Caledonia’s Wade Picks Up Victory in Co-Angler Division

COLUMBUS, Miss. (June 15, 2026) – Boater Josh Williams of Pascagoula, Mississippi, caught a five-bass limit Sunday weighing 14 pounds, 13 ounces, to win the second MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on the Columbus Pool . Sunday’s event was the second of a back-to-back BFL weekend on the Columbus Pool, and the fourth of five regular-season events for the BFL Mississippi Division. Williams earned $2,420 for his victory.

Williams said Sunday’s event on the Columbus Pool was another hot, tough day, and the weights reflected it. To get his day started, he locked down and worked his way into a creek, where he was able to catch enough spotted bass to build the foundation of his limit.

“It was hot,” Williams said. “We went in the creek and caught some spots, and then just went looking for a big fish.”

That bigger bite ultimately came on a white Strike King spinnerbait with gold blades and a white twin-tail trailer. Williams said there was nothing particularly special about the bait, but it produced the key fish he needed, including the bass that earned him Big Bass honors.

“I found one that rolled up on a spinnerbait and got her in the boat,” Williams said.

Williams also mixed in a buzzbait to add to his catch, but the spinnerbait bite proved to be the difference-maker. The win marked the first BFL victory of his career.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:        Josh Williams, Pascagoula, Miss., five bass, 14-13, $2,420
2nd:      John Anderson, Bay Springs, Miss., five bass, 13-1, $1,160
3rd:       Hunter Davidson, Reform, Ala., five bass, 13-0, $630
4th:        Clayton Ellis, Saltillo, Miss., five bass, 12-6, $530
5th:        Brandon Bell, Starkville, Miss., five bass, 12-3, $470
6th:        Samuel Fish, Chelsea, Ala., five bass, 11-11, $920 (includes $500 Phoenix Bonus)
7th:        Ryan Lecompte, Picayune, Miss., five bass, 11-10, $510
8th:        Mitch Crane, Columbus, Miss., five bass, 11-7, $390
9th:        Jonathan Goodman, Ethelsville, Ala., five bass, 11-4, $380
10th:     Clint Pegg, Caledonia, Miss., five bass, 10-5, $335
10th:     Dakota Shaw, Millport, Ala., five bass, 10-5, $335

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Williams also earned the $200 Berkley Big Bass Boater award with a 5-pound, 12-ounce bass.

Mark Wade of Caledonia, Mississippi, won the co-angler division and the top prize of $1,160 Sunday after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 6 pounds, 14 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished:

1st:        Mark Wade, Caledonia, Miss., three bass, 6-14, $1,160
2nd:      Thomas Alexander, Austin, Ark., three bass, 6-9, $580
3rd:       Reggie Thornton, Columbus, Miss., three bass, 6-0, $315
4th:        Troy Ladner, Bay Saint Louis, Miss., three bass, 5-11, $365
5th:        Ray Higginbotham, Brooksville, Miss., one bass, 5-5, $335
6th:        Jeffery Reece, Guys, Tenn., three bass, 5-3, $210
7th:        Jason Swanner, Olive Branch, Miss., two bass, 5-0, $210
8th:        Christopher Beach, Brookhaven, Miss., three bass, 4-15, $195
9th:        Liam Hylander, Nesbit, Miss., three bass, 4-11, $190
10th:     Kevin Culpepper, Seminary, Miss., two bass, 4-9, $185

Ray Higginbotham of Brooksville, Mississippi, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award after landing a bass weighing 5 pounds, 5 ounces to earn the $100 prize.

After four events, boater Clint Pegg of Caledonia, Mississippi, now leads the 7 Brew Mississippi Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 711 points, while Reggie Thornton of Columbus, Mississippi, leads the Mississippi Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 724 points.

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. 8-10 BFL Regional tournament on Lake Eufaula in Eufaula, Alabama. 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.

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.