Macks Claims Strike King Co-Angler Division Victory

DEMOPOLIS, Ala. (April 24, 2023) – Boater Adam Cochran of Gallion, Alabama, caught a five-bass limit weighing 16 pounds, 4 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Demopolis Lake Presented by Southern Petroleum Services . The tournament was the third event of the season for the BFL Bama Division Presented by Mystik Lubricants. It was the first ever MLF event that Cochran has competed in, and he notched his first career win and earned $3,514 for his victory.

“This was a really fun event, and I think I just got lucky,” Cochran said. “I caught a real quick shad spawn right away in the morning on a floating worm. And then it got really tough. After 9 o’clock, pretty much nothing else bit – I think we got one more fish the rest of the day.”

Cochran politely declined to divulge much information about the areas that he targeted during the shad spawn, but did hint that it was up river.

“The floating worm was a Zoom worm, in watermelon red,” Cochran said. “I’m very appreciative that MLF put on a tournament on Demopolis Lake and I really hope that you come back again, next season.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:        Adam Cochran, Gallion, Ala., five bass, 16-4, $3,514
2nd:       Will Ayres, Newbern, Ala., five bass, 15-9, $1,757
3rd:       Kevin Williams, Demopolis, Ala., 14-2, $1,392
4th:        Jason Nixon, Wetumpka, Ala., five bass, 13-14, $820
5th:        Ken Romain, Northport, Ala., five bass, 13-11, $703
6th:        Hunter Dubose, Andalusia, Ala., five bass, 12-10, $644
7th:        Tommy Nichols, Fayette, Ala., five bass, 12-9, $586
8th:        Robert Werner, Fairhope, Ala., five bass, 12-5, $527
9th:        Ray Mitchell, Demopolis, Ala., five bass, 11-15, $469
10th:     T.J. Free, Carrlllton, Ala., five bass, 11-12, $410

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Elijah Clark of Alabaster, Alabama, caught a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 3 ounce, to earn the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $450.

Chad Macks of Robertsdale, Alabama, won the Strike King co-angler division and $1,693 Saturday, after bringing a five-bass limit to the scale that totaled 11 pounds, 6 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:

1st:        Chad Macks, Robertsdale, Ala., five bass, 11-6, $1,693
2nd:       Scott Noles, Woodland, Ala., five bass, 11-4, $846
3rd:       Ethan McDonald, Livingston, Tenn., five bass, 9-11, $776
4th:        Mike Langdale, Sycamore, Ga., five bass, 8-3, $395
5th:        Michael Petras, Biloxi, Miss., five bass, 7-12, $474
5th:        Barry Landrum, Butler, Ala., five bass, 7-12, $324
7th:        Stuart Vitollo, Vance, Ala., five bass, 7-3, $282
8th:        Caleb Gwaltney, Athens, Ala., five bass, 7-1, $254
9th:        Johnny Albritton, Cullman, Ala., three bass, 7-0, $212
9th:        Ladarius Brackin, Newton, Ala., five bass, 7-0, $212

McDonald earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $212 with a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 1 ounce.

After three events, Christian Rich of Eufaula, Alabama, leads the BFL Bama Division Presented by Mystik Lubricants Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 716 points, while Ethan McDonald of Livingston, Tennessee, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 707 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 Dale Hollow Lake in Byrdstown, Tennessee. 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.