| Boater Evan Eldred of Gaines, Michigan, and Strike-King co-angler Luke Shrader of Monticello, Kentucky. |
| Strike King Co-angler Victory Goes to Kentucky’s Shrader BYRDSTOWN, Tenn. (Oct. 16, 2023) – Boater Evan Eldred of Gaines, Michigan, brought a three-day total of 15 bass to the scale weighing 59 pounds, 10 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Regional Event on Dale Hollow Lake in Byrdstown, Tennessee . For his victory, Eldred earned $64,330, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000. Eldred also received automatic entry into the 2024 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American Championship, May 29-31, at Cherokee Lake in Jefferson County, Tennessee. “Practice was super tough for me,” Eldred said. “I was running all over and trying different things. I’d never been here before. I was trying shallow and deep. I was Damiki rigging a lot because I had heard it worked well on Dale Hollow. “Finally, out of frustration, I told myself I was going to drive to the farthest point of the lake that I could,” Eldred continued. “I got to the dam and found a creek and saw some shad blowing up. I graphed over them, saw the bait balls, and the fish below them. I figured they were smallmouth.” Eldred cast to the bait balls in 30 feet of water and caught two largemouth – a 4-pounder and a 4½-pounder – on back-to-back casts. Eldred said once the tournament began, he repeated that pattern in every creek he came across. He targeted the bait balls with a 1/8-ounce Megabass Okashira Jig Head tipped with a Strike King 3X ElazTech Baby Z Too Soft Jerkbait in Grey Glimmer Pearl Belly. “The 1/8-ounce head was the key, and within an hour I had a 20-pound bag,” Eldred said. Eldred said he landed around 30 keeper largemouth during the tournament, but said he had to work really hard for his bites. “They would bite in bite windows, I noticed,” Eldred said. “There was only an hour or two every day they would bite. “After the first day, I thought to myself, ‘Man, I’m leading this thing. I’d better not blow it,’” Eldred went on to say. “I had a target on my back.” Eldred said a slow Day 2 on Friday almost dashed his hopes of victory, as he didn’t have a fish in the livewell at 11 a.m. “None of the fish on my spots would bite,” Eldred said. “I had to relocate, and as soon as I did, I got three in the boat. Then it took me until 2 o’clock to catch my fifth fish.” Eldred said he went into the final day of competition not knowing what to expect. “I wanted to catch 25 pounds, but it wouldn’t have surprised me if I’d zeroed,” Eldred said. “Those fish were that tough to get to bite.” Eldred caught his limit Saturday by 10 a.m., then upgraded his final day’s weight seven times during the day to secure the win. The top six boaters that qualified for the 2024 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American were: 1st: Evan Eldred, Gaines, Mich., 15 bass, 59-10, $64,330 (includes $2,500 Phoenix MFL Contingency Bonus) 2nd: Josh Lee, Powell, Tenn., 15 bass, 58-12, $11,000 3rd: Jacob Woods, Loudon, Tenn., 15 bass, 57-7, $5,500 4th: Dillon Falardeau, Hixson, Tenn., 15 bass, 55-6, $3,000 5th: Donavan Carson, Bluff City, Tenn., 15 bass, 53-14, $2,000 6th: Isaac Peavyhouse, Jamestown, Tenn., 15 bass, 53-12, $1,800 Rounding out the top 10 boaters were: 7th: Griffin Heffington, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 15 bass, 53-3, $1,600 8th: Justin Latham, Reelsville, Ind., 15 bass, 51-11, $1,900 9th: Joshua Short, Bean Station, Tenn., 15 bass, 48-4, $1,200 10th: Brody Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, 15 bass, 45-9, $2,600 Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com. The top four boaters from each division that earned a $1,000 bonus for placing highest in the event were: Bama: Blake Davenport, Jemison, Ala., 11th Place, $1,000 Illini: Levi Kohl, Edinburg, Ill., 17th Place, $1,000 Michigan: Brody Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, 10th Place, $1,000 Volunteer: Josh Lee, Powell, Tenn., 2nd Place $1,000 Eldred took home an extra $2,500 as the highest finishing Phoenix MLF Bonus member. Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $7,000 per event in each Phoenix Bass Fishing League tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the Phoenix MLF Bonus contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.  Luke Shrader of Monticello, Kentucky, weighed in eight bass over three days totaling 17 pounds, 15 ounces to win the top Strike King co-angler prize package of $50,150, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard. The top six Strike King co-anglers that qualified for the 2024 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American were: 1st: Luke Shrader, Monticello, Ky., eight bass, 17-15, $50,150 2nd: Stephen Vick, Dandridge, Tenn., four bass, 12-8, $6,000 3rd: Gary Huber II, St. Charles, Mo., six bass, 11-4, $3,000 4th: Cody Stokes, Ooltewah, Tenn., five bass, 11-2, $1,500 5th: Ryan Legg, Parma, Ohio, three bass, 10-2, $1,500 6th: Darren Kelly, Wartburg, Tenn., four bass, 8-8, $1,300 Rounding out the top 10 Strike King co-anglers were: 7th: Jeffery McCoy, Montgomery, Ala., three bass, 8-6, $1,300 8th: Stuart Vitollo, Alabaster, Ala., three bass, 6-11, $700 9th: Rob Miller, Albion, Mich., three bass, 6-11, $600 10th: Corey Smith, Hazard, Ky., three bass, 6-10, $550 The top four Strike King Co-anglers from each division that earned a $500 bonus for placing highest in the event were: Bama: Jeffery McCoy, Montgomery, Ala., 7th Place, $500 Illini: Gary Huber, II, St. Charles, Mo., 3rd Place, $500 Michigan: Ryan Legg, Parma, Ohio, 5th Place, $500 Volunteer: Stephen Vick, Dandridge, Tenn., 2nd Place $500 The Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Regional Tournament on Dale Hollow Lake was hosted by the Byrdstown-Pickett County Chamber of Commerce. It featured the top pros and Strike King co-anglers from the Bama, Illini, Michigan and Volunteer divisions. The 2023 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL Regional tournaments 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 BFL All-American. 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 Invitationals and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour. Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, General Tire, Grundéns, Gill, Lew’s, Lowrance, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X and YETI. 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. |
