Mast Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division

COLUMBUS, Miss. (May 22, 2023) – Boater Hunter Davidson of Reform, Alabama, caught a five-bass limit weighing 17 pounds, 11 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on the Columbus Pool. The tournament, hosted by Visit Columbus, was the fourth event of the season for the BFL Mississippi Division. Davidson earned $3,637 for his victory.

“I started catching them right off the bat on a shad spawn,” said Davidson. “I caught all of my weight pretty quick – around 9 o’clock I had the fish I weighed in. At that point I thought that I might have a chance to win, but I kept fishing hard all day.”

Davidson, who calls the Columbus Pool his home water, said he caught 15 bass during the course of the day on a black, blue and white Dirty Jigs Swim Jig.

“This win was a blast,” Davidson said. “I’ve wanted to win a BFL for a while. I fish all of the events in the Bama Division, and I saw this one that was close to my house on the schedule, so I it was looking forward to it. I was just blessed to get the win.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:        Hunter Davidson, Reform, Ala., five bass, 17-11, $3,637
2nd:       T.J. Free, Carrollton, Ala., five bass, 13-15, $1,623
3rd:       Andrew Gordon, Steens, Miss., five bass, 13-7, $1,082
4th:        Randy Craft, Seminary, Miss., five bass, 12-7, $758
5th:        Barrett Saunders, Hammond, La., five bass, 12-6, $2,119 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
6th:        Bill Harrison, Columbus, Miss., five bass, 11-15, $595
7th:        Justin McKee, Pheba, Miss., five bass, 11-12, $541
8th:        Steve Hatch, Long Beach, Miss., four bass, 11-11, $487
9th:        Danny Walden, Columbus, Miss., five bass, 11-7, $433
10th:     Dakota Shaw, Millport, Ala., five bass, 11-0, $379

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Davidson also caught a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 2 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $390.

Brandon Mast of Sturgis, Mississippi, won the Strike King co-angler division and a total of $1,623 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 10 pounds, 1 ounce.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:

1st:        Brandon Mast, Sturgis, Miss., five bass, 10-1, $1,623
2nd:       Bubba Wright, Ridgeland, Miss., four bass, 7-15, $812
3rd:       Lance Jackson, Starkville, Miss., three bass, 6-7, $541
4th:        Cameron Wagner, Hoover, Ala., two bass, 6-0, $379
5th:        Larry McWilliams, Florence, Miss., three bass, 5-14, $325
6th:        Anthony Rasberry, New Albany, Miss., two bass, 5-1, $498
7th:        Thomas Sanderson, Amory, Miss., two bass, 4-13, $271
8th:        Hunter Averett, Carriere, Miss., two bass, 4-11, $244
9th:        Caleb Gwaltney, Athens, Ala., one bass, 4-10, $411
10th:     Steve Ruth, Columbus, Miss., two bass, 4-8, $179
10th:     Jack Danozsky, West Point, Miss., two bass, 4-8, $179

Caleb Gwaltney of Athens, Alabama, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $195, catching a bass that weighed in at 4 pounds, 10 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.

After four events, Randy Craft of Seminary, Mississippi, leads the BFL Mississippi Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 941 points, while Hunter Averett of Carriere, Mississippi, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 967 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. 5-7 BFL Regional tournament on Lake Eufaula in Eufaula, Oklahoma. 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: 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.