BENTON, Ky. (Dec. 2, 2024) – As registration opens today for the 2025 Major League Fishing (MLF) Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine, the organization announced the tournament director assignments for each of the 24 divisions for the upcoming season. With a total of 134 tournaments held throughout the season, the BFL is the sport’s premier grassroots tournament circuit for weekend anglers.

Michael Bucy (Great Lakes, Northeast, Savannah River and South Carolina)

Michael Bucy, a Gulf War veteran and seasoned outdoorsman, will take over tournament director duties for the first time this season. Michael has been part of MLF since 2020, when he started as a BFL tournament assistant. In his five years of experience, Michael handled numerous tasks including the on-site tournament logistics and coordination of the weigh-in livestream. Outside of work, Michael is an avid bowhunter and fisherman and is also a certified scuba diving instructor. Raised in Murray, Kentucky, he’s been fishing since childhood, often alongside his father, a longtime BFL competitor who qualified for multiple Regionals and the All-American. Family is central to his life, and he enjoys spending time with his wife, Kimberly, their six children and four grandchildren. Michael’s love for the sport and his commitment to people make him a valuable asset to MLF and its tournament anglers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Evans (Illini, LBL, Mountain, Volunteer)
Robert Evans has been with MLF since 2008, starting as part of the full-time crew under Ron Lappin with the Toyota Series. Over the years, Robert worked his way up, initially handling the release boat and driving the stage trailer before transitioning to full-time tournament director in 2010. With over a decade of experience, Robert loves his job as a director, enjoying the camaraderie of his colleagues and anglers and the unique environment of tournament fishing. Outside of work, Robert’s main passion is waterfowl hunting. Though he has fished in a few tournaments, he considers himself more of a lifelong fisherman rather than a tournament angler. Robert lives on Kentucky Lake (in Jonathan Creek) and is a proud father to two children: Clara, 14, and Clayton, 10. Robert says that his love for the outdoors and his family remain at the core of his life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alan Gray (Choo Choo, Mississippi, Music City, Okie)
Alan Gray is a seasoned tournament director with MLF, where he has worked since 2008. Starting in membership services, he transitioned to event operations, including pulling the stage trailer for the Toyota Series and assisting on tournaments for the BFL. In 2010, Alan was running multiple divisions of the BFL and was named the full-time director of the FLW Walleye Tour. In 2013, Alan transitioned to full-time BFL tournament director. Known for his passion, Alan finds great fulfillment in supporting his anglers – both celebrating their successes and offering some much-needed encouragement during tough times. Outside of fishing, Alan is a certified personal trainer, passionate about fitness and working one-on-one with people to help them achieve their goals. He lives in Benton, Kentucky, with his wife Shanna and their two children, Riley and Aiden. Alan loves to fish and is an extremely competitive angler – proud of the numerous notable fish that he has caught on Kentucky Lake, including a 10-pound largemouth, and a second-place finish in the Jet-A-Marina Classic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leroy Hensley (Buckeye, Bulldog, Gator, Hoosier)
Leroy Hensley began his career with MLF in 2007, when he was hired as a boat simulator operator, traveling to numerous parts of country to let people experience the thrill of driving boats. In 2009 he joined the college circuit as an assistant director under Kevin Hunt, and was then promoted to a full-time BFL tournament director in 2011. Now in his 14th season, Leroy has built lasting friendships across the country thanks to his work in the fishing community. Outside of work, Leroy enjoys fishing, golfing, and spending time with his family. He and his wife, Summer, have been married for 42 years and have three children and four grandchildren. Leroy occasionally competes in local tournaments with his son-in-law and plans to one day fish in BFL tournaments after his retirement. Leroy loves his job and mentions that he is deeply grateful to Kathy Fennel for the opportunities she has provided throughout his career.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steve Sizemore (Arkie, North Carolina, Piedmont and Shenandoah)
Steve Sizemore began his career with MLF in 1999, running camera boats for the media department on Beaver Lake in Arkansas. In 2008, Steve was hired on as part of the FLW Tour event staff to help assist with convention center work. Steve was quickly promoted to the full-time Toyota Series crew, taking on various behind-the-scenes duties. By 2010, Steve was working at all Toyota Series and Tour events. In 2020, Sizemore was promoted to full-time BFL tournament director, a role he’s held ever since. Known as being tough, but friendly and fair, Steve enjoys building strong relationships with his anglers. Outside of work, he enjoys hunting, fishing, and spending time with his wife, Denise, their two sons, and nine grandchildren.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shannon Storms (Bama, Cowboy, Michigan and Ozark)
Shannon Storms began his career with MLF in October 2011, starting as an assistant director for the college program under Kevin Hunt. Over the years, Shannon has shifted into roles with the Toyota Series and MLF Pro Circuit events, gaining invaluable experience behind the scenes. In 2023, he took on scheduling and operational duties for the BFL, and 2024 was his first official season as a full-time BFL tournament director. A lifelong fan of the sport of bass fishing, Shannon enjoys the camaraderie and relationships he’s built with anglers and staff over the years. Outside of work, he loves fishing, riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycles, and spending time with his wife, Jennifer, in Cadiz, Kentucky.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New in 2025 for BFL competitors, MLF limited the use of forward-facing and 360-degree sonar transducers to two per boat, and eliminated boat-on-boat draws by giving boaters and co-anglers priority for entering together. Unlike years past, MLF will not confirm anglers beyond a balanced field. For co-anglers, MLF implemented a new three-fish limit to make competition more competitive and to help level the playing field.

Each qualifying tournament will continue to offer a top boater award of up to $13,000, including a $7,000 Phoenix MLF Bonus, and a top Strike King co-angler award of $3,000. Top awards jump up to $16,000 for boaters, including a $7,000 Phoenix MLF Bonus, and $4,500 for Strike King co-anglers in super tournaments.

Anglers can register for the 2025 Phoenix Bass Fishing League season at MajorLeagueFishing.com or by calling 270.252.1000, beginning at 8 a.m. CT on the dates listed below:

Dec. 2, 2024 – Bama, Choo Choo, Cowboy, Gator and Savannah River.
Dec. 3, 2024 – Arkie, Bulldog, North Carolina, South Carolina and Volunteer.
Dec. 4, 2024 – LBL, Mississippi, Okie, Ozark and Piedmont.
Dec. 5, 2024 – Great Lakes, Hoosier, Mountain, Music City and Shenandoah.
Dec. 6, 2024 – Buckeye, Illini, Michigan and Northeast.

Registration is now open in all divisions for Phoenix boat owners with current registrations or confirmation of a boat on order who will use their Phoenix boat in Bass Fishing League competition and TBF members.

The complete 2025 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine schedule, rules and payouts are available online at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

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 17 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.