Chilluffo Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (Aug. 8, 2022) – Boater Stephen Estes of Auburn, New Hampshire, caught five bass Saturday weighing 21 pounds, 10 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Champlain . The tournament, hosted by the City of Plattsburgh, was the fourth event for the Bass Fishing League Northeast Division. Estes earned $13,057, including a $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus, for his victory.

Estes said he focused on the northern end of the lake using a drop-shot rig to catch around 20 smallmouth keepers during the course of the day.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:        Stephen Estes, Auburn, N.H., five bass, 21-10, $13,057 (includes $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
2nd:       Tristan McCormick, Burns, Tenn., five bass, 20-10, $2,528
3rd:       Rob Messenger, Sunapee, N.H., five bass, 20-6, $1,432
3rd:       Joseph Thompson, Coatesville, Pa., five bass, 20-6, $1,432
5th:        Josh Bragg, Fayetteville, Ga., five bass, 20-4, $1,011
6th:        Brent Heyn, South Hero, Vt., five bass, 20-1, $927
7th:        Matt Becker, Finleyville, Pa., five bass, 19-15, $843
8th:        Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 19-11, $758
9th:        Colby Miller, Elmer, La., five bass, 19-1, $632
9th:        Brett Carnright, Plattsburgh, N.Y., five bass, 19-1, $632

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

T.J. Daniels of Plattsburgh, New York, had a bass that weighed 5 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 $780.

Frederick Chilluffo of Camden, New York, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,628 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 19 pounds, 14 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st:        Frederick Chilluffo, Camden, N.Y., five bass, 19-14, $2,628
2nd:       Justin Bronson, Glenn Dale, Md., five bass, 17-11, $1,264
3rd:       Nate Coy, Pennsburg, Pa., five bass, 17-9, $845
4th:        David Paszkiewicz, Kearny, N.J., five bass, 17-0, $590
5th:        Shawn Gokey, Georgia, Vt., five bass, 16-14, $506
6th:        David Archibald, Somerset, Mass., five bass, 16-11, $464
7th:        Corey Germano, Staatsburg, N.Y., five bass, 16-8, $771
8th:        Andrew Hostler, Tyrone, Pa., five bass, 16-6, $579
9th:        Benjamin Kapp, Benton, Pa., five bass, 16-3, $337
10th:     Al Norman, Lake Mary, Fla., five bass, 16-2, $295

Erik Gaffron of Robbinsdale, Minnesota caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 2 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $390.

After four events, Joseph Thompson of Coatesville, Pennsylvania, leads the Bass Fishing League Northeast Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 912 points, while David Paszkiewicz of Kearny, New Jersey, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 918 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 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.