Lewis Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division

LEESBURG, Fla. (March 20, 2023) – Boater Alex Moore of Orlando, Florida, caught a five-bass limit weighing 28 pounds, 11 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on the Harris Chain of Lakes. The tournament, hosted by Visit Lake County, Florida, was the second event of the season for the BFL Gator Division. Moore earned $6,000 for his victory.

Moore said he landed 17 pounds within the first hour of competition on a vibrating jig – a good start to the day – but made a bait change to get bigger bites to cull and improve his limit. His goal was to improve his weight to 19 pounds with a crankbait.

“I went to a spot where I had fished before that I knew had a few fish,” said Moore. “I’d never had any super good days there, and had never caught any fish over four pounds, but I guess the weather today just set up perfectly for the big ones to bite. I always thought the spot had good potential, and it all came together today.”

The bait change paid off for Moore, as he landed a couple of bass just under seven pounds in a flurry of big bites.

“I had a window of about two hours where the big ones bit,” Moore added. “I was culling 4-pounders, and that just felt so wrong to let a 4-pound fish go. Then it just shut down. So I quit and went to weigh them in. I was so nervous. I just wanted to get back and weigh those fish.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:        Alex Moore, Orlando, Fla., five bass, 28-11, $6,000
2nd:       Greg Harp, Vero Beach, Fla., five bass, 21-11, $3,000
3rd:       Eric Panzironi, Longwood, Fla., five bass, 21-1, $2,000
4th:        David Wareham, Port Charlotte, Fla., five bass, 19-15, $1,400
5th:        Jeffrey Worth, Longwood, Fla., five bass, 19-13, $1,200
6th:        Rodney Marks, Apopka, Fla., five bass, 19-11, $1,100
7th:        Frank Mitchum, Orlando, Fla., five bass, 19-1, $1,000
8th:        John Sabatini, Arcadia, Fla., five bass, 18-11, $900
9th:        D.J. Ellis, Crestview, Fla., five bass, 18-9, $800
10th:     Joseph Schulte, Eustis, Fla., five bass, 18-8, $700

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Rick Southerland of Leesburg, Florida, caught a largemouth that weighed 8 pounds, 7 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $1,000.

Tyler Lewis of Geneva, Florida, won the Strike King co-angler division and a total of $3,000 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 18 pounds, 14 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:

1st:        Tyler Lewis, Geneva, Fla., five bass, 18-14, $3,000
2nd:       Steve Smith, Commerce Township, Mich., five bass, 16-14, $1,500
3rd:       Robert Chase Burlew, Inverness, Fla., five bass, 16-9, $1,000
4th:        Chris Westhelle, Sanford, Fla., five bass, 16-8, $700
5th:        Scott Corliss, Kissimmee, Fla., five bass, 16-1, $600
6th:        Antoni Bicy, Ocklawaha, Fla., five bass, 15-12, $550
7th:        Bill McEachnie, Tavares, Fla., five bass, 15-6, $500
8th:        Matthew Byrd, Melbourne, Fla., five bass, 15-3, $450
9th:        Tyler Nekolny, Coral Springs, Fla., five bass, 15-2, $375
9th:        Mike Tucker, Yalaha, Fla., five bass, 15-2, $375

Manuel Ledezma of Miami, Florida, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $500, catching a largemouth that weighed in at 6 pounds, 15 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.

After two events, Brandon Medlock of Lake Placid, Florida, leads the BFL Gator Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 488 points, while Tyler Nekolny of Coral Springs, Florida, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 480 points.

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. 12-14 BFL Regional tournament on Lake Eufaula in Eufaula, Alabama. 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 2023 All-American event will take place May 31-June 2, on Lake Hartwell in Seneca, South Carolina. The event is hosted by Visit Oconee SC.

Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 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, 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.