Elder and Thacher Tie for Win in Co-Angler Division

SHELBYVILLE, Ill. (May 11, 2026) – Boater Hunter Russell of Salem, Illinois, caught a total of five bass weighing 15 pounds, 11 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Shelbyville . The tournament was the second of five events of the season for the BFL Illini Division. Russell earned $10,150, including the lucrative $7,000 Phoenix MLF Bonus, for his victory.

Russell leaned on his extensive knowledge of Lake Shelbyville to separate himself from a field that struggled to put together limits in challenging conditions. With only four five-bass limits weighed on the boater side, Russell targeted deeper spawning fish near the dam area, focusing on bass positioned well off the bank.

“The biggest thing this week was just understanding the lake,” Russell said. “I’ve covered about every square inch of this lake, especially up here by the dam. This is probably my favorite lake in the country.”

While many anglers targeted shallow water due to rising lake levels, Russell took a different approach by focusing on fish holding in 10 to 16 feet of water.

“One thing that I was doing that was unique was catching spawners in anywhere from 10 to 16 foot of water, with a few fry guarders mixed in,” he said. “I saw a lot of these other guys and they were just fishing too shallow.”

Russell said that using his forward-facing sonar to locate offshore fish proved critical, although one of his biggest bass came from his pre-event practice rather than electronics.

“I caught my biggest fish without forward-facing sonar,” Russell added. “I had him marked from practice the day before.”

Russell caught all of his fish on two baits – a drop-shot rig and a new unreleased bait from Jig Shack Outdoors that is expected to hit the market later this summer.

“Everything was just picture perfect,” he said. “I had a couple more big ones that I didn’t quite get to bite today, but that’s just the way it goes. I’m super thankful with how everything turned out.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:        Hunter Russell, Salem, Ill., five bass, 15-11, $10,150 (includes $7,000 Phoenix Bonus)
2nd:      Jason Valentine, Pinckneyville, Ill., five bass, 14-9, $1,590
3rd:       Michael Black, Toledo, Ill., five bass, 10-13, $910
4th:        Craig Sutton, Sesser, Ill., three bass, 10-5, $650
5th:        Scott Neighbors, Makanda, Ill., five bass, 9-4, $730
6th:        Riley Walk, Neoga, Ill., three bass, 9-2, $500
7th:        Greg James, Carterville, Ill., two bass, 8-10, $480
8th:        Tim Davis, East Alton, Ill., three bass, 8-9, $460
9th:        Laindree Richardson, Benton, Ill., two bass, 8-6, $630
9th:        Jon Kringer, Cowden, Ill., three bass, 8-6, $430

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Laindree Richardson of Benton, Illinois, earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award after landing a 6-pound, 10-ounce bass worth $200.

Gage Elder of Decatur, Illinois, and Brad Thacher of Murray, Kentucky, tied for the win the co-angler division on Saturday, as each brought three bass to the scale that totaled 6 pounds, 7 ounces. Thacher brought home $1,185 for his victory, while Elder brought home $1,235 after contingency bonuses.

The top 10 co-anglers finished:

1st:        Gage Elder, Decatur, Ill., three bass, 6-7, $1,235
1st:        Brad Thacher, Murray, Ky., three bass, 6-7, $1,185
3rd:       Andy Hille, Effingham, Ill., two bass, 6-2, $505
4th:        John Schuessler, Decatur, Ill., three bass, 5-11, $325
5th:        Jimmy Null, Palmyra, Ill., three bass, 5-8, $290
6th:        David Keefer, Charleston, Ill., three bass, 5-4, $250
7th:        Ken Landreth, Belleville, Ill., two bass, 4-5, $240
8th:        Andrew Dunford, Christopher, Ill., two bass, 3-13, $230
9th:        Rowdy King, Shelbyville, Ill., one bass, 3-11, $220
10th:     Timothy Nanzer, Oswego, Ill., one bass, 3-10, $210

Andy Hille of Effingham, Illinois, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award after landing a 4-pound bass worth $100.

After two events, Michael Black of Toledo, Illinois, now leads the 7 Brew Illini Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 488 points, while Gage Elder of Decatur, Illinois, leads the Illini Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 496 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. 15-17 BFL Regional tournament on Kentucky and Barkley Lakes in Calvert City, Kentucky. 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.