Holmen’s Plank Wins Co-Angler Division

LA CROSSE, Wis. (April 19, 2026) – Boater Mike Brueggen of La Crosse, Wisconsin, brought a five-bass limit to the scale weighing 21 pounds, 5 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on the Mississippi River in La Crosse . The tournament, hosted by Explore La Crosse, was the first of five events of the season for the BFL Great Lakes Division. Bruggen earned $3,920 for his victory.

Brueggen said he spent the day keying on shallow fish that repositioned following the strong cold front and heavy winds. Targeting grass flats that had been loaded with bait just days earlier, he relied on a red squarebill crankbait and a modified vibrating jig to trigger reaction bites.

“I had some in the drain with shallow water on it, and with that cold front and a lot of wind, it pushed those fish off the shallow flat,” Brueggen said. “I kind of guessed it right – I’m not saying I knew they were going to, but I guessed it right and they did.”

A key part of his setup was a customized approach to his vibrating jig, designed to keep it higher in the water column over the submerged vegetation. Brueggen said he used a straight-tail trailer to match the presentation and even modified the bait to enhance its performance.

“It would ride higher, and I drilled some weight out so it would ride even higher yet,” he explained.

The adjustment allowed him to effectively cover water and stay above the grass, where fish were actively feeding. The strategy produced steady action throughout the day, with Brueggen boating an estimated 40 to 50 bass.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:        Mike Brueggen, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 21-1, $3,920
2nd:      Hunter Vanduyse, Green Bay, Wis., five bass, 20-7, $1,860
3rd:       Jim Jones, Big Bend, Wis., five bass, 19-7, $1,030
4th:       Kyle von Ruden, Stoddard, Wis., five bass, 18-4, $740
5th:       Wyatt Becker, West Salem, Wis., five bass, 17-13, $650
6th:       Mike Feldermann, Galena, Ill., five bass, 16-11, $560
7th:       Mark Myers, Cedar Falls, Iowa, five bass, 16-9, $530
8th:       Casey Goode, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 16-8, $1,000 (includes $1,000 Phoenix Bonus)
8th:       Devin Teigen, Nelson, Wis., five bass, 16-8, $500
10th:     Ty Kreis, Brady, Neb., five bass, 16-4, $460

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Brueggen also earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award after landing a 5-pound, 11-ouncer, worth $200.

Wil Plank of Holmen, Wisconsin, won the co-angler division and the top prize of $1,860 Saturday after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 13 pounds, 3 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished:

1st:        Wil Plank, Holmen, Wis., three bass, 13-3, $1,860
2nd:      Kevin Clark, Lancaster, Wis., three bass, 12-6, $980
3rd:       Dan McAdams, Reedsburg, Wis., three bass, 12-2, $465
4th:       Jason Swanson, Wauwatosa, Wis., three bass, 11-12, $370
5th:       Philip Olson, Wauwatosa, Wis., three bass, 10-7, $325
6th:       David Ondria, Elmhurst, Ill., three bass, 10-1, $280
7th:       Austin Frye, Ontario, Wis., three bass, 9-13, $262
7th:       Nicholas Howell, Mackinaw, Ill., three bass, 9-13, $262
9th:       Jordan Pekar, South Milwaukee, Wis., three bass, 9-8, $250
10th:     Brian Brecka, Alma, Wis., three bass, 9-7, $230

Ron Mairet of Columbus, Junction, Iowa, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award after landing a 5-pound, 15-ounce bass worth $100.

After one event, Mike Brueggen of La Crosse, Wisconsin, now leads the 7 Brew Great Lakes Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race, while Wil Plank of Holmen, Iowa, leads the Great Lakes Division Co-Angler of the Year race.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the division based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 22-24 BFL Regional tournament on Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma. Boaters will fish for a top award of a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard worth $50,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top prize of a new Phoenix 518 pro with a 115-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard, worth $33,500.

The 2026 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 co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying tournament winners, will advance to one of six BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top seven, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2026 BFL All-American will take place May 28-30, at Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina, and is hosted by Capital City Lake Murray Country Regional Tourism.

Proud sponsors of the 2026 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7 Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Buffalo, BUBBA, Cigars International, Epic Baits, Grizzly, Mercury, MillerTech, Mystik Lubricants, OFF! Deep Woods, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, PirahnO2, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, VOSKER, YETI and Yuengling.

For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular BFL 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, Outdoor Channel, VICE, World Fishing Network, RFD-TV, Game & Fish TV and Rumble, 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 20 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.