| Boater winner Bryce Boatright of Sheridan, Arkansas, and Strike-King co-angler winner Robert Joslin of Fort Smith, Arkansas. |
| Fort Smith’s Joslin Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division MOUNT IDA, Ark. (March 4, 2024) – Boater Bryce Boatright of Sheridan, Arkansas, caught a five-bass limit weighing 18 pounds, 12 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Ouachita. The tournament was the first event of the season for the BFL Arkie Division. Boatright earned $4,652 for his victory. Kicking off his second BFL season, Boatright caught all his fish on a Black’s Custom BFL Umbrella Rig in 10 to 20 feet of water. He set up his rig with Keitech Swing Impact FAT Swimbaits on Black’s Custom Umbrella Rig Jig Heads. Rather than target a specific area, Boatright roamed around, fishing a mix of cover and structure and targeting areas with varying water clarity. He caught about 10 keeper bass throughout the day. “I caught them on rocks, on brush, suspended. It was a little mix of everything,” said Boatright, who works as a nurse in Hot Springs. “It was just a good day. I haven’t really been on anything in practice. I just caught the right fish today. I got around the right fish that wanted to bite.” The top 11 boaters finished the tournament: 1st: Bryce Boatright, Sheridan, Ark., five bass, 18-12, $4,652 2nd: Chris Darby, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 18-9, $2,326 3rd: Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 16-15, $1,551 4th: Rance Warden, North Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 15-13, $1,771 5th: Chris Hamilton, Mayflower, Ark., five bass, 15-7, $930 6th: Kiley Lawson, Salem, Ark., five bass, 15-4, $853 7th: Lucas Bradley, Salem, Ark., five bass, 14-15, $775 8th: Allen Stewart, North Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 14-12, $698 9th: Matt Baker, Glenwood, Ark., five bass, 14-1, $550 9th: Braxton Shifflett, Jessieville, Ark., five bass, 14-1, $550 9th: Chris Huselton, Conway, Ark., five bass, 14-1, $550 Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com. Rance Warden of North Little Rock, Arkansas, caught a bass that weighed 6 pounds, 4 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $685.  Robert Joslin of Fort Smith, Arkansas, won the Strike King co-angler division and $2,326 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 13 pounds, 9 ounces. The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished: 1st: Robert Joslin, Fort Smith, Ark., five bass, 13-9, $2,326 2nd: Cody Mangrum, West Memphis, Ark., five bass, 11-10, $1,163 3rd: Victor Jones, Hot Springs Village, Ark., five bass, 11-5, $777 4th: Ramsey Gilbert, Mount Ida, Ark., five bass, 10-14, $543 5th: Blake Ward, Sherwood, Ark., four bass, 10-10, $465 6th: Zachary Ramsey, Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 10-08, $426 7th: Zeke Stevens, Springdale, Ark., five bass, 10-5, $388 8th: Mason Davis, Vilonia, Ark., four bass, 9-11, $691 9th: Zachary Morrow, Lonsdale, Ark., five bass, 9-5, $310 10th: Steve Meredith, Jessieville, Ark., four bass, 9-4, $271 Mason Davis of Vilonia, Arkansas, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $342, catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 4 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day. The next event for BFL Arkie Division anglers will be held March 23, at Greers Ferry in Greers Ferry, Arkansas. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 17-19 BFL Regional tournament on Wright Patman Lake in Texarkana, Texas. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard. The 2024 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. Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota 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. |