Category: MLF BIG-5

LEESBURG, Fla. (March 22, 2024) – The final day of the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats at Harris Chain of Lakes event was stressful for everyone in the hunt. On the run back to the ramp, most of the Top 5 probably thought they’d given away a chance at a win. But, while nobody slammed the door, pro Mikey Keyso of North Port, Florida, did enough, building on a huge Day 2 to earn his first Toyota Series win after three runner-up finishes.

Weighing in 13 pounds, 7 ounces on the final day, Keyso totaled 51-4 for the win, finishing ahead of Tennessee’s Conner Dimauro and taking advantage of Florida pro Bobby Bakewell’s stumble. For the win, Keyso pocketed $44,000 as well as qualification to the lucrative Toyota Series Championship this fall.

Heading into the event, many predicted that no one lake would dominate competition. If it was easy and quick to get to Lake Apopka, things may have been different, but considering all the factors in play, it looked likely the winner would need to cobble it together. Keyso did it to perfection – starting in Griffin, he did his Day 2 damage in Dora and ended up icing the win in Eustis.

“I knew it was going to be tough, and I knew with the wind blowing like it was, I had to make a decision the first day,” he said. “So, I went to the lake I know best, and was able to survive that day. Then, I was able to get to my stuff the second day. Today, I decided to stop short of it and catch some fish, and thank God I did, because there were guys all over the stuff I fished yesterday.

“When it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be, I guess,” he said. “I’ve been on better fish. I’ve thought I was going to win a few times, and this one I was totally not expecting (to win). I was thinking 10 or 12 pounds a day, and get out of here, and it’s the one I won.”

Day 1, Keyso fished offshore grass with a Reaction Innovations Machete Worm in tramp stamp and junebug on either a 3/16- or 1/4-ounce weight. Worming offshore grass is a classic Florida technique and something Keyso was able to do with his eyes closed and no forward-facing sonar.

“I got to hit my stuff the second day and did the same thing again,” he said. “I used the Machete Worm again and caught every bass I caught on it. The eelgrass tapered off the bank a bit. When I would fish the edge of it, I’d use the heavier weight. I’d use the lighter weight in the thicker stuff.”

On Day 2 in Dora, Keyso’s 24-14 bag put him in contention, and he dialed in the game plan in practice with side imaging.

“I found all that stuff on side imaging and realized the fish were starting to come; there’s another wave of fish about to spawn,” he said. “They were using the eelgrass by the bank to stage up. Once I figured that out, I scanned the whole lake and found every good eelgrass clump in front of a spawning flat I could find.

“Yesterday was one of the days where everything just went right,” he said. “Some days a little goes right and a little goes wrong. Yesterday was one of the best days I’ve had, as far as everything going right. I had 20 pounds pretty easy, and then I caught an 8-pounder. It was pretty wild – I think I culled a 4-pounder with an 8-pounder. It was unbelievable.”

Come Day 3, perhaps feeling some jitters or maybe simply sniffing the win, Keyso stopped on a shad spawn spot in Eustis on his way to Dora.

“It was Kissimmee grass and balled up, old, dead hydrilla they were spawning on,” he explained. “I just decided to stop on it this morning because I felt like I had to catch some bass to get my head right, and thank God I did. I fished Eustis one entire day in practice, thinking if I found something in Eustis, I could win. I practiced Eustis the entire day and it paid off.”

Throwing a golden shiner-colored Z-Man/Evergreen ChatterBait Jack Hammer trailered with a Reaction Innovations Little Dipper in Houdini, Keyso knocked out a quick limit. It ended up saving him when his juice from Day 2 didn’t pan out.

“I went back there today and one of the guys in the tournament was on it,” he said. “I didn’t catch a single fish there. It was a little frustrating, but thank goodness I laid on them like I did the second day.”

On the way back, after so many second-place finishes, Keyso thought he was headed for another silver.

“I definitely, 100 percent, thought I was going to be second,” said Keyso. “I wanted to believe I was going to win, but I thought Bobby was going to catch them. He’s probably the best out here on this chain – I don’t get out there much. To beat the best guy on the chain is pretty cool – I hate it for him because he’s got some seconds, too, but his win is coming. It won’t be long.”

Keyso is also extra proud of the win because the only transducer he has on his trolling motor is a Humminbird MEGA 360.

“LiveScope didn’t win today,” he said. “I’m old-school, so it was kind of good to see the LiveScoper not win. I love the kid to death, but I’m old-school. If there’s a bird on a point, I fish it, that kind of deal. The gameplan actually worked out. I just made all the right decisions – it’s crazy how it worked.”

The top 10 pros on the Harris Chain of Lakes finished:

1st:         Mikey Keyso, North Port, Fla., 15 bass, 51-4, $44,000
2nd:        Conner DiMauro, Dayton, Tenn., 15 bass, 47-4, $17,000
3rd:        Nicholas Hoinig, Port Saint Lucie, Fla., 15 bass, 46-8, $12,750
4th:         Robert Camp, Port St. John, Fla., 15 bass, 46-5, $11,250
5th:         Bobby Bakewell, Orlando, Fla., 13 bass, 46-1, $10,250
6th:         Tyler Sheppard, Yulee, Fla., 15 bass, 45-4, $8,375
7th:         Hunter Weston, Palm City, Fla., 15 bass, 41-15, $7,300
8th:         Casey Warren, Longs, S.C., 14 bass, 39-13, $6,300
9th:         Britt Myers Jr., Lake Wylie, S.C., 15 bass, 38-2, $5,300
10th:      Jessie Mizell, Myakka City, Fla., 15 bass, 37-3, $4,200

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Pro Bobby Bakewell of Orlando, Florida, won the $500 Day 1 Berkley Big Bass award in the pro division Tuesday with a bass weighing 7 pounds, 11 ounces. On Wednesday, pro Robert Camp of Port St. John, Florida, earned the $500 Berkley Big Bass prize after bringing a 9-pound, 1-ounce bass to the scale.

Frank Kitchens III of Oxford, Georgia, took home an extra $1,000 as the highest finishing Phoenix MLF Bonus member. Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $35,000 per event in each Toyota Series tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the Phoenix MLF Bonus contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.

Parker Knudsen of Minnetonka, Minnesota, won the Strike King Co-angler Division Thursday with a three-day total of 14 bass weighing 34 pounds, 1 ounce. Knudsen took home the top prize package worth $33,500, including a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard motor.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers on the Harris Chain of Lakes finished:

1st:          Parker Knudsen, Minnetonka, Minn., 14 bass, 34-1, Phoenix 518 Pro boat w/115-hp Mercury outboard
2nd:        Kermit Crowder, Matoaca, Va., 15 bass, 33-6, $5,525
3rd:        Fernando Rosa, Margate, Fla., 15 bass, 33-0, $4,300
4th:         Garrett Gomes, Dunnellon, Fla., 15 bass, 31-1, $3,650
5th:         Benton Peoples, Bardstown, Ky., 15 bass, 29-11, $3,300
6th:         Brady Lunsmann, Citrus Springs, Fla., 15 bass, 28-15, $2,650
7th:         David Williams, Fredericksburg, Va., 15 bass, 27-13, $2,150
8th:         Frank Lauria, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 13 bass, 26-10, $1,825
9th:         Aaron Gengler, Lakeland, Fla., 15 bass, 25-9, $1,530
10th:      Larry Mullikin, Jacksonville, Fla., 15 bass, 25-7, $1,290

Benton Peoples of Bardstown, Kentucky, was the Berkley Big Bass $150 award winner in the Strike King co-angler division, Tuesday, with a 7-pound, 4-ounce bass, while the Day 2 $150 award went to Ronny Wiemer of Land O’ Lakes, Florida, with a 8-pound, 2-ounce fish.

With two regular-season events in the Toyota Series Southern Division now complete, pro Jessie Mizell of Myakka City, Florida, leads the Southern Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 511 points, while Brady Lunsmann of Citrus Springs, Florida, leads the Strike King Co-angler Division AOY race with 514 points.

The Toyota Series at Harris Chain of Lakes, hosted by Discover Lake County Florida, was the second of three regular-season events for the Toyota Series Southern Division. The next event for Toyota Series anglers will be the Toyota Series at Toledo Bend Reservoir, March 26-28, in Many, Louisiana. For a complete schedule of events, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The 2024 Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats consists of six divisions – Central, Northern, Plains, Southern, Southwestern and the Western Division Presented by Tackle Warehouse – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International and Wild Card divisions. Anglers who fish in any of the six divisions or the Wild Card division and finish in the top 25 will qualify for the no-entry-fee Toyota Series Championship for a shot at winning up to $235,000 and a qualification to REDCREST 2025. The winning Strike King co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard. The 2024 Toyota Series Championship will be held Nov. 7-9 on Wheeler Lake in Huntsville, Alabama, and is hosted by the Huntsville Sports Commission.

Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Toyota Series include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, FX Custom Rods, General Tire, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak Fishing, Onyx, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota and YETI.

LEESBURG, Fla. (March 4, 2024) – Boater Ryan Crowley of Fleming Island, Florida, caught a five-bass limit weighing 21 pounds, 8 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on the Harris Chain of Lakes. Hosted by Discover Lake County Florida, the tournament was the third event of the season for the BFL Gator Division. Crowley earned $4,541 for his victory.

Crowley came into the tournament with a two-part strategy: bed-fishing for spawning bass in a canal and fan-casting offshore around eelgrass and peppergrass. While pre-fishing, he located four quality bass on beds and was able to anchor his limit on tournament day with an early 8-pounder. Unfortunately, two of the other bedding bass he’d found were gone, and a 5-pounder he’d hoped to catch refused to bite.

Crowley, who works in construction, was able to catch a few small buck bass before overcast skies and dingy water made sight-fishing too challenging, which forced a move.

“From there I just went offshore and started chunking around a ChatterBait and a Speed Worm,” he said. “The water temperature was 72, so I thought maybe they’d hit a (Zara) Spook (topwater). So I threw that for a while but didn’t get any blow-ups on it. I was able to catch one right at 5 (pounds) and one right at 4 on a ChatterBait.”

Specifically, Crowley fished a 1/2-ounce Z-Man ChatterBait Jack Hammer with a Gambler Burner Worm trailer on a 7-foot, 4-inch, medium-heavy moderate 13 Fishing Muse rod. He also worked a Burner Worm or Zoom UV Speed Worm through the grass on a 7-foot, 3-inch 13 Fishing Envy rod. Both of his offshore presentations were fished with 17-pound-test Vicious fluorocarbon. While sight-fishing, Crowley used the new Rapala Crush City Cleanup Craw in green pumpkin, fished on a 7-foot, 6-inch, medium-heavy 13 Fishing Muse rod with 20-pound-test fluorocarbon.

“It was real thick where we were,” added Crowley about his best offshore area, which was about 8 feet deep. “I was just looking for more scattered, isolated stuff where, if I wanted to slow down and fish a worm, I could without getting hung up on every cast.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:        Ryan Crowley, Fleming Island, Fla., five bass, 21-8, $4,541
2nd        Parker Stalvey, Green Cove Springs, Fla., five bass, 20-14, $2,270
3rd         Lee Stalvey, Palatka, Fla., five bass, 20-6, $2,174
4th         Danny Glisson, Auburndale, Fla., five bass, 18-14, $1,060
5th:        John Viox, Hebron, Ky., five bass, 17-15, $908
6th:        John Dial, Winter Haven, Fla., five bass, 17-8, $833
7th:        Devin van Dalen, Grand Island, Fla., five bass, 16-7, $757
8th:        Greg Harp, Vero Beach, Fla., five bass, 16-5, $681
9th:        Bryan Lefefbvre, Grand Island, Fla., five bass, 16-4, $605
10th:     Geoffrey Corah, Tavares, Fla., five bass, 15-14, $530

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Lee Stalvey of Palatka, Florida, caught a bass that weighed 10 pounds, 9 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass boater award of $660.

Dan Weber of Palm Bay, Florida, won the Strike King co-angler division and $2,270 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 15 pounds, 8 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:

1st:        Dan Weber, Palm Bay, Fla., five bass, 15-8, $2,270
2nd:       Chris Heath, Miromar Lakes, Fla., five bass, 15-4, $1,465
3rd:       Michael Quilatan, Windermere, Fla., five bass, 14-14, $757
4th         Jordan Elmore, Saint Petersburg, Fla., five bass, 14-11, $530
5th         John Hicks, Winter Garden, Fla., five bass, 14-5, $454
6th         Aleksandar Rak, Jacksonville, Fla., four bass, 13-12, $416
7th         David White, Winter Garden, Fla., five bass, 13-5, $378
8th         Anthony Hunt, Coconut Creek, Fla., five bass, 13-4, $322
8th         Jeff Stone, Jackson, Ga., five bass, 13-4, $322
10th      Chris Westhelle, Sanford, Fla., five bass, 12-2, $265

Chris Heath of Miromar Lakes, Florida, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $330, catching a bass that weighed in at 9 pounds, 1 ounce – the largest co-angler catch of the day.

After three events, Tyler Sheppard of Yulee, Florida, leads the BFL Gator Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 717 points, while Evrett Hunter of St. Augustine, Florida, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 723 points.

The next event for BFL Gator Division anglers will be held April 20, at Lake Okeechobee in Clewiston, Florida. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify 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.

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, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota and YETI.

LAGRANGE, Ga. (March 3, 2024) – The final day of the Major League Fishing (MLF) Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 2 Presented by Suzuki on West Point Lake was as dramatic as anticipated. With the clock ticking down, none of the leaders had pulled clearly ahead or had spectacular days, until Tyler Stewart of Dubach, Louisiana,  iced it with a last-minute kicker fish.

“Honestly, I was hoping to catch a 2½-pound spotted bass, to get a few more pounds, because I knew it was going to be so close,” Stewart said of his final fish. “There was a dock that I caught one 2-pounder on in practice, in front of the ramp. I rolled up to that dock with 10 minutes left, slung a ChatterBait under it and caught a 3½-pounder and culled out a 1-pounder. When it’s meant to be, it’s gonna happen.”

That fish bumped Stewart up to 14 pounds, 4 ounces on the day, enough to clear Todd Walters of Kernersville, North Carolina, by 7 ounces and win his first Tackle Warehouse Invitationals event with a three-day total of 45-3. For the win, Stewart takes home the top prize of $80,000 and a coveted spot in REDCREST 2025.

Having fished as a pro on the FLW Tour and its various iterations since 2018, Stewart has fished the Forrest Wood Cup and the Tackle Warehouse TITLE Championship and been in the hunt to win before. A winner in college in 2016, Stewart fished at the University of Louisiana-Monroe, and has since fished his way around the country.

This week, he took a couple of clues from practice, added some veteran savvy, and put together a win.

“The first day of practice, I caught an 8-pounder, or about that, on the docks I fished the first day,” he said. “It ate that ChatterBait, and that was the only big bite I had. I said ‘Well, there’s big ones around here, I might as well start here.’ I went down that stretch first thing on Day 1 and caught 15 pounds.”

From there, Stewart was able to let his skills take it the rest of the way.

“When I got bit doing that in practice, I was excited, because I’ve done well in tournaments where that (dock bite) was going on,” he said. “Clarks Hill last year, I had a bad second day, but the first day I did the exact same thing on docks and caught 16 or 17 pounds real quick. I love doing it, I do it a lot back home – the Ouachita River has a bunch of marinas and I catch them like that all the time on it.

“Most of those docks were in 15 or 20 feet. The fish were definitely sitting under the floats, like a foot under the water. I was slow rolling it through there, trying to get one to react.”

Fishing some laydowns as well, and catching a few spotted bass off rock places, the bread and butter for Stewart was a ChatterBait and docks, either along shorelines or in marinas. His bait of choice was a 1/2-ounce  Z-Man Evergreen ChatterBait JackHammer  with a shad trailer, which he threw on a 7-foot, 5-inch, medium heavy Favorite Hex, with 17-pound P-Line Tactical .

On the final day, Stewart caught two kicker largemouth, one early, one late, and that was the difference maker. Combined with a stellar Day 1, which saw him catch the biggest bag of the event, it was just enough to get the job done.

“I haven’t won since college, it’s so hard to do it,” Stewart said. “Leading a day is one thing, but finishing it out, I’ll just be honest, I’m not really a closer. I usually catch them really good, and then fall off. This feels really good.”

It also sets him up for a run at Bass Pro Tour qualification – MLF’s most prestigious circuit. After finishing 66^th at Sam Rayburn to start the year, he’s now 23^rd in the points.

“I’m excited about it,” he said. “Last year, I had a couple unfortunate things happen that might have cost me the Bass Pro Tour qualification. But, I’m going to try to be more responsible this year, make sure to charge my batteries before the second day, and stuff like that. The schedule looks like a lot of fun, I’ve been doing it eight years now, and I’ve been to all these places other than where we’re at right now.”

The top 30 pros at the Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 2 Presented by Suzuki at West Point Lake finished:

1st:          Tyler Stewart, Dubach, La., 15 bass, 45-3, $80,000
2nd:        Todd Walters, Kernersville, N.C., 15 bass, 44-12, $50,000
3rd:        Derik Hudson, Concord, Va., 15 bass, 43-8, $20,300
4th:         Colby Miller, Elmer, La., 15 bass, 41-14, $18,000
5th:         Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., 15 bass, 41-6, $17,000
6th:         Cole Breeden, Lebanon, Mo., 15 bass, 41-1, $16,000
7th:         Jake Lawrence, Buchanan, Tenn., 15 bass, 40-5, $15,000             
8th:         Ethan Greene, Eufaula, Ala., 15 bass, 40-2, $14,000
9th:         Troy Stokes, Trenton, Mich., 15 bass, 39-13, $13,000
10th:      Ken Thompson, Roaring Springs, Penn., 15 bass, 39-12, $12,000
11th:      Brody Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, 15 bass, 39-12, $10,000
12th:      Alec Morrison, Peru, N.Y., 15 bass, 39-10, $10,000
13th:      Charlie Williams, LaGrange, Ga., 15 bass, 38-13, $10,000
14th:      Marshall Hughes, Hemphill, Texas, 15 bass, 38-8, $10,000
15th:      Taylor Parker, Lake View, Ala., 15 bass, 37-13, $10,000
16th:      Jack Daniel Williams, Kingsport, Tenn., 15 bass, 37-13, $10,000
17th:      Alex Davis, Albertville, Ala., 15 bass, 37-12, $10,000
18th:      Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., 15 bass, 37-11, $10,000
19th:      Brock Reinkemeyer, Warsaw, Mo., 15 bass, 36-14, $10,000
20th:      Cameron Mattison, Benton, La., 15 bass, 36-12, $10,000
21st:      Bobby Padgett, LaGrange, Ga., 15 bass, 36-3, $10,000
22nd:     Michael Harlin, Sunrise Beach, Mo., 15 bass, 36-2, $10,000
23rd:     Keith Carson, DeBary, Fla., 15 bass, 35-15, $10,000
24th:      Brett Carnright, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 15 bass, 35-15, $10,000
25th:      Spike Stoker, Cisco, Texas, 15 bass, 35-13, $10,000
26th:      Brian Gay, LaGrange, Ga., 15 bass, 35-8, $10,000
27th:      Chris Blair, Newnan, Ga., 15 bass, 35-7, $10,000
28th:      Kyle Cortiana, Broken Arrow, Okla., 15 bass, 35-3, $10,000
29th:      Brad Jelinek, Lincoln, Mo., 15 bass, 34-6, $10,000
30th:      Kelly Jordon, Flint, Texas, 11 bass, 28-4, $10,000

Complete results for the entire field can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Overall, there were 146 bass weighing 333 pounds even caught by 30 pros Sunday. The catch included 29 five-bass limits.

The three-day tournament, hosted by Visit LaGrange , featured a roster of 150 anglers competing for a top prize of up to $115,000 and an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2025. The next Tackle Warehouse Invitational event will take place April 19-21 at the Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 3 Presented by Phoenix Boats on Kentucky-Barkley Lake in Calvert City, Kentucky.

In Tackle Warehouse Invitational competition, the full field of 150 anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Friday and Saturday in a five-fish, weigh-in format. Only the top 30 pros, based on their two-day cumulative weight, advanced to the final round on Championship Sunday. The winner of the Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 2 at West Point Lake Presented by Suzuki was determined by the heaviest three-day cumulative weight and now receives an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2025 on Lake Guntersville in Huntsville, Alabama.

Television coverage of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Stop 2 at West Point Lake Presented by Suzuki will air as a two-hour episode, premiering at 9 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Oct. 12 on CBS Sports Network.

Tackle Warehouse Invitationals anglers will compete throughout the 2024 season for the prestigious Fishing Clash Angler of the Year award, its $50,000 payday and qualification for the 2025 Bass Pro Tour. After  Stop 2 Presented by Suzuki on West Point Lake, pro Drew Gill  of Mount Carmel, Illinois, sits in first place with 396 points. Pro Jake Lawrence of Buchanan, Tennessee, sits in second place just 3 points behind Gill with 393 points.

Fishing Clash – an interactive 3D fishing simulation game that’s played by more than 80 million people worldwide – is the official AOY sponsor of the Bass Pro Tour, Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, Toyota Series and Phoenix Bass Fishing League. You can download Fishing Clash for free in the App Store and on Google Play or log on to  www.fishingclash.game for more information.

Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, FX Custom Rods, General Tire, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak Fishing, Onyx, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota and YETI.

LAGRANGE, Ga. (March 2, 2024) – Weighing 18 pounds, 15 ounces on Day 2, Todd Walters of Kernersville, North Carolina, rocketed up from 32^nd place to take the lead Saturday at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 2 Presented by Suzuki on West Point Lake. With a total of 31 pounds, 10 ounces, Walters is 5 ounces ahead of Concord, Virginia’s Derik Hudson and 11 ounces ahead of Day 1 leader Tyler Stewart of Dubach, Louisiana, entering Championship Sunday. Less than 4 pounds separates first place from ninth, so the final day of the event promises to be thrilling.

The three-day tournament, hosted by Visit LaGrange , featured a roster of 150 anglers competing for a top prize of up to $115,000 and an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2025. The field is now trimmed to 30 and the winner will be determined on Championship Sunday by heaviest three-day cumulative weight.

Dock talk entering the event suggested that big largemouth would be key for the top performers, though perhaps difficult to find consistently. That has proven to be the case through the first two days, with each of the top four pros in the hunt thanks to one strong day keyed by big largemouth.

On Day 1, Walters weighed two largemouth and three spotted bass for 12-11. Today, he blasted up the leaderboard with four largemouth and one spot.

“I dedicated myself to staying shallow,” he said of Day 2.  “I was trying to fish brushpiles and crank and throw moving baits and stuff. But dead slick calm like today, there was only one way to catch them. You could see them in the trees and the brushpiles and stuff, just targeting them with LiveScope, and you could throw different stuff to them. I could see them go down for it — a lot of them are going down for it, but not a lot of them are getting it.”

Fishing shallow wood for the most part, Walters did most of his damage on a homemade jig, a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver and a Neko rig. According to the North Carolina pro, a big key is fishing in the right water clarity, which has changed a lot since practice, as the lake is clearing in some places and further muddying in others.

“I think I’ve got something figured out, but the water clarity is changing throughout the lake,” he said. “So, I’m trying to stay in the right water clarity. It seems like the fish are more active, more aggressive, feeding better in the right stuff. It’s right in between — if it’s too clear, they won’t commit to the bait. They’ll go down to it, but they won’t commit. If it’s the right clarity, they’ll go down to it, and 50 percent of them will bite.”

Though Walters is one of many in the field who had never been to West Point prior to this week, he likened it to some of the lakes along the Yadkin River in North Carolina. He’s optimistic about his ability to stay steady tomorrow, which has been tricky for the leaders so far.

“They’re around; I just have to get them to bite,” he said. “I might have to switch up and do more finesse stuff tomorrow. I noticed late in the day they were reacting to the Neko better. I just need to do what I’ve been doing. I need to just fish and trust my instincts. That’s been the biggest thing, not relying on a specific spot or a specific lure, just knowing that I’m around the right group of fish and figuring out through the day how to catch them.”

The top 30 pros advancing to the final day of competition on West Point Lake are:

1st:        Todd Walters, Kernersville, N.C., 10 bass, 31-10
2nd:       Derik Hudson, Concord, Va., 10 bass, 31-5
3rd:       Tyler Stewart, Dubach, La., 10 bass, 30-15
4th:        Ethan Greene, Eufaula, Ala., 10 bass, 29-12
5th:        Colby Miller, Elmer, La., 10 bass, 29-5
6th:        Troy Stokes, Trenton, Mich., 10 bass, 29-1
7th:        Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., 10 bass, 28-15
8th:        Ken Thompson, Roaring Springs, Penn., 10 bass, 28-14
9th:        Jake Lawrence, Buchanan, Tenn., 10 bass, 28-6
10th:      Taylor Parker, Lake View, Ala., 10 bass, 27-12
11th:      Alex Davis, Albertville, Ala., 10 bass, 27-7
12th:      Keith Carson, DeBary, Fla., 10 bass, 27-0
13th:      Cameron Mattison, Benton, La., 10 bass, 27-0
14th:      Alec Morrison, Peru, N.Y., 10 bass, 26-14
15th:      Cole Breeden, Lebanon, Mo., 10 bass, 26-13
16th:      Brody Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, 10 bass, 26-12
17th:      Jack Daniel Williams, Kingsport, Tenn., 10 bass, 26-11
18th:      Chris Blair, Newnan, Ga., 10 bass, 26-8
19th:      Brock Reinkemeyer, Warsaw, Mo., 10 bass, 26-8
20th:      Kelly Jordon, Flint, Texas, 10 bass, 26-4
21st:      Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., 10 bass, 25-10
22nd:     Kyle Cortiana, Broken Arrow, Okla., 10 bass, 25-8
23rd:     Brian Gay, LaGrange, Ga., 10 bass, 25-7
24th:     Spike Stoker, Cisco, Texas, 10 bass, 25-4
25th:     Marshall Hughes, Hemphill, Texas, 10 bass, 25-2
26th:     Brett Carnright, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 10 bass, 25-1
27th:     Charlie Williams, LaGrange, Ga., 10 bass, 24-15
28th:     Michael Harlin, Sunrise Beach, Mo., 10 bass, 24-13
29th:     Bobby Padgett, LaGrange, Ga., 10 bass, 24-12
30th:     Brad Jelinek, Lincoln, Mo., 10 bass, 24-10

Complete results for the entire field can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Jeff Harper of Fleming Island, Florida, earned Saturday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass award with a largemouth bass that weighed in at 7 pounds, 7 ounces.

Overall, there were 637 bass weighing 1,361 pounds even caught by 136 pros Saturday. The catch included 109 five-bass limits.

In Tackle Warehouse Invitational competition, the full field of 150 anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Friday and Saturday in a five-fish, weigh-in format. Only the top 30 pros, based on their two-day cumulative weight, now advance to the final round on Championship Sunday, where they will compete for the grand prize of up to $115,000. The winner of the Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 2 at West Point Lake Presented by Suzuki will be determined by the heaviest three-day cumulative weight and will receive an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2025 on Lake Guntersville in Huntsville, Alabama.

The final 30 anglers will launch at 7 a.m. ET Sunday from the Pyne Road Park Mega Ramp, located at 4481 Roanoke Road in LaGrange. Sunday’s Championship weigh-in will also be held at the ramp and will begin at 3 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and weigh-in events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLFNOW!® live stream and coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The MLFNOW! broadcast team of Chad McKee and Rob Newell will break down the extended action live on Championship Sunday from 7:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. ET. MLFNOW! will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.

Television coverage of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Stop 2 at West Point Lake Presented by Suzuki will air as a two-hour episode, premiering at 9 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Oct. 12 on CBS Sports Network.

Tackle Warehouse Invitationals anglers will compete throughout the 2024 season for the prestigious Fishing Clash Angler of the Year award and its $50,000 payday. After  Stop 1 Presented by Power-Pole MOVE on Sam Rayburn, pro Drew Gill  of Mount Carmel, Illinois, is in the lead.

Fishing Clash – an interactive 3D fishing simulation game that’s played by more than 80 million people worldwide – is the official AOY sponsor of the Bass Pro Tour, Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, Toyota Series and Phoenix Bass Fishing League. You can download Fishing Clash for free in the App Store and on Google Play or log on to  www.fishingclash.game for more information.

Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, FX Custom Rods, General Tire, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak Fishing, Onyx, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota and YETI.

LAGRANGE, Ga. (March 1, 2024) – According to the locals, Day 1 of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 2 Presented by Suzuki on West Point Lake went about as planned. For Dubach, Louisiana, pro Tyler Stewart, it went a lot better than he’d planned. With 21 pounds, 5 ounces, Stewart is squarely in the lead as the only pro to crack the 20-pound barrier. Still, the event is far from over – keeping up the pace figures to be a challenge at West Point and the rest of the Top 10 is packed pretty tight.

Stewart brought a five-bass limit to the scale Friday weighing 21 pounds, 5 ounces, to take the early lead on Day 1, holding a 2-pound, 2-ounce lead over pro Derik Hudson of Concord, Virginia, who sacked 19-3 to end the day in second. Albertville, Alabama, pro Alex Davis sits in third with 18-13 and Troy Stokes of Trenton, Michigan, is fourth with 17-3. Behind them are a handful of 14- and 15-pound bags, and 12 pounds goes all the way down to 40^th – which is really strong for West Point Lake, though there’s obviously very limited recent tournament history to compare to.

The full field of 150 anglers will conclude the two-day opening round on Saturday, with only the top 30 pros based on their two-day cumulative weight advancing to Championship Sunday. The three-day tournament, hosted by Visit LaGrange , features a roster of 150 anglers competing for a top prize of up to $115,000 and an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2025.

Weighing three largemouth over 4 pounds, Stewart turned around a miserable practice in a big way.

“My roommates are gonna call me sandbagger so bad,” Stewart joked. “I told them yesterday that if I have 10 pounds, I’ll be pretty happy. I don’t know if they just bit really good in the rain (today), but it was a lot better than I was expecting.

“It was just one of those days where you couldn’t make a wrong decision,” he added. “I had a terrible practice and just went out with a clear mind and put my head down. I ran into a couple good areas with some big fish and got them in the boat.”

The smallest lake on the schedule, there’s not much you can do to get away from other anglers. That could be cause for concern as the week goes on as pressure might get to the fishing in a big way. Still, Stewart hopes he can replicate what worked on Day 1 (maybe not to 20 pounds again, but to some degree).

“There’s a lot of fish in the areas I’m fishing; I think they could definitely replenish, because fish are moving in and out of those areas,” he said. “I got a lot of bites today that I didn’t hook, fish just slapping the bait and stuff, so I know there’s more fish in the area.”

Worst case scenario, Stewart thinks he’s got some backup spotted bass figured out.

“This afternoon, I went and targeted some spotted bass,” he said. “I caught four or five and some 2-pounders I had to throw back. My game plan tomorrow is to go and try to catch a few big ones, and if I have to go catch some spots, I don’t know that I will, but I feel like I can.”

The top 20 pros after Day 1 on West Point Lake are:

1st:          Tyler Stewart, Dubach, La., five bass, 21-5
2nd:        Derik Hudson, Concord, Va., five bass, 19-3
3rd:        Alex Davis, Albertville, Ala., five bass, 18-13
4th:         Troy Stokes, Trenton, Mich., five bass, 17-3
5th:         Brad Jelinek, Lincoln, Mo., five bass, 15-15
6th:         Brock Reinkemeyer, Warsaw, Mo., five bass, 15-8
7th:         Charlie Williams, LaGrange, Ga., five bass, 15-6
8th:         Keith Carson, DeBary, Fla., five bass, 15-3
9th:         Colby Miller, Elmer, La., five bass, 14-15
10th:      Jake Lawrence, Buchanan, Tenn., five bass, 14-13
11th:      Alec Morrison, Peru, N.Y., five bass, 14-10
11th:      Darrell Ivey Jr., Lebanon, Mo., five bass, 14-10
13th:      Jaden Parrish, Liberty, Texas, five bass, 14-5
14th:      Brian Gay, LaGrange, Ga., five bass, 13-12
15th:      Matt Baty, Bainbridge, Ga., five bass, 13-8
16th:      Kelly Jordon, Flint, Texas, five bass, 13-7
17th:      Taylor Parker, Lake View, Ala., five bass, 13-6
17th:      Kyle Cortiana, Broken Arrow, Okla., five bass, 13-6
17th:      Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill, five bass, 13-6
20th:      Ryan Armstrong, Robinson, Ill., five bass, 13-5

Complete results for the entire field can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Baty earned Friday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass award with a largemouth bass that weighed in at 6 pounds, 9 ounces.

Overall, there were 662 bass weighing 1,420 pounds, 13 ounces caught by 143 pros Friday. The catch included 117 five-bass limits.

In Tackle Warehouse Invitational competition, the full field of 150 anglers compete in the two-day opening round on Friday and Saturday in a five-fish, weigh-in format. Only the top 30 pros, based on their two-day cumulative weight, advance to the final round on Championship Sunday, where they will compete for the grand prize of up to $115,000. The winner of the Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 2 at West Point Lake Presented by Suzuki will be determined by the heaviest three-day cumulative weight and will receive an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2025 on Lake Guntersville in Huntsville, Alabama.

Anglers will launch at 7 a.m. ET each day from the Pyne Road Park Mega Ramp, located at 4481 Roanoke Road in LaGrange. Weigh-ins will also be held at the ramp and will begin at 3 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and weigh-in events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLFNOW!® live stream and coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The MLFNOW! broadcast team of Chad McKee and Rob Newell will break down the extended action live all three days of competition from 7:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. ET. MLFNOW! will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.

Television coverage of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Stop 2 at West Point Lake Presented by Suzuki will air as a two-hour episode, premiering at 9 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Oct. 12 on CBS Sports Network.

Tackle Warehouse Invitationals anglers will compete throughout the 2024 season for the prestigious Fishing Clash Angler of the Year award and its $50,000 payday. After  Stop 1 Presented by Power-Pole MOVE on Sam Rayburn, pro Drew Gill  of Mount Carmel, Illinois, is in the lead.

Fishing Clash – an interactive 3D fishing simulation game that’s played by more than 80 million people worldwide – is the official AOY sponsor of the Bass Pro Tour, Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, Toyota Series and Phoenix Bass Fishing League. You can download Fishing Clash for free in the App Store and on Google Play or log on to  www.fishingclash.game for more information.

Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, FX Custom Rods, General Tire, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak Fishing, Onyx, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota and YETI.

GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. (Feb. 26, 2024) – Boater Randy Stone of Dexter, Kentucky, caught a five-bass limit weighing 23 pounds even Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Kentucky-Barkley Lakes . Hosted by the Kentucky Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau, the tournament was the first event of the season for the BFL LBL Division. Stone earned $5,133 for his victory.

“The water was very rough this morning when I ran down to my first stop,” Stone said. “I didn’t catch a fish there, so I decided to run to a bank where I had been catching them, near Paris Landing, and I caught a few there. I still didn’t know what to do; it was so rough there wasn’t really any good place to fish.”

Stone said he then began hitting old spots he’d fished in the past and said every spot he hit produced fish. Stone said he was targeting flats and caught 10 keepers with a Z-Man Original Chatterbait, a Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap and crankbaits.

“I never thought I had a chance to have enough weight to win this,” Stone said. “I needed two really nice fish to finish up, so I threw up to the bank and caught two really nice smallmouth, and that ended up putting me over the top.

“This win is just crazy,” Stone added. “I didn’t have a clue that I could end up winning. I thought my co-angler had caught enough for a win, but I didn’t think I had.”

Stone’s co-angler, Greg Warren, went on to win the co-angler division, as the duo swept the event.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:         Randy Stone, Dexter, Ky., five bass, 23-0, $5,133
2nd:        Billy Schroeder, Paducah, Ky., five bass, 22-8, $2,566
3rd:         Brad Kell, Benton, Ky., five bass, 21-10, $1,710
4th:         Stephen Barga, Benton, Ky., five bass, 21-2, $1,198
5th:         Ethan Fields, Breese, Ill., five bass, 20-15, $1,027
6th:      Jake Lawrence, Buchanan, Tenn., five bass, 20-10, $1,441 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
7th:         Zachary Martin, Murray, Ky., five bass, 20-2, $855          
8th:         Clint Knight, Lewisburg, Ky., five bass, 18-3, $770
9th:         Sam Moll, Hershey, Pa., five bass, 18-2, $684
10th:       Lloyd Pickett, Jr., Bartlett, Tenn., five bass, 18-1, $599

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Justin Berger of Murray, Kentucky, caught a bass that weighed 6 pounds, 2 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $800.

Greg Warren of Rosiclare, Illinois, won the Strike King co-angler division and $2,966 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 20 pounds, 4 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:

1st:          Greg Warren, Rosiclare, Ill., five bass, 20-4, $2,966
2nd:        Alan Spell, Cincinnati, Ohio, five bass, 14-15, $1,283
3rd:         Peyton Nolen, Lexington, Tenn., five bass, 14-9, $855
4th:         Gage Elder, Decatur, Ill., five bass, 14-6, $599
5th:         Jim Elmore, Independence, Ky., five bass, 14-3, $513
6th:         Tim Rampaul, Dickson, Tenn., five bass, 13-14, $571
7th:         Conner Hughart, Goreville, Ill., five bass, 13-6, $428
8th:         Logan Sutherland, Elizabeth, Ind., five bass, 13-1, $385
9th:         Bill Olson, Barrington, Ill., four bass, 13-0, $342
10th:       Hunter Holguin, Knoxville, Tenn, five bass, 12-15, $299

Greg Warren of Rosiclare, Illinois, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $400, catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 7 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.

The next event for BFL LBL Division anglers will be held April 6, at Kentucky-Barkley Lakes in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 3-5 BFL Regional tournament on Pickwick Lake in Counce, Tennessee. 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.

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, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota and YETI.

ALEXANDER CITY, Ala. (Feb. 26, 2024) – Boater Kyle Dorsett of Springville, Alabama, caught a five-bass limit weighing 16 pounds, 12 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Martin . Hosted by the Alexander City Chamber of Commerce, the tournament was the first event of the season for the BFL Bama Division. Dorsett earned $4,009 for his victory.

“My day started off kind of slow,” Dorsett said. “I found an area that had some fish in it Thursday in practice, so I ran 20 minutes down the lake and hunkered down and fished.

“Lake Martin can be a weird lake to fish,” Dorsett added. “They can be here today, gone tomorrow. But they hung around and I kept catching them. The wind blew 30 miles an hour, and when you get weather like that on Martin, the fish tend to bite.”

Dorsett said he relied on a Garmin LiveScope to target fish and presented both a jerkbait and a Damiki rig to larger bass staying close to balls of baitfish. Dorsett said he knows Martin “fairly well” and has spent a good amount of time fishing there in January and February for the past three or four years.

“I’ve spent quite a bit of time on Martin this time of year,” said Dorsett. “It took 16 pounds to win a local tournament there the weekend before the BFL. So, when I had 14 pounds at 12 o’clock, I thought I had a shot at winning.

“I was pretty excited to win this,” Dorsett said. “I’ve won some big events on the Coosa lakes, but never one this big on Martin. I’ve never even done that well there, to be honest.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:          Kyle Dorsett, Springville, Ala., five bass, 16-12, $4,009
2nd:        Stihl Smith, Alexander, Ala., five bass, 14-4, $2,555
3rd:         James Willoughby, Gulfport, Miss., five bass, 13-5, $1,336
4th:         Donald Griffith, Robertsdale, Ala., five bass, 12-7, $935
5th:         Marty Giddens, Eclectic, Ala., five bass, 11-13, $802
6th:         Blake Tomlin, Greenville, Ga., five bass, 11-4, $701
6th:         Carson Maddux, Hoover, Ala., five bass, 11-4, $701
8th:         Connor Jacob, Peoria, Ill., five bass, 11-1, $568
8th:         Blake Davenport, Jemison, Ala., five bass, 11-1, $568
10th:       Tim Ferguson, Pelham, Ala., five bass, 11-0, $468

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Stihl Smith of Alexander, Alabama, caught a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 10 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $550.

Jeff Huddleston of Anniston, Alabama, won the Strike King co-angler division and $2,005 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 10 pounds, 4 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:

1st:          Jeff Huddleston, Anniston, Ala., five bass, 10-4, $2,005
2nd:        Jeffery McCoy, Montgomery, Ala., five bass, 9-12, $1,277
3rd:         Gary Marlowe, Montgomery, Ala., five bass, 9-6, $768
4th:         Colt Hinson, Andalusia, Ala., five bass, 9-2, $468
5th:         Derek Wood, Albertville, Ala., five bass, 8-15, $401
6th:         Zac Smith, Demopolis, Ala., five bass, 8-11, $368
7th:         Randall Norton, Ashland, Ala., five bass, 8-10, $334
8th:         Caleb Gwaltney, Athens, Ala., five bass, 8-7, $284
8th:         Thomas Eyler, Ashford, Ala., five bass, 8-7, $284
10th:       Mason Bryan, Carrollton, Ga., five bass, 8-6, $234

Jeffery McCoy of Montgomery, Alabama, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $275, catching a bass that weighed in at 3 pounds, 9 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.

The next event for BFL Bama Division anglers will be held April 20, at Lake Mitchell in Clanton, Alabama. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify 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.

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, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota and YETI.

ANDERSON, S.C. (Feb. 26, 2024) – Boater Max Heaton of Hartwell, Georgia, caught a five-bass limit weighing 19 pounds, 10 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Hartwell . Hosted by the Anderson Convention & Visitors Bureau, the tournament was the second event of the season for the BFL Savannah River Division. Heaton earned $3,632 for his victory.

“I practiced Friday all day and didn’t end up swinging on many, but ended up catching 21 pounds,” Heaton said. “So, I knew where some of the bigger largemouth were setting up. I knew I just had to stay around them on tournament day.”

Heaton said he began fishing up the lake near Tugaloo State Park and caught 12 pounds quickly. A relocation back down the lake produced two 5½-pounders within 15 minutes of each other. Heaton then returned to the Tugaloo area to finish his day culling bass and said he landed a total of 15 keepers during the tournament.

“I knew I had over 19 pounds at 10 o’clock – maybe even pushing 20 – but I knew I had a pretty good bag,” Heaton said. “I was fishing a Damiki rig; it was the only rod I had on my deck. I was targeting pods of bass in timber from 40 to 60 feet of water.

“This is my second BFL win on Lake Hartwell,” Heaton said, who notched his first in 2023. “Ever since I won that one, I wanted to do it again. I won it about the same time last year doing the same stuff.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:          Max Heaton, Hartwell, Ga., five bass, 19-10, $3,632
2nd:        Dylan Atkins, Flowery Branch, Ga., five bass, 18-3, $1,816
3rd:        Derek Lehtonen, Woodruff, S.C., five bass, 18-2, $2,175 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
4th:         Jeff Culpepper, Nicholson, Ga., five bass, 17-11, $847
5th:         Tab Anderson, Pendleton, S.C., five bass, 16-13, $851
6th:         Justin Raines, Easley, S.C., five bass, 16-7, $966
7th:         Tallis Morrison, Royston, Ga., five bass, 16-2, $605
8th:         Will Hart, Danielsville, Ga., five bass, 16-1, $545
9th:         Andrew Allen, Waterloo, S.C., five bass, 15-14, $484
10th:      Peyton Dunn, Fitzgerald, Ga., five bass, 15-10, $424

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Derek Lehtonen of Woodruff, South Carolina, caught a bass that weighed 6 pounds, 10 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $465.

Barry Huffman of Young Harris, Georgia, won the Strike King co-angler division and $1,816 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 13 pounds, 8 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:

1st:          Barry Huffman, Young Harris, Ga., five bass, 13-8, $1,816
2nd:        Nicholas Gurkin, Simpsonville, S.C., five bass, 12-1, $908
3rd:        Colby Matthews, Newborn, Ga., five bass, 12-0, $706
4th:         Gage Coley, Molena, Ga., five bass, 11-15, $424
5th:         Trey Paul, Anderson, S.C., five bass, 11-14, $363
6th:         J.D. Carter, Honea Park, S.C., five bass, 11-12, $565
7th:         Todd Huntley, Inman, S.C., five bass, 11-9, $303
8th:         Deion Latimer, Belton, S.C., five bass, 11-8, $272
9th:         William Thomas Cowart, Danielsville, Ga., five bass, 11-7, $242
10th:      Logan Brown, Fletcher, N.C., four bass, 9-13, $212

J.D. Carter of Honea Park, South Carolina, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $232, catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 5 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.

After two events, Joe Anders of Easley, South Carolina, leads the BFL Savannah River Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 480 points, while Colby Matthews of Newborn, Georgia, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 495 points.

The next event for BFL Savannah River Division anglers will be held April 13, at Lake Hartwell in Lavonia, Georgia. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 3-5 BFL Regional tournament on Pickwick Lake in Counce, Tennessee. 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.

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, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota and YETI.

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (Feb. 26, 2024) – Boater Will Hammond of Huntersville, North Carolina, caught a five-bass limit weighing 16 pounds, 13 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Norman . Hosted by Visit Lake Norman, the tournament was the first event of the season for the BFL North Carolina Division. Hammond earned $4,359 for his victory.

“I started in a place where I really caught them in practice, but I didn’t catch them there – or on the next four or five spots – and at 11:30, I didn’t have a fish,” said Hammond, who said he lives five minutes from Lake Norman. “So, I started scrambling and caught one that weighed 3½ (pounds) on a Luhr Jensen Speed Trap on a boat ramp.

“I ran back down and fished some things I knew from the past and went to work on it with an Alabama rig,” Hammond added. “I caught two good ones, ran a bit more, and caught two more good ones. That’s the only five bites I had all day.”

Hammond said he focused on mid-lake areas and said at 1 o’clock he had only three fish for 10½ pounds and was worried about his chances for a good tournament finish. He hoped to just fill out a limit to earn a check.

“The last two months it’s been taking 19 or 20 pounds to win every Saturday, but it was tougher than I thought it was going to be,” Hammond said. “I’ve been working on getting a win here for several years, so to get this done feels very good.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:          Will Hammond, Huntersville, N.C., five bass, 16-13, $4,359
2nd:         Chris Carnes, York, S.C., five bass, 16-0, $2,479
3rd:       Logan Anderson, Catawba, N.C., five bass, 15-10, $1,952 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
4th:         Tommy Jones, Salisbury, N.C., five bass, 15-6, $1,017
5th:         Brian Morgan, Maiden, N.C., five bass, 15-5, $872
6th:         Chad Sims, Lancaster, S.C., five bass, 15-2, $799
7th:         David Bright, Mooresville, N.C., five bass, 15-1, $726
8th:         Cody Hoyle, Mooresboro, N.C., five bass, 14-6, $617
8th:         Lucas Murphy, West Columbia, S.C., five bass, 14-6, $617
10th:       Kevin Toler, Statesville, N.C., five bass, 14-2, $509

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Scott Beattie of Sherrills Ford, North Carolina, caught a bass that weighed 4 pounds, 9 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $625.

Keith Wood of Mooresville, North Carolina, won the Strike King co-angler division and $2,778 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 15 pounds, 10 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:

1st:          Keith Wood, Mooresville, N.C., five bass, 15-10, $2,491
2nd:        Damon Phillips, Anderson, S.C., five bass, 14-14, $1,090
3rd:         Jared Jones, Denver, N.C., five bass, 13-12, $725
4th:         Hunter Alexander, China Grove, N.C., five bass, 13-10, $509
5th:         Jean Lacerte, Elm City, N.C., five bass, 12-10, $436          
6th:         Jonathan Williams, Marshville, N.C., five bass, 12-2, $400
7th:         Joel Cerv, North Wilkesboro, N.C., five bass, 10-15, $363
8th:         Jerry Morris, Charlotte, N.C., four bass, 10-9, $477
9th:         Nicholas Burke, Maiden, N.C., five bass, 10-6, $291
10th:       Keyshawn Bratcher, Altamonte Springs, Fla., five bass, 10-2, $254

Keith Wood of Mooresville , North Carolina, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $312, catching a bass that weighed in at 4 pounds, 4 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.

The next event for BFL North Carolina Division anglers will be held April 13, at Kerr Lake in Henderson, North Carolina. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 10-12 BFL Regional tournament on the 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.

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, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota and YETI.

KIMBERLING CITY, Mo. (Feb. 19, 2024) – Boater Landon Edwards of Springdale, Arkansas, caught a five-bass limit weighing 22 pounds, 7 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Table Rock Lake . The tournament was the first event of the season for the BFL Ozark Division. Edwards earned $5,970 for his victory.

“I made a run down past Campbell Point up the White River,” said Edwards, who notched a previous BFL win on Table Rock Lake in 2022. “I found a sneaky spot in practice where I thought I could catch 18 pounds. I had graphed a spot that was just a little rock pile with a tree on it that had 20 to 30 big fish on it. I caught a 6½-pounder on it Thursday and then left it alone.”

Edwards said he ran to his “sneaky” spot during the tournament because he figured the field would be using Garmin Livescope to target bass, and he wanted to try something different to stand out from the field. He said he used a 6^th Sense Divine 5-Wire 4-Blade Umbrella Rig with 6^th Sense Divine Swimbaits to boat his bigger bass on the rock pile.

“I rolled up, threw my Alabama rig, and caught a 4½-pounder,” Edwards said. “I threw back and caught another 4½. I threw back in again and caught a 7-pounder. So, I had 15-something pounds with three fish.”

Edwards relocated to let his spot rest and pulled a 3¼-pound fish from deep water, putting him at more than 19 pounds with four fish.

“I went back to my lucky spot and caught one that weighed more than 3 pounds that put me over 22 pounds,” Edwards said. “I was having some motor problems, so we ran back to Kimberling City near weigh-in and finished up the day.

“I had confidence that I had enough weight to make the top 10,” Edwards said. “So, it was really nice to win it. These tournaments are so hard to win with all the locals who fish them. It was cool to win this.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:          Landon Edwards, Springdale, Ark., five bass, 22-7, $5,970
2nd:        Eric Olliverson, Shell Knob, Mo., five bass, 20-13, $3,082 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
3rd:        Jacob Wade, Mountain Grove, Mo., five bass, 20-12, $1,722
4th:         Aric Szambelan, Farmington, Minn., five bass, 20-6, $1,205
5th:         Cody Miller, Shell Knob, Mo., five bass, 19-14, $1,033
6th:         Clay Henderson, Purdy, Mo., five bass, 19-13, $1,247
7th:         Cody Ellison, Fordland, Mo., five bass, 19-3, $861
8th:         Brock Reinkemeyer, Warsaw, Mo., five bass, 18-9, $775
9th:         Camden Kozikoski, Edmond, Okla., five bass, 18-8, $689
10th:      Drew Sagely, Rogers, Ark., five bass, 18-1, $603

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Edwards also caught a bass that weighed 7 pounds, 2 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $805.

James Welch of Bolivar, Missouri, won the Strike King co-angler division and $2,436 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 14 pounds, 3 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:

1st:          James Welch, Bolivar, Mo., five bass, 14-3, $2,436
2nd:        Joshua Ramsey, Columbia, Mo., five bass, 13-10, $1,218
3rd:        Jeff Moss, Oronogo, Mo., five bass, 12-15, $1,064
4th:         Caleb Welch, Bolivar, Mo., five bass, 12-13, $568
5th:         Grant Simmons, Blue Springs, Mo., five bass, 12-3, $487
6th:         Tim Bowers, Thayer, Mo., five bass, 12-2, $447
7th:         Shaun Smith, Smithville, Mo., five bass, 11-12, $406
8th:         Blake Miller, Cedar Falls, Iowa, four bass, 11-11, $365
9th:         Brock Krohne, Belton, Mo., five bass, 11-4, $325
10th:      Kirk Short, St. Clair, Mo., four bass, 10-14, $284

Pat Leonard of Springfield, Missouri, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $367, catching a bass that weighed in at 6 pounds, 1 ounce – the largest co-angler catch of the day.

The next event for BFL Ozark Division anglers will be held March 30, at Lake of the Ozarks in Osage Beach, Missouri. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 3-5 BFL Regional tournament on Pickwick Lake in Counce, Tennessee. 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.

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, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota and YETI.