Catalin Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division Title

SPARTA, Tenn. (May 2, 2023) – Boater Rodney Brown of Gainesboro, Tennessee, caught a five-bass limit weighing 15 pounds, 14 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Center Hill Lake. The tournament was the third event of the season for the BFL Music City Division. Brown earned $3,794 for his victory.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:        Rodney Brown, Gainesboro, Tenn., five bass, 15-14, $3,794
2nd:       Josh Tramel, Smithville, Tenn., five bass, 15-6, $1,897
3rd:       Josh Womack, Gallatin, Tenn., five bass, 15-4, $1,265
4th:        Jay Melton, Murfreesboro, Tenn., five bass, 15-1, $885
5th:        Joey Mallicoat, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 14-8, $1,697 (includes $500 Phoenix Bonus)
5th:        Cody Mackie, McMinnville, Tenn., five bass, 14-8, $927
7th:        Jeremy Walker, Mount Juliet, Tenn., five bass, 14-7, $632
8th:        Zach Youngblood, Smithville, Tenn., five bass, 14-0, $569
9th:        Matt Underhill, Lascassas, Tenn., five bass, 13-10, $474
9th:        Christian Nash, Allons, Tenn., five bass, 13-10, $474

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Braxton Campbell of McMinnville, Tennessee, caught a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 5 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $495.

Pop Catalin of Cookeville, Tennessee, won the Strike King co-angler division a total of $1,605 Saturday, after bringing five bass each to the scale that weighed 16 pounds, 3 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:

1st:        Pop Catalin, Cookeville, Tenn., five bass, 16-3, $1,859
2nd:       Robert Russell, Murfreesboro, Tenn., five bass, 13-3, $1,129
3rd:       Richard Payne, Elkton, Ky., five bass, 12-12, $619
4th:        Andrew Rogers, Bristol, Tenn., four bass, 11-6, $434
5th:        John Carman, Berea, Ky., five bass, 10-13, $372
6th:        Austin Mitchell, Antioch, Tenn., four bass, 9-15, $341
7th:        Rocky Williams, Portland, Tenn., five bass, 9-10, $310
8th:        Adam Radovic, Brecksville, Ohio, four bass, 8-5, $279
9th:        Kenny Botts, Alvaton, Ky., three bass, 8-3, $490
10th:     Kenny Manning, Westmoreland, Tenn., three bass, 8-2, $217

Botts earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $242, catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 1 ounce – the largest co-angler catch of the day.

After three events, Gavin Cloutier of Jonesboro, Tennessee, leads the BFL Music City Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 715 points, while Rocky Williams of Portland, Tennessee, 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 tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 12-14 BFL Regional tournament on Lake Eufaula in Eufaula, Alabama. Boaters will fish 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 compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

The 2023 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2023 All-American event will take place May 31-June 2, on Lake Hartwell in Seneca, South Carolina. The event is hosted by Visit Oconee SC.

Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, General Tire, Grundéns, Gill, Lew’s, Lowrance, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X and YETI.

For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.