Deciucis Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Sept. 25, 2023) – Boater Cody Hoyle of Rutherfordton, North Carolina, caught 10 bass weighing 29 pounds, 9 ounces, to win the two-day MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Norman in Mooresville, N.C. The tournament, hosted by the Mooresville Convention and Visitors Bureau, was the fifth and final regular-season event for the Bass Fishing League North Carolina Division. Hoyle earned $5,446 for his victory.

“This win feels pretty good,” said Hoyle. “I wasn’t really expecting it, but everything just lined up for me today.”

Hoyle said he caught his fish mid-lake on a custom-made green pumpkin and red jig and felt his key to victory was keeping the trolling motor wide open throughout the day.

Hoyle said he is planning to fish the three-day Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional at Lake Norman Oct. 19-21 and opted not to reveal further information about his success on the fishery in this event.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:          Cody Hoyle, Rutherfordton, N.C., 10 bass, 29-9, $5,446
2^nd:          Scott Hamrick, Denver, N.C., 10 bass, 28-6, $2,723
3^rd:          Chad Poteat, Mount Airy, N.C., 10 bass, 26-10, $3,396 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
4^th:           David Cooke, Mooresville, N.C., 10 bass, 26-7, $1,271
5^th:           Michael Stephens, Gastonia, N.C., 10 bass, 25-8, $1,089
6^th:           Dalton Eury, Oakboro, N.C., 10 bass, 25-8, $998
7^th:           Isaac Ledford, Dallas, N.C., 10 bass, 24-14, $908
8^th:           Aaron Digh, Denver, N.C., 10 bass, 24-12, $1,514
9^th:           Tyler Trent, Nathalie, Va., 10 bass, 23-12, $726
10^th:        Conrad Manuel, Pilot Mountain, N.C., nine bass, 23-4, $635

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Aaron Digh of Denver, North Carolina, caught a bass weighing 4 pounds, 11 ounces that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division to earn the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $697.

David Deciucis of Chester, Virginia, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $3,272 Sunday after catching a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 23 pounds, 1 ounce.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1^st:           David Deciucis, Chester, Va., 10 bass, 23-1, $3,272
2^nd:          Jonathan Strickland, Graham, N.C., 10 bass, 19-0, $1,361
3^rd:          Samuel Dunson, Chapel Hill, N.C., nine bass, 18-15, $908
4^th:           Eric Tressel, Cornelius, N.C., eight bass, 18-2, $635
5^th:           George Hirapetian, Charlotte, N.C., nine bass, 17-14, $545
6^th:           Wayne Smelser, Wytheville, Va., eight bass, 16-11, $499
7^th:           Bobby Henderson, Charlotee, N.C., nine bass, 16-5, $654
8^th:           Wes House, Knightdale, N.C., nine bass, 15-13, $408
9^th:           Hunter Carpenter, Lincolnton, N.C., eight bass, 15-9, $363
10^th:        Greg Fox, Hudson, N.C., eight bass, 15-0, $318

Deciucis caught the largest bass in the Strike King Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 12 ounces. The catch earned him the Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $349.

With the regular season now complete, boater Jason Barnes of Concord, North Carolina, won the 2023 Bass Fishing League North Carolina Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with a five-event total of 1,310 points to earn the $1,000 boater AOY award. Wes House of Knightdale, North Carolina, won the 2023 Strike King Co-Angler North Carolina Division AOY race with 1,337 points and earned the $500 Strike King Co-angler of the Year award.

Now, the top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the division based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will advance to compete in the Oct. 5-7 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland. 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 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 Invitationals and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.

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.