HENDERSON, N.C. (March 7, 2022) – Boater Tyler Trent of Nathalie, Virginia, caught five bass Saturday weighing 20 pounds, 11 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Kerr Lake . The tournament, hosted by the Vance County Tourism Development Authority, was the season-opener for the Bass Fishing League Shenandoah Division. Trent earned $12,229, including the lucrative $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus, for his victory.
“I started close to takeoff and started catching fish immediately,” said Trent, who now has three Phoenix Bass Fishing League wins on Kerr Lake. “I caught two good ones that I ended up weighing in, and I caught them off and on all day.
“Most of the day I was fishing mid-lake targeting rock with a homemade green-pumpkin and orange jig and a Zoom Super Chunk Jr. trailer,” added Trent.
Trent was in the last flight and caught two of his biggest bass in the last hour of competition. He said he caught about 25 keepers over the course of the day. Trent said his familiarity with Kerr Lake was the key to his victory Saturday.
“I fish here all the time and have plenty of places to hit,” Trent said.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Tyler Trent, Nathalie, Va., five bass, 20-11, $12,229 (includes $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
2nd: Brian Calloway, Danville, Va., five bass, 17-13, $2,614
3rd: Cody Pike, Powhatan, Va., five bass, 17-9, $1,745
4th: Rick Tilley, Vinton, Va., five bass, 17-5, $2,035
5th: Ryan Powroznik, Hopewell, Va., five bass, 17-3, $1,002
5th: Rodney Sorrell, Stokesdale, N.C., five bass, 17-3, $1,002
7th: Jacob Floyd, Ruckersville, Va., five bass, 16-14, $871
8th: Brian Bersik, Chesterfield, Va., five bass, 16-12, $784
9th: Rick Mills, Manassas, Va., five bass, 16-7, $697
10th: Kevin Kane, Woodbridge, Va., five bass, 16-6, $610
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Tilley had a 6-pound, 5-ounce largemouth that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $815.
David Slaybaugh of Colonial Heights, Virginia, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,614 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 12 pounds, 5 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:
1st: David Slaybaugh, Colonial Heights, Va., five bass, 12-5, $2,614
2nd: Shaquille Freeman, Meherrin, Va., five bass, 12-3, $1,307
3rd: Thomas Elliott, Lake Waccamaw, N.C., four bass, 10-7, $872
4th: Lenny Baird, Stafford, Va., five bass, 10-1, $916
4th: Jeramy Evans, Forest, Va., three bass, 10-1, $566
6th: Ken Eng, Abingdon, Md., three bass, 9-6, $682
7th: Jesse Ketchum, Columbia, Md., three bass, 9-1, $436
8th: Stephen Smith, Archer Lodge, N.C., three bass, 8-13, $392
9th: Travis Garrett, Charlottesville, Va., four bass, 8-6, $349
10th: Robert Wedding, Welcome, Md., three bass, 8-2, $305
Carter Atkins of Greenville, Virginia, and Eng each caught fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 4 ounces to split the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award. Both Atkins and Eng each received $203.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 20-22 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on the James River in Richmond, Virginia. Boaters will compete 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 fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.
The 2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six Regional Championships 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 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American. The 2022 All-American will be held June 2-4 at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.
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 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.
Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, AFTCO, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Revital Outdoors, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X, YETI and Yo-Zuri.
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.
