SENECA, S.C. (Jan. 29, 2024) – Boater Brendan Smith of Lavonia, Georgia, caught a five-bass limit weighing 15 pounds, 5 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Keowee. Hosted by Visit Oconee, South Carolina, the tournament was the first event of the season for the BFL Savannah River Division. Smith earned $3,514 for his victory.

“I was boat number 89 of 90,” said Smith, who said Keowee had proved to be a difficult fishery for him in the past. “I had found some fish in an area that I thought would be my only opportunity to catch a limit. When I got to that place it was occupied.

“I went about the day fishing a pattern that I thought could work,” Smith continued. “It was a pattern that evolved throughout the day. Essentially, I junk fished Lake Keowee from 2 feet to 50 feet. The good Lord shined on me, and I caught some good fish.”

Smith focused on the lower part of Lake Keowee and said his junk fishing approach consisted of a Berkley Stunna Jerkbait 112, which produced his biggest bass of the day, as well as a Zoom Zlinky Stick Worm on a drop-shot rig in 50 feet of water. He said he also caught a few bass on a Keitech Swing Impact FAT 2.8-inch Swimbait in a ditch.

“I had a limit by 9:30 and figured I had 9 or 10 pounds and was pretty happy to have that weight that early in the day,” Smith said. “When I got to 13 pounds, I knew that was a decent catch for Lake Keowee this time of year. I knew when I was culling that 15 pounds would be pretty respectable.

“I’ve been doing this a long time, and I’ve been through several of these squeakers, and I’m usually on the other end of it,” Smith added. “Did I ever think I had the win? No. I weighed in last and didn’t have a clue that I would win until the fish were weighed.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:        Brendan Smith, Lavonia, Ga., five bass, 15-5, $3,514
2nd:       Randy Childers, Anderson, S.C., five bass, 15-3, $1,757
3rd:       Joe Anders, Easley, S.C., five bass, 15-1, $1,672 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
4th:        Daniel Atkins, Anderson, S.C., five bass, 14-11, $722
4th:        Cody Hoyle, Rutherfordton, N.C., five bass, 14-11, $722
4th:        Matt O’Connell, Brooks, Georgia, five bass, 14-11, $1,022
7th:        Grayson Brewster, Anderson, S.C., five bass, 14-9, $586
8th:        Michael Smith, Lexington, S.C., five bass, 14-8, $527
9th:        William Bryson, Greer, S.C., five bass, 13-14, $469
10th:     Hunter Cseledy, Waynesville, N.C., five bass, 13-13, $410

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Jason Burroughs of Hodges, South Carolina, caught a bass that weighed 4 pounds, 9 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $450.

Chris Wilson of Easley, South Carolina, won the Strike King co-angler division and $1,982 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 11 pounds, 10 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:

1st:        Chris Wilson, Easley, S.C., five bass, 11-10, $1,982
2nd:       Kevin Henderson, Honea Path, S.C., five bass, 11-9, $879
3rd:       Dale Ball, Asheville, N.C., five bass, 11-6, $585
4th:        Colby Matthews, Madison, Ga., five bass, 11-4, $610
5th:        Kyle Rogers, Cleveland, Ga., five bass, 10-10, $351
6th:        Justin Thompson, Gainesville, Ga., five bass, 10-3, $322
7th:        Andy Burgess, Greenville, S.C., five bass, 10-2, $293
8th:        Renee Price, Seneca, S.C., five bass, 10-0, $249
8th:        Brock Martin, Cross Hill, S.C., five bass, 10-0, $249
10th:     Arthur Harris, York, S.C., five bass, 9-9, $205

Wilson earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $225, catching a bass that weighed in at 3 pounds, 13 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.

The next event for BFL Savannah River Division anglers will be held Feb. 24, at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.

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. 3-5 BFL Regional tournament on Pickwick Lake in Counce, Tennessee. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki 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 or Suzuki outboard.

The 2024 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.

Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota 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.

About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 13 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.