Arkansas’ Edwards Claims Phoenix Bass Fishing League Win on Day 2 of Table Rock Lake Double-Header

“I caught a lot of fish today,” said Edwards, who said he fished around Kimberling City and the James River. “I found bait, and where you found bait is where you found fish. I was just looking for birds diving for bait and then using my graph to find fish. I’d roll up on a school and start smashing them.”

Edwards said he caught 30 bass over three pounds during the course of the day and described the action as “insane.” He relied on a jerkbait, weighted with lead tape and wire on the hooks to get the bait down to the depths where fish were holding. A Rapala Jigging Shad Rap Ice and a small Keitech soft plastic bait filled his limit. He targeted bass in 100 feet of water that were suspended in depths from 10 to 60 feet.

“Wherever they were blowing holes in the baitfish is where I was catching them,” Edwards said. “I rolled up early to my spot where I knew they were loaded, made a cast and caught a 5-pounder, then caught a few more good ones. Then the sun came up and they got a little finicky. So I started throwing the little Keitech and hitting them in the face with it, and they just couldn’t resist it.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:        Landon Edwards, Springdale, Ark., five bass, 19-1, $6,000
2nd:       Ryder Mains, Wellsville, Kan., five bass, 19-0, $3,000
3rd:       Joe Grafeman, Camdenton, Mo., five bass, 18-13, $2,500 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
4th:        Jacob Wade, Mountain Grove, Mo., five bass, 18-12, $1,400
5th:        Graden Hansen, Sachse, Texas, five bass, 18-7, $1,200
6th:        Dustin Blevins, Harrison, Ark., five bass, 17-14, $1,300
7th:        Matt Ells, Mount Vernon, Mo., five bass, 17-0, $2,000
8th:        Tim Merkh, Bennington, Kan., five bass, 16-3, $850
8th:        Cole Breeden, Eldridge, Mo., five bass, 16-3, $850
10th:     Cole Anderson, Bentonville, Ark., five bass, 16-2, $665
10th:     Eric Olliverson, Lampe, Mo., five bass, 16-2, $665

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Ells 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 $1,000.

Shane McGinnis of Springfield, Missouri, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $3,000 Sunday after catching five bass weighing 14 pounds, 7 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st:        Shane McGinnis, Springfield, Mo., five bass, 14-7, $3,000
2nd:       Drew Boehle, Saint Charles, Mo., five bass, 14-3, $1,500
3rd:       Easton Blankenship, Iberia, Mo., five bass, 13-14, $1,000
4th:        D.J. Pugh, Overland Park, Kan., five bass, 13-12, $700
5th:        Kory Ries, Union, Mo., five bass, 13-4, $600
6th:        Mark Horton, Lees Summit, Mo., four bass, 11-1, $625
6th:        Jeff Moss, Oronogo, Mo., four bass, 11-1, $825
8th:        Walter Dechau, Pontiac, Mo., five bass, 10-15, $450
9th:        Chris Bardill, Highland, Ill., three bass, 10-13, $400
10th:     Taylor Surly, Bella Vista, Ark., four bass, 10-11, $350

Michael Mulberry of Galena, Missouri, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 6 pounds, 1 ounce. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $500.

After two events, Landon Edwards of Springdale, Arkansas, leads the Bass Fishing League Ozark Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 499 points, while Jeff Moss of Truesdale, Missouri, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 483 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 Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma. 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.