to get to where I had located them on beds in practice,” Dixon said. “I had figured out how to get them to react to a bait on the beds, but I knew when the tournament came the tide wouldn’t be right to see them anymore, so I just stuck to the area, kept my bait in the water and kept it slow.”

Dixon said he focused on a stretch of about 75 yards of water and used a 4-inch swimbait with a small hook bass couldn’t see. He said his method resulted in 20 fish, seven of which were keepers, during the course of the day. Dixon said he shared the stretch of water with a fellow competitor.

“The bait made the biggest difference for me to get the bigger ones,” Dixon said. “I actually caught more behind the guy fishing the same area on casts after he had already fished through there.”

Dixon said the victory had a special meaning to him, as he added his second BFL win to his resume.

“This feels pretty cool, especially since this win came five years after my first BFL win here,” he said.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:        Aaron Dixon, Bel Alton, Md., five bass, 18-2, $4,127
2nd:       Michael Duarte, Baltimore, Md., five bass, 17-13, $2,639
3rd:       Randy Caruso, Liberty, N.Y., five bass, 16-14, $1,377
4th:        John Lorenzo, Kane, Pa., five bass, 16-12, $963
5th:        Jessie Moore, Severn, Md., five bass, 16-8, $1,325
6th:        Jason Shipton, Muncy, Pa., five bass, 16-6, $757
7th:        Ernie Freeman, Broad Run, Va., five bass, 16-5, $1,188 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
8th:        Robert Henderson, King George, Va., five bass, 16-1, $619
9th:        Charles Peart, King of Prussia, Pa., five bass, 16-0, $550
10th:     Damian Szlachta, Center Valley, Pa., five bass, 15-10, $482

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Duarte had a largemouth that weighed 5 pounds, 2 ounces that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $575.

Jeffrey Ivey of Fairfax, Virginia, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,064 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 17 pounds, 1 ounce.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st:        Jeffrey Ivey, Fairfax, Va., five bass, 17-1, $2,064
2nd:       Rumnea Kelly, Boyds, Md., five bass, 15-13, $1,032
3rd:       Matthew Noraas, Pamplin, Va., five bass, 15-11, $788
4th:        Richard Jensen, Virginia Beach, Va., five bass, 15-8, $482
5th:        Aaron Wilkie, North Bennington, Vt., five bass, 15-5, $763
6th:        Tyler Burriss, Stafford, Va., five bass, 15-0, $378
7th:        Ahmed Behery, Farmington, Conn., five bass, 14-4, $344
8th:        Michael Bahnweg, Union Dale, Pa., five bass, 13-9, $292
8th:        Cody Lunceford, Hanover, Pa., five bass, 13-9, $292
10th:     James Obrien Sr., Southampton, N.Y., five bass, 13-8, $241

Max Meister of Atco, New Jersey, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 12 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $287.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 20-22 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on the James River in Richmond, Virginia. Boaters will compete for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

The 2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six Regional Championships where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American. The 2022 All-American will be held June 2-4 at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.

The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the MLF Toyota Series, the pathway to the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.

Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, AFTCO, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Revital Outdoors, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X, YETI and Yo-Zuri.

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.

by AnglersChannel

Rutland Takes Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event Title on the Alabama River

Harper Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division

PRATTVILLE, Ala. (May 9, 2022) – Boater Chris Rutland of Wetumpka, Alabama, caught five bass Saturday weighing 17 pounds even to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on the Alabama River. The tournament was the third event for the Bass Fishing League Bama Division. Rutland earned $4,825 for his victory.

“I caught nothing at the first three or four stops that I made,” Rutland said. “Finally I caught a little fish mid-morning, then another little one, and then just totally abandoned my game plan.

“I owe my co-angler a lot of credit for the change,” Rutland added. “I was fishing pretty quick-moving baits, and he was dragging, and he had a limit before I had even caught a fish.”

Rutland said he changed to a Big Bite Baits Fighting Frog and caught “seven or eight” fish – including a 6-pound Berkley Big Bass and two that weighed 3½ pounds – from 11:30 to 12:30. Rutland said he pitched the frog, paired with a 3/8-ounce weight, into wood that was in shade.

“Those bass were very aggressive with the frog,” Rutland said. “You threw in there and picked it up, and they’d be leaving with it. They were either there immediately or not at all.”

Rutland said he considers the Alabama River and nearby Lake Jordan his home waters.

“I’ve been fishing the Alabama River for years, and I’ve had a lot of success here over the years,” Rutland said. “So it feels really good to win this tournament here.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:        Chris Rutland, Wetumpka, Ala., five bass, 17-0, $4,825
2nd:       Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., five bass, 16-1, $2,418
3rd:       Scott Wiley Jr., Bay Minette, Ala., five bass, 14-7, $1,413
4th:        Taylor Luna, Millbrook, Ala., five bass, 14-5, $988
5th:        Robbie Robinson, Mobile, Ala., five bass, 13-14, $847
6th:        Dennis Perrigo, Rienzi, Miss., five bass, 12-12, $1,176
7th:        Conner Neal, Hoover, Ala., five bass, 12-9, $670
7th:        Joseph Lamar, Deatsville, Ala., five bass, 12-9, $670
9th:        Lamar Landreth Jr., Smiths Station, Ala., five bass, 11-14, $1,065 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
10th:     Kyle Dorsett, Springville, Ala., five bass, 11-13, $494

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Rutland’s largemouth that weighed 6 pounds even was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and also earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $590.

Kane Harper of Ranburne, Alabama, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,118 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 12 pounds, 3 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st:        Kane Harper, Ranburne, Ala., five bass, 12-3, $2,118
2nd:       Brannon Jones, Montgomery, Ala., five bass, 11-12, $1,059
3rd:       Daniel Corkern, Florence, Miss., five bass, 11-9, $856
4th:        William Chadick, Auburn, Ala., five bass, 11-4, $494
5th:        Anthony Davis, McCalla, Ala., five bass, 10-15, $719
6th:        Edward Kennedy, Wetumpka, Ala., five bass, 10-9, $388
7th:        Chris Harcrow, Dawson, Ala., four bass, 10-5, $453
8th:        Larry Harvey, Montgomery, Ala., five bass, 10-1, $318
9th:        Mike Langdale, Sycamore, Ga., five bass, 9-11, $282
10th:     Caleb Whitehurst, Andalusia, Ala., five bass, 9-7, $247

Davis caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 6 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $295.

After three events, Robbie Robinson of Mobile, Alabama, leads the Bass Fishing League Bama Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 722 points, while Mike Langdale of Sycamore, Georgia, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 729 points.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 13-15 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Pickwick Lake in Counce, Tennessee. Boaters will compete for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

The 2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six Regional Championships where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American. The 2022 All-American will be held June 2-4 at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.

The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the MLF Toyota Series, the pathway to the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.

Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, AFTCO, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Revital Outdoors, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X, YETI and Yo-Zuri.

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.

by AnglersChannel

Harrison Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on the Columbus Pool

Tanner Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division

COLUMBUS, Miss. (May 9, 2022) – Boater Cody Harrison of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, caught five bass Saturday weighing 14 pounds, 14 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on the Columbus Pool. The tournament, hosted by Visit Columbus, was the fourth event for the Bass Fishing League Mississippi Division. Harrison earned $4,122 for his victory.

“I had a pretty early boat number and started out fishing a community area in the Columbus Pool,” Harrison said. “I spent my entire day going back and forth, fishing behind guys and trying to cover as much water and grass as I could.

“There was a shad spawn early in the morning, so I just stuck with that bite all day long,” added Harrison, who caught 12 bass during the day. “I culled three times and lost two I hooked up on, and I missed a few bites early.”

Harrison said he believes the key to his victory was the fact he was using a fluorocarbon line instead of the braided line that seemed to dominate the event. He said the fluorocarbon line aided his ability to feel bites on his white 3/8-ounce hand-tied swimjig that was given to him.

Harrison said the tournament was his first tournament experience on the Columbus Pool.

“I wasn’t expecting this win at all,” Harrison said. “Qualifying for the Regional Championship on Smith Lake now is just a huge weight off my shoulders. And I’ve had some top-5 finishes before, but to finally get this win is nice.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:        Cody Harrison, Muscle Shoals, Ala., five bass, 14-14, $4,122
2nd:       David Watkins, Caledonia, Miss., five bass, 14-5, $1,561
3rd:       Eddie Armstrong, West Point, Miss., five bass, 11-10, $1,043
4th:        Nick Churchill, Brandon, Miss., five bass, 11-9, $1,103
5th:        Jerry Gilliam, Ethelsville, Ala., five bass, 10-15, $624
6th:        John Anderson, Baysprings, Miss., four bass, 10-6, $1,772 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
7th:        Evan Horne, Tuscumbia, Ala., five bass, 10-2, $520
8th:        Timmy Ming, Louisville, Miss., five bass, 10-0, $468
9th:        Keith Brumfield, Vicksburg, Miss., four bass, 9-10, $416
10th:     D. Scott Gibson, Hattiesburg, Miss., five bass, 9-1, $364

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Churchill had a largemouth that weighed 4 pounds, 9 ounces that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $375.

Joey Tanner of Meridian, Mississippi, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $1,661 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 10 pounds, 5 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st:        Joey Tanner, Meridian, Miss., five bass, 10-5, $1,661
2nd:       Cameron Petras, Biloxi, Miss., three bass, 7-15, $781
3rd:       Steve Shirley, Guin, Ala., three bass, 7-7, $521
4th:        Colby Gaddy, Gordo, Ala., three bass, 7-2, $564
5th:        Reggie Thornton, Columbus, Miss., four bass, 6-14, $312
6th:        Glenn Rawson, Daleville, Miss., three bass, 6-5, $286
7th:        Bryan Gibson, Arlington, Tenn., two bass, 6-3, $447
8th:        Harpole Perkins, Pheba, Miss., three bass, 5-15, $234
9th:        Ken Pecanty, Vicksburg, Miss., three bass, 5-14, $208
10th:     Bobby Speake, Terry, Miss., three bass, 5-12, $182

Gibson caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 4 pounds, 10 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $187.

After four events, Evan Horne of Tuscumbia, Alabama, leads the Bass Fishing League Mississippi Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 940 points, while Joey Tanner of Meridian, Mississippi, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 928 points.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 20-22 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Smith Lake in Cullman, Alabama. Boaters will compete for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

The 2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six Regional Championships where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American. The 2022 All-American will be held June 2-4 at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.

The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the MLF Toyota Series, the pathway to the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.

Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, AFTCO, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Revital Outdoors, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X, YETI and Yo-Zuri.

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.

by AnglersChannel

Batson Claims Victory at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Lake Sinclair

Howard Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division

MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. (May 9, 2022) – Boater Aaron Batson of Mansfield, Georgia, caught five bass Saturday weighing 20 pounds even to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Sinclair . The tournament was the second event of the season for the Bass Fishing League Bulldog Division, and the first of a tournament double-header weekend as another event took place on Sunday. Batson earned $5,057 for his victory Saturday.

“I started out fishing water willow, but I knew it had been getting pounded, so I changed it up and started looking for deeper seawalls,” Batson said. “I started with a Trixter Custom Baits jig and a Dock Hopper, looking for deeper seawalls. I stayed in the mid-lake area and worked that jig and a Zoom Ol’ Monster worm.

“I definitely did all my work in the first two hours of the day,” Batson added. “I caught a pretty good limit of 21 pounds or so early on.”

Batson said he changed tactics and worked shell beds and fished a frog in very shallow water in the back of a creek later in the day, but credited the jig with his win.

“I felt pretty good about this tournament after I caught my limit,” Batson said. “The fishing’s been tough here, and it’s been taking a good bag.

“There are some big sticks that fish the Bulldog Division,” Batson added. “It feels great to get my first win.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:        Aaron Batson, Mansfield, Ga., five bass, 20-0, $5,057
2nd:       Stephen Jones, Macon, Ga., five bass, 19-13, $2,528
3rd:       Kip Carter, Eatonton, Ga., five bass, 16-8, $1,685
4th:        Emil Wagner, Marietta, Ga., five bass, 15-11, $1,880 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
5th:        Travis Clay, Jackson, Ga., five bass, 15-10, $1,011
6th:        Flint Davis, Leesburg, Ga., five bass, 14-14, $927
7th:        Brad Stalnaker, Eatonton, Ga., five bass, 13-12, $843
8th:        Larry Cason, Newborn, Ga., five bass, 13-7, $758
9th:        Andy Wicker, Cayce, S.C., five bass, 12-8, $832
9th:        Grant Kelly, Milledgeville, Ga., five bass, 12-8, $632

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Blade Parker of Resaca, Georgia, had a largemouth that weighed 7 pounds, 5 ounces that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $780.

Keith Howard of Perry, Georgia, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,528 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 13 pounds, 1 ounce.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st:        Keith Howard, Perry, Ga., five bass, 13-1, $2,528
2nd:       David Gibson, Atlanta, Ga., five bass, 12-2, $1,264
3rd:       Mark Brinkman, Cumming, Ga., five bass, 11-3, $717
3rd:       Wesley Mullins, Guyton, Ga., five bass, 11-3, $717
5th:        Nicholas Clark, Lawrenceville, Ga., five bass, 9-8, $506
6th:        Donald Peppers, Good Hope, Ga., five bass, 9-6, $464
7th:        Chandler White, Covington, Ga., five bass, 9-5, $421
8th:        Joe Morgan, Woodstock, Ga., five bass, 9-0, $379
9th:        Austin Lockridge, Canon, Ga., five bass, 8-15, $337
10th:     Robert Enke, Columbus, Ga., five bass, 8-10, $295

Shane Carlton of Akron, Ohio, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 3 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $390.

After Saturday’s event, Jerry Brumfield of Cumming, Georgia, led the Bass Fishing League Bulldog Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 490 points, while Mark Brinkman of Cumming, Georgia, led the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 484 points.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 6-8 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Lake Murray in Prosperity, South Carolina. Boaters will compete for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

The 2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six Regional Championships where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American. The 2022 All-American will be held June 2-4 at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.

The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the MLF Toyota Series, the pathway to the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.

Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, AFTCO, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Revital Outdoors, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X, YETI and Yo-Zuri.

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.

by AnglersChannel