Virginia’s Southerly Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on the Potomac River

“I started out on some sight fish I had found Friday afternoon,” Southerly said. “I caught them and had about 18 pounds by 9 o’clock.”

Southerly said he caught two of his early-morning fish in the southern part of the Potomac on a drop-shot rig and two others on a Zoom Speed Craw, before relocating to target fish mid-river. Southerly said he caught 20 bass during the course of the day, 15 of which were keepers.

“Everything just went really smoothly, and I never lost a fish,” Southerly said. “In order to get the win you have to fish clean, and every fish that bit I put in the boat.

“This win feels really good,” Southerly added. “These Potomac fishermen are a tough group to win against.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:        Jeremy Southerly, Fulks Run, Va., five bass, 19-6, $5,154
2nd:       Joseph Thompson, Coatesville, Pa., five bass, 19-2, $2,577
3rd:       Terry Olinger, Louisa, Va., five bass, 18-11, $1,719
4th:        Jeffrey Ware, Warrenton, Va., five bass, 17-11, $1,203
5th:        Travis Lively, Vinton, Va., five bass, 17-2, $1,031
6th:        Fredderick Chandler, Mount Airy, Md., five bass, 16-5, $945
7th:        John Duarte, Middle River, Md., five bass, 16-3, $859
8th:        Kermit Crowder, Matoaca, Va., five bass, 15-13, $730
8th:        Ryan Ingalls, Manassas, Va., five bass, 15-13, $730
10th:     David Barker, Hagerstown, Md., five bass, 15-12, $601

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

John Lorenzo of Kane, Pennsylvania, had a largemouth that weighed 8 pounds, 2 ounces that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $795.

Doug Jenkins of Saint Leonard, Maryland, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,577 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 18 pounds, 11 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st:        Doug Jenkins, Saint Leonard, Md., five bass, 18-11, $2,577
2nd:       Bryan Conley, Fulks Run, Va., five bass, 17-10, $1,288
3rd:       Thomas Smith, Chester, Va., five bass, 16-8, $858
4th:        Robert Wedding, Welcome, Md., five bass, 16-7, $601
5th:        Shawn Holder, Washington, D.C., five bass, 16-4, $515
6th:        Larry Freeman Jr., La Crosse, Va., five bass, 15-12, $472
7th:        Michael Luckey, Roanoke, Va., five bass, 15-9, $408
7th:        Tracy Gravely, Petersburg, Va., five bass, 15-9, $408
9th:        Nathan Pulley, Chester, Va., five bass, 14-14, $344
10th:     Andy Jones, Seaford, Del., five bass, 14-13, $286
10th:     Tyrone Adams Jr., Fredericksburg, Va., five bass, 14-13, $286

Conley caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 4 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $397.

After three events, Chris Brummett of Lynch Station, Virginia, leads the Bass Fishing League Shenandoah Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 715 points, while Jeramy Evans of Forest, Virginia, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 694 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 the James River in Richmond, Virginia. 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.