| Boater winner Dylan Nutt of Nashville, Tennessee, and Strike-King co-angler winner Isiah Kelly of Memphis, Tennessee. |
| Memphis’ Kelly Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division IUKA, Miss. (Sept. 23, 2024) – Boater Dylan Nutt of Nashville, Tennessee, caught a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 47 pounds, 14 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine Super Tournament on Pickwick Lake Presented by Suzuki Marine . The tournament, which concluded Sunday, was the fifth and final event of the season for the BFL Mississippi Division. Nutt earned $4,651 for his victory. Nutt is a great example of a collegiate angler making the most of his opportunities. The junior at the University of North Alabama (UNA) started the year by winning an Abu Garcia College Fishing tournament on the Harris Chain of Lakes. Now, he’s shown what he can do against the best weekend anglers by winning the BFL Super Tournament on Pickwick. To further illustrate the quality of the UNA bass fishing program, Nutt finished just 10 ounces ahead of Banks Shaw, a fellow UNA angler and Nutt’s own roommate. To get it done on Pickwick, Nutt had a two-part pattern. “In practice, I located a few schools of fish, and I had one pretty good topwater spot in the morning that was big,” he said. “I caught big ones off it both mornings. Other than that, I caught all my fish on a Scottsboro Tackle Co. Sniper Shad on a Damiki rig and also a Scottsboro Tackle Co. 3/4-ounce football jig. “Saturday, I caught ’em pretty quick. I had most of my weight by about 8 o’clock, but Sunday was kind of slower. I caught fish throughout the day, but it was definitely better in the afternoon.” Nutt targeted a couple keys schools of ledge fish as well as a few spots that, as a local, he knew he could rely on if needed. While he caught some of the fish using forward-facing sonar, Nutt found the jig to be more productive for getting bigger bites. “It really just depended,” he said. “It seemed like I could throw a Damiki rig in there with that Sniper Shad and catch one or two, then I’d have to throw a jig in there. It would just be slow. That’s what I had a lot of my better bites on.” The top 10 boaters finished the tournament: 1st: Dylan Nutt, Nashville, Tenn., 10 bass, 47-14, $4,651 2nd: Banks Shaw, Harrison, Tenn., 10 bass, 47-4, $2,700 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus) 3rd: Hunter Nanney, Iuka, Miss., 10 bass, 33-10, $1,466 4th: Luke Glasgow, Guin, Ala., nine bass, 33-8, $1,027 5th: Donny Beck, Killen, Ala., 10 bass, 32-13, $880 6th: Lake Johnson, Trinity, Ala., 10 bass, 32-5, $807 7th: Michael Swider, Oxford, Miss., nine bass, 28-3, $733 8th: Mitch Crane, Columbus, Miss., 10 bass, 27-7, $660 9th: Tim McDaniel, Grenada, Miss., 10 bass, 25-7, $587 10th: Chris Quaintance, Muscle Shoals, Ala., nine bass, 22-2, $513 Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com. Nutt and Skip Howell of Okolona, Mississippi, split the Berkley Big Bass Boater award, each taking home $251 for catching a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 4 ounces.  Isiah Kelly of Memphis, Tennessee, won the Strike King co-angler division and $2,162 Sunday, after bringing a two-day total of six bass to the scale that weighed 13 pounds, 11 ounces. The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished: 1st: Isiah Kelly, Memphis, Tenn., six bass, 13-11, $2,162 2nd: Brandon Mast, Mathiston, Miss., five bass, 10-13, $1,081 3rd: Jeffery Reece, Guys, Tenn., four bass, 10-10, $723 4th: Christopher Daughdrill, Foxworth, Miss., four bass, 10-9, $505 5th: Troy Ladner, Bay Saint Louis, Miss., four bass, 8-12, $532 6th: Bobby McKee, Cedar Bluff, Miss., three bass, 8-11, $396 7th: Brent Willey, Anderson, S.C., three bass, 7-15, $360 8th: Reggie Thornton, Columbus, Miss., three bass, 6-12, $324 9th: Anthony Rasberry, New Albany, Miss., three bass, 6-12, $288 10th: John Bates, Hartselle, Ala., two bass, 6-10, $492 John Bates of Hartselle, Alabama, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $240, catching a bass that weighed in at 4 pounds, 12 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the tournament. At the conclusion of the tournament, Dakota Fleming of Oak Grove, Louisiana, was crowned the Fishing Clash Mississippi Division Angler of the Year (AOY) with 1,337 points to earn the $1,000 AOY payout, while Thomas Smith of Brandon, Mississippi, won the Fishing Clash Mississippi Division Co-angler of the Year race with 1,338 points and earned the $500 award. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, have qualified 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. The 2025 BFL All-American will take place May 29-31, 2025, at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by hosted by Visit Hot Springs and the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism. 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. |
