| Boater winner John Anderson of Bay Springs, Mississippi, and Strike-King co-angler winner Maxwell Brown of Gonzales, Louisiana. |
| Louisiana’s Brown Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division GREENVILLE, Miss. (July 22, 2024) – Boater John Anderson of Bay Springs, Mississippi, caught a five-bass limit weighing 10 pounds even Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Ferguson . The tournament was the fourth event of the season for the BFL Mississippi Division. Anderson earned $5,401, including the lucrative $2,500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus, for his victory. Anderson summed up the Lake Ferguson event in just four words: “It was very tough.” A combination of factors impacted the fishing and forced Anderson to get a little creative with his practice. He sampled oxbows and other waters as far as 100 miles away on the connected Mississippi River. Several fruitless practice stops had him scratching his head until finally he found a clue. “I ran to another chute farther north up the river. I was fishing some current in the river, and that’s where I wound up finding fish to potentially win the tournament,” he said. “I didn’t really know what I had until I got up there this morning (on tournament day). It took me an hour and 25 minutes (to get there from launch).” Anderson got to his primary spot and immediately caught three keepers. His second spot produced zero bass. “Then I pulled up to my third spot, which I didn’t even know. I just saw something that looked good on the side of the river,” he said. “I pulled in there and the fish started schooling, and I caught roughly 20 bass on consecutive casts.” When Anderson moved again, he made one last upgrade before having to start his trip back to weigh-in before noon. Anderson’s key areas were all on the main river and varied from just 2 feet deep down to 18 feet of water. Current breaks were the key. The winning baits included a jighead minnow, which Anderson fished while using Garmin LiveScope, and a shallow-diving crankbait, which he used to catch the schoolers. “I put in a lot of work, and it paid off,” he said. “I did not expect 10 pounds to win the tournament. But I’m not going to give it up.” The top 10 boaters finished the tournament: 1st: John Anderson, Bay Springs, Miss., five bass, 10-0, $5,401 (includes $2,500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus) 2nd: Dakota Fleming, Oak Grove, La., two bass, 6-4, $1,301 3rd: Blake Hodge, Oxford, Miss., three bass, 6-3, $867 4th: Jacob Long, Batesville, Miss., three bass, 6-2, $607 5th: Andrew Schrock, Smithville, Miss., two bass, 5-7, $520 6th: Kevin Bovia, Mandeville, La., one bass, 4-8, $757 7th: Mark Clark, Crawford, Miss., two bass, 4-6, $434 8th: Billy J-Hawk Brooks, Southaven, Miss., one bass, 4-3, $390 9th: Jeff Johnston, Marion, Ark., two bass, 3-12, $347 10th: Tim McDaniel, Grenada, Miss., one bass, 3-1, $303 Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com. Kevin Bovia of Mandeville, Louisiana, caught a bass that weighed 4 pounds, 8 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $280.  Maxwell Brown of Gonzales, Louisiana, won the Strike King co-angler division and $1,301 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 6 pounds, 1 ounce. The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished: 1st: Maxwell Brown, Gonzales, La., five bass, 6-1, $1,301 2nd: Bubba Wright, Ridgeland, Miss., one bass, 4-14, $790 3rd: Brayden Gray, Pontotoc, Miss., one bass, 2-12, $434 4th: Wally Northam, Olive Branch, Miss., one bass, 2-4, $303 5th: Thomas Smith, Brandon, Miss., one bass, 2-0, $260 6th: Ryan LeCompte, Picayune, Miss., one bass, 1-14, $238 7th: Jesse Steadham, Byram, Miss., one bass, 1-12, $217 8th: Isiah Kelly, Memphis, Tenn., one bass, 1-11, $195 9th: Travis Culbreth, Pearl, Miss., one bass, 1-10, $173 10th: Adam Davis, Nesbit, Miss., one bass, 1-8, $152 Bubba Wright of Ridgeland, Mississippi, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $140, catching a bass that weighed in at 4 pounds, 14 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day. After four events, Dakota Fleming of Oak Grove, Louisiana, leads the Fishing Clash Mississippi Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 982 points, while Thomas Smith of Brandon, Mississippi, leads the Fishing Clash Mississippi Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 978 points. The next event for BFL Mississippi Division anglers will be held Sept. 21-22 at Pickwick Lake in Iuka, Mississippi. 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, PowerStop Brakes, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters 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. |
