North Carolina’s Hirapetian Tops Co-Angler Division

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (Sept. 15, 2025) – Boater Kaden Buchmann of Troutman, North Carolina, caught a total of 10 bass weighing 29 pounds, 8 ounces, over two days to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine at Lake Norman . The tournament, hosted by Visit Lake Norman, Visit Charlotte & Mecklenburg County Park & Recreation, was the fifth and final event of the season for the BFL North Carolina Division. Buchmann earned $5,043 for his victory.

Buchmann said he “junk fished” with a variety of baits and approaches to target winning bass, and his arsenal included an in-line buzzbait with a white blade, a Muffin Top Jig and a Queen Tackle L.S. Tungsten Jig Head.

“It was mix of all the baits,” Buchmann said. “It just kind of depended on the time of day and place.”

Buchmann said weather played a role in the tournament on Sunday, as conditions changed and the bass bite slowed.

“It was bluebird skies and no wind Sunday – not even one mile per hour,” Buchmann said. “And the fish got very pressured.

“I could just tell by the way my day was going that the weights were going to be really low,” Buchmann added. “I fish there a good bit. I won the spring BFL there in March, so I knew by how my day was going weights would be down. I could tell the fish were not cooperating. Then when I saw the leader’s weight, I knew I had a chance.”

Buchmann also wrapped up the Fishing Clash North Carolina Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 1,344 points and earned the $1,000 prize.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:        Kaden Buchmann, Troutman, N.C., 10 bass, 29-8, $5,043
2nd:      Chris Goodwin, Charlotte, N.C., 10 bass, 27-2, $2,971 (includes $500 Phoenix Bonus)
3rd:       Chris Dover, Blacksburg, S.C., 10 bass, 26-13, $1,648
4th:        Michael Wilson, Burnsville, N.C., 10 bass, 26-5, $1,153
5th:        Kevin Chandler, New London, N.C., 10 bass, 25-8, $989
6th:        Christian Johnson, Denver, N.C., eight bass, 24-15, $906
7th:        Chad Sims, Lancaster, S.C., 10 bass, 24-10, $824
8th:        Tyler Walls, Kings Mountain, N.C., 10 bass, 24-7, $741
9th:        Shane Lineberger, Lincolnton, N.C., 10 bass, 23-15, $659
10th:     Cole Huskins, Gastonia, N.C., 10 bass, 23-10, $577

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Andrew Young of Clarendon, North Carolina, caught a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 9 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $607.

George Hirapetian of Charlotte, North Carolina, won the co-angler division and $2,775 after bringing six bass to the scale that totaled 13 pounds, 9 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished:

1st:        George Hirapetian, Charlotte, N.C., six bass, 13-9, $2,775
2nd:      Brendan Yeckley, Monroe, N.C., six bass, 12-4, $1,236
3rd:       Marvin Godard, Charlotte, N.C., six bass, 12-2, $972
4th:        Jerry Neuner, Rutherford, N.C., six bass, 12-2, $577
5th:        Mike Shatley, North Wilkesboro, N.C., six bass, 12-1, $494
6th:        Dan Noel, Huntersville, N.C., six bass, 11-3, $453
7th:        Dalton Marlow, Maiden, N.C., five bass, 10-0, $412
8th:        Russell Nicewander, Bluefield, W.V., five bass, 9-15, $371
9th:        Trevor Lewis, Wake Forest, N.C., four bass, 9-12, $330
10th:     Arthur Harris, York, S.C., four bass, 9-3, $288

Hirapetian also earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $304, catching a bass that weighed in at 3 pounds, 8 ounces.

With all five events in the division now complete, boater Kaden Buchmann of Troutman, N.C., won the Fishing Clash North Carolina Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 1,344 points and earned the $1,000 prize, while Travis Ruff of Connelly Springs, N.C., won the Fishing Clash North Carolina Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 1,316 points and earned the $500 payout.

The top 60 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. 10-11 BFL Regional tournament on Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina. 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 award of $20,000.

The 2025 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 134 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 60 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying tournament winners, will advance to one of 12 BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top three, 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 2025 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, Deep Dive App, E3 Sport Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Humminbird, Lew’s, Li Time Batteries, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, 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, Discovery+, Discovery GO, Animal Planet, Outdoor Channel, VICE, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network, RFD-TV and Game & Fish TV, 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.