Marks Rides Early Bite to Win Two-Day Phoenix Bass Fishing League Super Tournament on Lake Lanier Presented by Harrison Oil Company
GAINESVILLE, Ga. (Aug. 28, 2023) – Boater Paul Marks of Cumming, Georgia, caught six bass weighing 25 pounds, 7 ounces, to win the two-day MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Lanier Presented by Harrison Oil Company in Gainesville, Georgia. The tournament, which featured a three-bass daily limit, was the fifth and final regular-season event for the Bass Fishing League Bulldog Division Presented by Mystik Lubricants. Marks earned $13,871 for his victory, including the lucrative $7,000 Phoenix MLF contingency bonus.
After Marks ended his first day of competition in second place, he said Day 2 didn’t start off like he had hoped.
“I had a flat tire on my truck Sunday morning, and then I got pulled over on the way to the ramp,” Marks said. “I didn’t get a ticket, though. And then I ran all the way down the lake to the south end, and then when I left my first spot, I slung an ear on my prop. So, I had to change the prop out. After I got all of that out of the way, I caught all my fish within 30 minutes.”
Marks said the early bite was key for him, and on both days he caught his large fish early. When the big bite turned off for him mid-morning, he still caught fish, but he was unable to cull the rest of the day.
Marks said he targeted bass in 20 to 50 feet of water near Browns Bridge on a Damiki rig with a Picasso Speed Drop Jig Head with a small minnow-imitating plastic bait.
“Sunday, I caught a 5-pounder right after I caught a 4½-pounder and a 3½-pounder, and I kind of thought it was over at that point,” Marks said. “I fished my heart out the rest of the day.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
2nd: Mikey Bart, Flowery Branch, Ga., six bass, 23-15, $3,436
3rd: Ty Overmyer, Dawsonville, Ga., six bass, 23-12, $2,290
4th: Emil Wagner, Marietta, Ga., six bass, 23-11, $1,903
5th: Dalton Tankersley, Copperhill, Tenn., six bass, 23-2, $1,374
6th: Roger Vinson, Oakwood, Ga., six bass, 22-13, $1,260
7th: Caz Anderson, Haysville, N.C., six bass, 21-12, $1,145
8th: Weston Parker, Mansfield, Ga., six bass, 21-5, $1,031
9th: Matthew O’Connell, Brooks, Ga., six bass, 21-3, $1,166
10th: Wesley Griner, Cumming, Ga., six bass, 21-2, $802
Kevin Black of Cumming, Georgia, had a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 6 ounces that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $1,012.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:
2nd: Zachary Archer, Cumming, Ga., five bass, 14-5, $1,718
3rd: Tyler Mangum, Canton, Ga., five bass, 13-14, $1,145
4th: Scott Sayasing, Grantville, Ga., five bass, 13-13, $1,308
5th: Cliff Humphreys, Candler, N.C., five bass, 13-11, $687
6th: Harold Grizzle, Gainesville, Ga., six bass, 13-8, $630
7th: Demetrice Collins, Thomson, Ga., four bass, 11-11, $573
8th: Greg Glouse, Liberty, S,C., four bass, 11-6, $715
9th: Jake Staley, Cumming, Ga., four bass, 11-0, $458
10th: Ben Brisbois, Gainesville, Ga., five bass, 10-14, $401
With the regular season now complete, boater Matthew O’Connell of Brooks, Georgia, won the 2023 Bass Fishing League Bulldog Division Presented by Mystik Lubricants Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with a five-event total of 1,305 points to earn the $1,000 boater AOY award. Tyler Mangum of Canton, Georgia, won the 2023 Strike King Co-Angler Bulldog Division Presented by Mystik Lubricants AOY race with 1,296 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. 19-21 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Lake Norman in Huntersville, North Carolina. 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 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.
