Strike King Co-angler Victory Goes to Alma’s Brecka

LA CROSSE, Wis. (Oct. 17, 2022) – Boater Mike Brueggen of La Crosse, Wisconsin, brought a three-day total of 15 bass to the scale weighing 56 pounds, 7 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Regional Event on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin. For his victory, Brueggen earned $60,794, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000. Brueggen also receives automatic entry into the 2023 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American Championship, May 31-June 2, at Lake Hartwell in Seneca, South Carolina.

Brueggen, who now has racked up 60 top-10 finishes and 10 career wins, mainly on the Mississippi River, said he targeted sand in four to five feet of water in Pool No. 2 and used a crankbait and a Kureiji Panic Swim Jig on the first day of competition, followed by a spinnerbait and the swim jig on Day 2. Brueggen said he went back to the crankbait and swim jig on Day 3 and relied on white-colored baits to fill his limits.

“The color didn’t matter, really, as long as it was light-colored to imitate shad,” Brueggen said. “There was a lot of dead water, but when I caught one, I caught more than one.”

Brueggen, who has been fishing the Mississippi near La Crosse for about 20 years, said his confidence in the fishery played the biggest part in his victory. He dialed in his fish during practice and relied on his local knowledge to seal the win.

“This win feels amazing,” said Brueggen, who had come close many times, but never won a Bass Fishing League regional tournament. “I finally got one.”

The top six boaters that qualified for the 2023 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American were:

1st:         Mike Brueggen, La Crosse, Wis., 15 bass, 56-7, $60,794
2nd:       Trey McKinney, Carbondale, Ill., 15 bass, 51-14, $10,794
3rd:        Ian Leybas, McAlester, Okla., 15 bass, 50-13, $5,893
4th:      Cade Laufenberg, La Crosse, Wis., 15 bass, 49-1, $4,638 (including $500 Phoenix MLF contingency bonus)
5th:         Michael Pruitt, Martinsville, Ind., 15 bass, 47-5, $2,959
6th:         Nick Uebelhor, Jasper, Ind., 15 bass, 46-3, $1,763

Rounding out the top 10 boaters were:

7th:         Kollin Crawford, Broken Bow, Okla., 15 bass, 44-5, $1,567
8th:         Travis Wilson, La Harpe, Ill., 15 bass, 43-12, $1,371
9th:         Drew Cress, Highland, Ill., 15 bass, 42-10, $1,175
10th:      Blake Knies, Jasper, Ind., 15 bass, 41-11, $1,077

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The top four boaters from each division that earned a $1,000 bonus for placing highest in the event were:

Hoosier:                Michael Pruitt, Martinsville, Ind., 5th Place, $1,000
Illini:                     Trey McKinney, Carbondale, Ill. 2nd Place, $1,000
Michigan:              Frank Scalish, Jr., Columbus, Ohio, 13th Place, $1,000
Okie:                     Ian Leybas, McAlester, Okla., 3rd Place $1,000

Laufenberg took home an extra $500 as the highest finishing Phoenix MLF Bonus member. Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $7,000 per event in each Phoenix Bass Fishing League tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the Phoenix MLF Bonus contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.

Brian Brecka of Alma, Wisconsin, weighed in 15 bass over three days totaling 40 pounds, 8 ounces to win the top Strike King co-angler prize package of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

The top six Strike King co-anglers that qualified for the 2023 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American were:

1^st:           Brian Brecka, Alma, Wis., 15 bass, 40-8, $50,000
2^nd:          Chuck Davis, Farmington, Ill., 14 bass, 39-4, $5,659
3^rd:          Alan Bernicky, Joliet, Ill., 15 bass, 35-4, $2,855
4^th:           Shawn Overton, Coal Valley, Ill., 14 bass, 34-11, $1,973
5^th:           Dominic Bogolo, Hamilton, Ohio, 14 bass, 32-15, $1,482
6^th:           Branden Hardesty, Nineveh, Ind., 12 bass, 27-9, $884

Rounding out the top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

7^th:           Patrick Weir, Park Hill, Okla., 11 bass, 26-12, $1,285
8^th:           Brock Krohne, Belton, Mo., 10 bass, 24-13, $687
9^th:           Tommy Pritchard, Bargersville, Ind., 10 bass, 23-10, $589
10^th:        Dakota Nollen, Midwest City, Okla., eight bass, 23-4, $540