Kentucky’s Abbott Earns Victory at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Dale Hollow Lake

BYRDSTOWN, Tenn. (March 21, 2022) – Boater Tristan Abbott of Somerset, Kentucky, caught five bass Saturday weighing 20 pounds, 1 ounce, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Dale Hollow Lake. The tournament, hosted by Star Point Marina and Resort, was the season-opener for the Bass Fishing League Mountain Division. Abbott earned $7,200 for his victory.

“We took off in the morning and made a run down the lake,” Abbott said. “I’d been on some fish and been catching them for the majority of the winter, and was very blessed they had stayed in the same area.

“I had one of the fish I weighed in the first hour or so,” Abbott added. “And it went from there. I was pleased with my day. I fished clean throughout the day and didn’t lose any fish.”

Abbott said he spent the majority of his day trying to boost his bag of 4-pounders by targeting staging fish, mid-lake around chunk rock and channel swings that were holding baitfish. Abbott said his baits of choice were an Alabama-rig and a Berkley Stunna Jerkbait.

“It was a good day of fishing all the way around,” Abbott said. “This win is long overdue. I’ve finished second a couple of times, and I won Angler of the Year last year in the Mountain Division, and I’d like to repeat that.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:        Tristan Abbott, Somerset, Ky., five bass, 20-1, $7,200
2nd:       Dalton Smith, Taylorsville, Ky., five bass, 19-13, $3,000
3rd:       Christian Nash, Cookeville, Tenn., five bass, 19-10, $2,500 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
4th:        Isaac Peavyhouse, Jamestown, Tenn., five bass, 18-14, $1,400
5th:        Brad Atkins, West Liberty, Ky., five bass, 18-2, $1,400
6th:        Ryan Davidson, Branchland, W.V., five bass, 17-12, $1,100
7th:        Cori White, Celina, Tenn., five bass, 17-9, $1,000
8th:        Clay Peters, Butler, Ky., five bass, 17-2, $900
9th:        Zach Crider, Tunnel Hill, Ga., five bass, 17-0, $800
10th:     David Steadman Jr., Tullahoma, Tenn., five bass, 16-15, $700

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Jonathan Green of East Bernstadt, Kentucky, had a 5-pound, 7-ounce largemouth that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $1,000.

Jason Henson of Rome, Georgia, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $3,300 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 16 pounds, 8 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st:        Jason Henson, Rome, Ga., five bass, 16-8, $3,300
2nd:       Timothy Jolley, Monroe, Tenn., five bass, 16-5, $1,500
3rd:       Billy Gardner, Livingston, Tenn., five bass, 15-1, $1,000
4th:        Lee Sinclair, Albany, Ky., five bass, 15-0, $700
5th:        Robert Jones, Whitley City, Ky., five bass, 14-8, $600
6th:        Trent Suratt, Lawrenceburg, Tenn., five bass, 14-7, $550
7th:        Nicole Foor, Greenfork, Ind., five bass, 14-4, $500
8th:        Justin Brandenburg, Richmond, Ky., five bass, 14-3, $450
9th:        Pop Catalin, Cookeville, Tenn., five bass, 14-1, $400
10th:     Lance Souders, Somerset, Ky., four bass, 13-10, $350

Christopher Logsdon of Brownsville, Kentucky, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 4 pounds, 8 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $500.

After one event, Tristan Abbott of Somerset, Kentucky leads the Bass Fishing League Mountain Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 250 points, while Jason Henson of Rome, Georgia leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 250 points.

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 Smith Lake in Cullman, Alabama. 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.