Bulldog Division Boater Catches 20-Pound, 2-Ounce Limit to Take Slim Lead of 12 Ounces, Final 10 Boaters and Co-anglers Ready for Championship Friday  

SENECA, S.C. (June 1, 2023) – After the first day of competition of the 40^th annual Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American Championship on Lake Hartwell Presented by T-H Marine in Seneca, South Carolina, Emil Wagner of Marietta, Georgia, sat in second place behind leader Elijah “Buddy” Benson of Dahlonega, Georgia. Wagner predicted he would need 18 pounds a day with a 20-pound limit at least one of the days to win the tournament. On Thursday, Wagner got his 20-pound weight – 20 pounds, 2 ounces to be exact – and now holds a slim 12-ounce lead going into Championship Friday.

Wagner has a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 38-4 heading into the final day of competition. Boater Matthew O’Connell of Brooks, Georgia, weighed in a two-day total of 10 bass for 37 pounds, 8 ounces to finish Day 2 in second place and easily within striking distance of the title, while Day 1 leader Benson rounds out the close top three with a two-day total of 35 pounds even.

The final 10 boaters and Strike King Co-anglers are now set, and competition will resume tomorrow morning on Championship Friday. The three-day tournament, hosted by Visit Oconee SC, showcases the nation’s best weekend grassroots anglers, and awards the winning boater a top prize of up to $120,000, and a top prize of $50,000 for the winning Strike King co-angler.

“There was a boat on my best place when I pulled up there (this morning),” said Wagner. “I hadn’t seen anyone there, so I went to another place that I found late yesterday and caught quite a few there.”

Wagner said he started culling fish when he changed locations and caught one of the fish he weighed. After a few more keepers, he boated a 4½-pound spotted bass. Wagner said at noon he hit a stretch where he caught two big largemouth within 10 minutes of each other. He estimated he hit about 40 spots during the day and caught one more spotted bass to add to his livewell late in the afternoon.

“I did the same thing today that I did yesterday – fishing offshore,” Wagner said. “I put in about seven days graphing and looking around before the cutoff and did the same thing in the official practice. I’ve just been running all the places I found.
“The fish move around a lot,” Wagner added. “I’m sure tomorrow will be different, and I’ll have to adjust.”

Second-place angler O’Connell said he hit 50 to 60 spots during the second day of competition and keyed in on one-hour bite windows or “flurries.”

“I’d cull three or four times in an hour and then go maybe an hour without culling,” O’Connell said.

O’Connell said he was mimicking Lake Hartwell’s blueback herring with topwater baits and swimbaits to fill his limit. He said he knows it will take a solid weight on Championship Friday and predicts a total 3-day weight of 55 pounds, to secure the title.

“I think Emil or Buddy will catch a big bag again,” O’Connell said.

After leading the first day of the All-American Championship, Benson chalked his slide to third place on Day 2 up to missed opportunities.

“I lost a couple of big ones and broke one off in my trolling motor,” Benson said. “I could have had at least 18 or 19 pounds. Hopefully tomorrow I can get the same bites and not break them off and get them in the boat.”

The top 10 boaters advancing to the final day of the All-American on Lake Hartwell are:

1^st:          Emil Wagner, Marietta, Ga., 10 bass, 38-4
2^nd:         Matthew O’Connell, Brooks, Ga., 10 bass, 37-8, $500
3^rd:         Buddy Benson, Dahlonega, Ga., 10 bass, 35-0
4^th:         Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala., 10 bass, 31-3
5^th:         Anthony Johnson, Excelsior Springs, Mo., 10 bass, 30-12
6^th:         Tyler Trent, Nathalie, Va., 10 bass, 27-10
7^th:         Jimmy Neece, Jr., Bristol, Tenn., 10 bass, 26-14
8^th:         Nick Ubelhor, Jasper, Ind., 10 bass, 26-9
9^th:         Brian Laclair, Denton, Md., 10 bass, 26-4
10^th:       Ian Leybas, McAlester, Okla., 10 bass, 25-5

Finishing in 11^th through 49^th are:

11^th:       Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo., 10 bass, 25-0, $3,000
12^th:       Darren Ashley, Calhoun Falls, S.C., 10 bass, 24-5, $3,000
13^th:       Jeremy York, Conyers, Ga., 10 bass, 24-5, $3,000
14^th:       Tristan Abbott, Somerset, Ky., 10 bass, 23-5, $3,000
15^th:       Travis Harriman, Huntsville, Ark., 10 bass, 23-4, $3,000
16^th:       Edward Gettys, Dover, Tenn., 10 bass, 22-14, $3,000
17^th:       Dave Hodges, Farmington, Ark., 10 bass, 22-6, $3,000
18^th:       Jack Daniel Williams, Kingsport, Tenn., 10 bass, 22-5, $3,000
19^th:       Chandler Todd, Wake Forest, N.C., 10 bass, 22-2, $3,000
20^th:       Dustin Lippe, Blue Eye, Mo., 10 bass, 22-1, $3,000
21^st:       Grant Adams, Campbellsville, Ky., 10 bass, 21-5, $2,000
22^nd:      Hunter Baird, Salina, Kan., 10 bass, 21-3, $2,000
23^rd:      Mike Brueggen, Lacrosse, Wis., 10 bass, 20-14, $2,000
24^th:       Joe Anders, Easley, S.C., 10 bass, 20-14, $2,000
25^th:       Brian Wilson, Nancy, Ky., 10 bass, 20-12, $2,000
26^th:       Cade Laufenberg, Onalaska, Wis., nine bass, 20-8, $2,000
27^th:       Tony Eckler, Lebanon, Tenn., nine bass, 19-7, $2,000
28^rd:      Cody Casey, Chester, Va., 10 bass, 19-3, $2,000
29^rd:      Chris Atwell, Mechanicsville, Va., nine bass, 18-13, $2,000
30^th:       Shane Long, Willard, Mo., eight bass, 18-11, $2,000
31^th:       Andy Fryer, Sidney, Ohio, 10 bass, 18-5, $1,500
32^nd:      Keith Estes, Spring Grove, Va., 10 bass, 18-4, $1,500
33^th:       Jake Lee, Powell, Tenn., 10 bass, 18-1, $1,500
34^th:       Timothy Kelley, Irmo, S.C., 10 bass, 18-0, $1,500
35^th:       Chris Huselton, Conway, Ark., 10 bass, 17-14, $1,500
36^th:       Chris Baldwin, Lexington, N.C., 10 bass, 17-11, $1,500
37^th:       Kip Carter, Eatonton, Ga., 10 bass, 17-3, $1,500
38^th:       Trey McKinney, Carbondale, Ill., nine bass, 16-11, $1,500
39^th:       John Levesque, Nashua, N.H., nine bass, 16-11, $1,500
40^th:       Rick Taylor, Hooper, Utah, 10 bass, 16-2, $1,500
41^nd:      Michael Downes, S. Chesterfield, Va., 10 bass, 15-8, $1,500
42^th:       Chad Poteat, Mount Airy, N.C., nine bass, 14-2, $1,500
43^th:       Drew Boggs, Lebanon, Tenn., nine bass, 12-9, $1,500
44^th:       Yeej Moua, Missoula, Mont., seven bass, 12-6, $1,500
45^th:       Phillip Lunceford, Stigler, Okla., five bass, 10-4, $1,500
46^rd:      Michael Pruitt, Martinsville, Ind., eight bass, 10-3, $1,500
47^st:       Robert Holland, Columbia, S.C., three bass, 7-10, $1,500
48^nd:      Jason Lambert, Savannah, Tenn., three bass, 6-2, $1,500
49^th:       David McLean, Carrollton, Va., three bass, 3-13, $1,500

A full list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Overall, there were 232 bass weighing 505 pounds, 15 ounces caught by 49 boaters Thursday. The catch included 43 five-bass limits.

After two days of competition, co-angler Keith Gunsauls of Dandridge, Tennessee, leads the Strike King Co-angler Division at Lake Hartwell with a total of 10 bass weighing 19 pounds, 7 ounces. Gunsauls will bring a 2-pound, 6-ounce lead into Championship Friday over second-place co-angler Chris Wilson of Easley, South Carolina, who weighed in a two-day total of 10 bass totaling 17 pounds, 1 ounce.

“Neither day has been easy at all,” said Gunsauls. “It’s been claw and scratch. I had five keepers yesterday and six today, and I could get zero tomorrow. Just go out and fish hard is all I can do.”

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers advancing to the final day of competition at the All-American on Lake Hartwell are:

1^st:          Keith Gunsauls, Dandridge, Tenn., 10 bass, 19-7
2^nd:         Chris Wilson, Easley, S.C., 10 bass, 17-1
3^rd:         Gary Haraguchi, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 10 bass, 16-6
4^th:         Brandon Bell, Starkville, Miss., 10 bass, 15-14
5^th:         Benjie Winkler, Cleveland, Ga., 10 bass, 15-8
6^th:         Jerry Armstrong, Shelbyville, Tenn., eight bass, 15-4
7^th:         Joshua Jernigan, Rocky Top, Tenn., nine bass, 15-1
8^th:         Daniel Bryant, Scott, La., eight bass, 14-11
9^th:         Larry Taylor, Seaford, Del., six bass, 14-7
10^th:       Aaron Calvert, Russellville, Ark., 10 bass, 13-11

Finishing in 11^th through 49^th are:

11^th:       Chris Bunk, Sullivan, Mo., eight bass, 13-9, $1,500
12^th:       Daren Tindle, Owensboro, Ky., eight bass, 13-7, $1,500
13^th:       Trent Killian, Bostic, N.C., seven bass, 13-3, $1,750
14^th:       Safulla Rana, Warrenton, Va., eight bass, 12-15, $1,500
15^th:       Shawn Overton, Coal Valley, Ill., seven bass, 12-13, $1,500
16^th:       Brent Jones, Okeana, Ohio, seven bass, 11-8, $1,500
17^th:       Cody Carl, Lake Lotawana, Mo., six bass, 10-13, $1,500
18^th:       Michael Miller, Greenville, S.C., seven bass, 10-1, $1,500
19^th:       Bobby Simmons, Chancellor, Ala., six bass, 9-13, $1,500
20^th:       Eric Eden, Hartsville, Tenn., five bass, 9-10, $1,500
21^st:       Alan Bernicky, Joliet, Ill., six bass, 9-8, $1,000
22^nd:      John Walker, Log Cabin, Texas, four bass, 9-7, $1,000
23^rd:      Clint Horton, Falkner, Miss., six bass, 8-15, $1,000
24^th:       Dustin Riddle, Hiwassee, Va., six bass, 8-11, $1,000
25^th:       David Allen, Mableton, Ga., four bass, 8-7, $1,000
26^th:       Chuck Davis, Farmington, Ill., five bass, 7-13, $1,000
27^th:       Christopher Stites Jr., La Vergne, Tenn., six bass, 7-11, $1,000
28^th:       Branden Hardesty, Nineveh, Ind.., three bass, 7-10, $1,000
29^th:       Mekye Barnes, Raleigh, N.C., four bass, 7-3, $1,000
30^th:       Will Doud-Martin, Essex Junction, Vt., three bass, 7-0, $1,000
31^st:       Billy French, Hamilton, Ohio, five bass, 6-15, $750
32^nd:      Ronnie Cutshall, Piedmont, S.C., five bass, 6-13, $750
33^rd:      Joe Harmon, Wooster, Ohio, five bass, 6-7, $750
34^th:       Wayne Smelser, Wytheville, Va., three bass, 5-13, $750
35^th:       Brian Brecka, Alma, Wis., four bass, 5-11, $750
36^th:       David Deciucis, Chester, Va., three bass, 5-9, $750
37^th:       Bullet Helms, Charlotte, N.C., four bass, 5-5, $750
38^th:       John Robinson, Montpelier, Va., three bass, 5-0, $750
39^th:       John Hankins, Atkins, Ark., three bass, 4-14, $750
40^th:       Dominic Bogolo, Hamilton, Ohio, three bass, 4-11, $750
41^st:       Mandy Myers, Santaquin, Utah, three bass, 4-11, $750
42^nd:      William Chadick, Auburn, Ala., three bass, 4-8, $750
43^rd:      Tim Privette Jr., Wendell, N.C., two bass, 4-2, $750
44^th:       Brian Umstead, New Brockton, Ala., two bass, 3-14, $750
45^th:       Cornell Badra, Clarksburg, Md., two bass, 2-8, $750
46^th:       Steve Duncan, Amarillo, Texas, one bass, 2-6, $750
47^th:       Barry Gunter, Trafalger, Ind., two bass, 2-4, $750
48^th:       Marc Proctor, Gilbert, S.C., two bass, 2-0, $750
48^th:       Jason Anderson, Heron, Mont., two bass, 2-0, $750

Overall, there were 140 bass weighing 226 pounds, 15 ounces caught by 45 Strike King Co-anglers on Thursday. The catch included 15 five-bass limits.

The full field of 49 boaters and 49 Strike King co-anglers competed on Days 1 (Wednesday) and 2 (Thursday) of the event. Now, after two days of competition, the field is cut to just the top 10 boaters and co-anglers based on two-day total cumulative weight, and the final 10 anglers compete tomorrow on Championship Friday. The boater and co-angler that catch the heaviest three-day total weight will be crowned the 40^th Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American Champions.

The final 10 boaters and Strike King Co-anglers will launch Friday morning at 6:30 a.m. ET from the Seneca Creek Boat Ramp, located at 280 Seneca Creek Road in Seneca. Weigh-in Friday will be held at the boat ramp and will begin at 2:50 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and weigh-in events and encouraged to follow the event’s online coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The 2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine was 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, advanced to one of six Regional Championships where they competed to finish in the top six, which then advanced them to compete in the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.

Television coverage of the 2023 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American will premiere November 11 on CBS Sports and the Sportsman Channel. The full television air schedule can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, General Tire, Grundéns, Gill, Lew’s, Lowrance, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X 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.