Ranger’s Millsaps Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Lake Keowee

SENECA, S.C. (March 21, 2022) – Boater David Millsaps of Ranger, Georgia, caught five bass Saturday weighing 19 pounds, 5 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Keowee. The tournament, hosted by Visit Oconee, was the season-opener for the Bass Fishing League Savannah River Division. Millsaps earned $4,830 for his victory.

“I started out and caught four or five spotted bass on a homemade jig,” Millsaps said. “As the day went on, the wind picked up, and I fished rocky points where the wind was blowing bait and just kept upgrading all day.”

Millsaps said he caught 15 to 20 keepers during the course of the day by keeping the boat in 20 feet of water and casting to rocky points and banks and working the jig slowly.

“These events are hard to win,” said Millsaps, who now has four career BFL wins. “A win this early in the season always boosts you for the rest of the season.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:        David Millsaps, Ranger, Ga., five bass, 19-5, $4,830
2nd:       Jason Burroughs, Hodges, S.C., five bass, 18-3, $4,235 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
3rd:       Bo Price, Seneca, S.C., five bass, 17-15, $1,609
4th:        Scott Browning, Franklin, N.C., five bass, 16-4, $1,127
5th:        Shannon Poore, Walhalla, S.C., five bass, 15-7, $925
5th:        Emil Wagner, Marietta, Ga., five bass, 15-7, $925
7th:        Derek Lehtonen, Woodruff, S.C., five bass, 15-4, $805
8th:        Derek Freeman, Anderson, S.C., five bass, 14-12, $724
9th:        Greg Glouse, Liberty, S.C., five bass, 14-10, $644
10th:     Kevin Whitmore, Easley, S.C., five bass, 14-7, $563

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Burroughs had a 7-pound, 15-ounce largemouth that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $720.

Jason Goldman of Commerce, Georgia, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,415 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 13 pounds, 10 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st:        Jason Goldman, Commerce, Ga., five bass, 13-10, $2,415
2nd:       Alan Poston, Travelers Rest, S.C., five bass, 13-5, $1,207
3rd:       Chris Wilson, Easley, S.C., five bass, 11-13, $806
4th:        Jody Hughes, Baldwin, Ga., five bass, 11-9, $523
4th:        Corey Veal, Royston, Ga., five bass, 11-9, $523
6th:        Harold Grizzle, Gainesville, Ga., five bass, 11-3, $443
7th:        Scott Gardner, Seneca, S.C., five bass, 11-0, $402
8th:        Gerald Glouse, Easley, S.C., five bass, 10-13, $362
9th:        Gavin Ballew, Travelers Rest, S.C., five bass, 10-11, $322
10th:     Jacob Yaden, Evans, Ga., five bass, 10-7, $582

Nicholas Gurkin of Simpsonville, S.C, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 5 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $360.

After one event, David Millsaps of Ranger, Georgia, leads the Bass Fishing League Savannah River Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 250 points, while Jason Goldman of Commerce, 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.