Jackson’s Graham Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division

PRATTVILLE, Ala. (Sept. 16, 2024) – Boater David Wesson of Southside, Alabama, caught a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 28 pounds, 5 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine Super Tournament on the Alabama River. The tournament, which concluded Sunday, was the fifth and final event of the season for the BFL Bama Division. Wesson earned $4,334 for his victory.

Not having any practice for the tournament actually helped Wesson, in his opinion. That’s because fluctuating water levels changed the playing field from practice to the tournament, and even during the tournament. So, anything learned in practice could have been high and dry when it counted.

“From Friday night to the start of the tournament Saturday, they dropped the water about 2 1/2 feet,” Wesson said.

The water then jumped back up a foot or so overnight from Saturday to Sunday and continued to rise throughout Sunday’s tournament hours. Both changes forced the anglers to adapt.

“Day one, I caught most of my fish on a swimbait in lily pads,” Wesson said. “Day two, I had to make some changes because the water came back up, and those fish weren’t doing the same thing. So I went and hit some water willow with a frog.”

Wesson’s lily pad spot is one he’s fished in the past. Having some familiarity with the area was helpful, but he went in knowing he’d have to feel out the bite. He cycled through a few different baits before settling on the swimbait, which produced 12 pounds, 8 ounces the first day. It would’ve been more had he not lost a couple good fish.

On the second day, not surprisingly, Wesson ran back to the lily pads first thing. But he did it with an open mind and 15 rods on the front deck.

“I went back there thinking those fish should be set up the same but having it in the back of my mind I might have to change up a little since the water level changed,” he said. “I spent the first four hours giving it its due and trying to make it work. I caught one 3-pounder doing that and pulled the plug on it and went out and started running some water willow and got on them with the frog.”

The water willow bite is something Wesson is experienced with from his home waters of Neely Henry. He knows it can require some stubbornness to grind it out and get the right bites, which was the case on Sunday. Thankfully, it put Wesson around the right fish and he was able to bring home the win on the back of a SPRO Bronzeye Frog.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1^st:          David Wesson, Southside, Ala., 10 bass, 28-5, $4,334
2nd:       Donald Griffith, Robertsdale, Ala., 10 bass, 24-12, $2,167
3rd:       Robert Robinson, Mobile, Ala., 10 bass, 23-13, $1,444
4th:        Jason Nixon, Wetumpka, Ala., 10 bass, 23-10, $1,011
5th:        Morgan Brown, Spanish Fort, Ala., 10 bass, 22-8, $1,167
6th:        Stephen Perry, Pike Road, Ala., 10 bass, 21-11, $795
7th:        Allan Glasgow, Ashville, Ala., 10 bass, 21-8, $1,222 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
8th:        Tyler Malone, Chunchula, Ala., 10 bass, 21-0, $650
9th:        Michael M. Smith, Andalusia, Ala., 10 bass, 20-15, $578
10th:     Vernelle Quinnie, Duncanville, Ala., 10 bass, 20-10, $506

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

James Willoughby of Gulfport, Mississippi, caught a bass that weighed 4 pounds, 4 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $495.

Brian Graham of Jackson, Alabama, won the Strike King co-angler division and $2,167 Sunday, after bringing a two-day total of 10 bass to the scale that totaled 16 pounds, 9 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:

1st:        Brian Graham, Jackson, Ala., 10 bass, 16-9, $2,167
2nd:       Frank Mackin, State Line, Miss., 10 bass, 14-12, $1,083
3rd:       Brian Carroll, Glencoe, Ala., 10 bass, 14-7, $724
4th:        Daniel Arnberg, Auburn, Ala., 10 bass, 13-6, $506
5th:        Samuel Fish, Chelsea, Ala., eight bass, 12-8, $433
6th:        Caleb Gwaltney, Athens, Ala., eight bass, 12-4, $397
7th:        Danny Pinho, Bay Minette, Ala., five bass, 10-8, $608
8th:        Curtis Simmons, Chancellor, Ala., five bass, 9-15, $325
9th:        Mark Black, Selma, Ala., seven bass, 9-14, $289
10th:     Chandler Sheehan, Valley Grande, Ala., seven bass, 9-6, $253

Danny Pinho of Bay Minette, Alabama, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $247, catching a bass that weighed in at 3 pounds, 11 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.

At the conclusion of the tournament, Robert Robinson of Mobile, Alabama, was crowned Fishing Clash Bama Division Angler of the Year (AOY) with 1,334 points and earned the $1,000 prize, while Reid Hale of Jasper, Alabama, won the Fishing Clash Bama Division Co-angler of the Year race with 1,287 points to win the $500 prize.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, have qualified for the Oct. 10-12 BFL Regional tournament on Santee Cooper Lakes in Clarendon County, South Carolina. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki 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 or Suzuki outboard.

The 2024 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 2025 BFL All-American will take place May 29-31, 2025, at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by hosted by Visit Hot Springs and the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.

Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, PowerStop Brakes, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters 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.

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.