Louisiana’s Fleming Claims Phoenix Bass Fishing League Victory on Grenada Lake

“I had planned on fishing close to takeoff to start off, but when I saw there were five boats that had turned in that direction, I ran down the lake to start on my best spot,” Fleming said. “I thought we could pick up a few on the way and then cull at my best spot.”

Fleming said he had found a point that bled into some spawning pockets during practice, and his second pitch of the day resulted in a 2½-pounder that fell for a black and blue Yum Christie Craw. After that, Fleming said he relocated and kept looking for fish, but always ended back up on the point that was producing.

“It kept reloading, and the fish kept getting bigger throughout the day,” Fleming said. “My last two fish were my biggest. I caught six of my seven keepers in a bush that had a floating tree above it. It wasn’t attached; it was going up and down with the waves. If you could pitch just under the tree – not in the bush – you’d get bit.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:        Dakota Fleming, Oak Grove, La., five bass, 14-9, $2,890
2nd:       Luke Glasgow, Guin, Ala., five bass, 13-15, $1,445
3rd:       Evan Horne, Tuscumbia, Ala., five bass, 11-14, $964
4th:        Will Dupler, Columbus, Miss., five bass, 11-3, $674
5th:        Rick Pullen, Houston, Miss., four bass, 10-14, $908
6th:        J.R. Dukes, Tillatoba, Miss., four bass, 10-2, $730
7th:        Danny Carter, Hernando, Miss., five bass, 9-4, $482
8th:        Brennon Murphy, Ackerman, Miss., five bass, 8-7, $433
9th:        Timmy Ming, Louisville, Miss., two bass, 8-3, $385
10th:     Chris Greer, Grenada, Miss., four bass, 8-2, $337

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Pullen had a 6-pound, 10-ounce largemouth that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $330.

Thomas Sanderson of Amory, Mississippi, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $1,445 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 10 pounds, 14 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st:        Thomas Sanderson, Amory, Miss., five bass, 10-14, $1,445
2nd:       Adam Hickman, Caledonia, Miss., five bass, 9-10, $722
3rd:       Keith Ramage, Raleigh, Miss., three bass, 7-14, $480
4th:        Steve Ruth, Columbus, Miss., three bass, 7-13, $337
5th:        Bobby Speake, Terry, Miss., four bass, 7-11, $389
6th:        David Huey, Tupelo, Miss., three bass, 7-8, $253
6th:        Zachary Barnes, Franklinton, La., three bass, 7-8, $253
8th:        Scott Kirk, Houston, Miss., one bass, 6-14, $382
9th:        William Herren, Gardendale, Ala., four bass, 6-11, $193
10th:     Blake Koenigsberger, Columbus, Miss., three bass, 5-6, $169

Kirk caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 6 pounds, 14 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $165.

After three events, Evan Horne of Tuscumbia, Alabama, leads the Bass Fishing League Mississippi Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 696 points, while Blake Koenigsberger of Columbus, Mississippi, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 739 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.