| Boater winner Clint Knight of Russellville, Kentucky, and co-angler winner Daniel Nolen of Lexington, Tennessee. |
| Tennessee’s Nolen Tops Co-Angler Division GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. (June 16, 2025) – Boater Clint Knight of Russellville, Kentucky, caught a three-bass limit weighing 15 pounds Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Kentucky-Barkley Lakes . The tournament, hosted by Kentucky Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau, was the third event of the season for the BFL LBL Division. Knight earned $3,794 for his victory. Knight used an old-school Kentucky Lake ledge fishing practice strategy to prepare for this tournament. The key: not actually fishing. “I idled for almost about 14 hours,” he said. “I found 31 schools, and I just tried to be as productive as I could. I didn’t really waste that much time on them. Especially with this being a three-fish tournament (anglers were limited to three bass in their limit), I tried to target 4-plus-pounders. I’ve been so close so many times. I’ve been second through 10th, and I really just wanted to win one so bad.” The preparation paid off. Knight targeted most of his schools in 15 to 25 feet of water. He started right outside the takeoff around Moors resort, then ran to the dam. By the time he was done, he’d fished all the way to Paris, Tennessee. In between, he caught enough good ones, he figures, that his best five would’ve surpassed 24 pounds. The three he brought to weigh-in included a 4 1/2-pound smallmouth – the only smallie he caught all day. “Where I started it helped because I did catch a 5-pounder early,” Knight added. “I had 11-something off my first stop, and throughout the day I kept hitting as many spots as I could. Then about 1 o’clock I had 13 1/2, and I knew I was probably one bite away. I actually found a new school today during the tournament. I was so focused on trying to find a school that was set up correctly. A lot of people had already busted them up. When they’re not set up correctly, it’s very hard to catch a big one.” The new school produced in a big way. Knight landed a 5-plus-pounder, which culled out a 3 1/2, earning him the win by 10 ounces. “I cycled through baits,” he said. “It was kind of a typical ledge deal. I started off with a (Strike King) 8XD, and just watching the Major League Fishing (Bass Pro Tour) last week, seeing how productive a Carolina rig was, I threw that in. And I threw a minnow bait in there, and a big spoon, too. Once I knew they’d seen my bait, if they didn’t bite it the first time, I just tried to keep a good cycle.” For a guy that didn’t even have a true fishing boat until a few years ago, Knight is off to a heck of a start as a tournament angler. The 27-year-old, who works for a masonry company, has earned 16 top-10 finishes across MLF circuits since 2022. That includes finishing fourth in the 2025 BFL All-American just a couple weeks ago. The top 10 boaters finished the tournament: 1st: Clint Knight, Russellville, Ky., three bass, 15-0, $3,794 2nd: Levi Kohl, Edinburg, Ill., three bass, 14-6, $1,897 3rd: Jeff DeFew, Benton, Ky., three bass, 13-11, $1,265 4th: Harlan Thomas, Paducah, Ky., three bass, 13-10, $885 5th: Ryan Kirkpatrick, Benton, Ky., three bass, 13-9, $1,254 6th: Brad Hutcheson, Hornbeak, Tenn., three bass, 13-6, $696 7th: Harbor Lovin, New Concord, Ky., three bass, 13-2, $732 8th: Chase Dempsey, Marion, Ky., three bass, 13-0, $569 9th: Micah Mulvany, Salem, Ill., three bass, 12-11, $506 10th: Sam Boss, Paducah, Ky., three bass, 12-10, $443 Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com. Ryan Kirkpatrick of Benton, Kentucky, caught a bass that weighed 6 pounds, 6 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $495.  Daniel Nolen of Lexington, Tennessee, won the co-angler division and $2,144 Saturday, after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 11 pounds, 3 ounces. The top 10 co-anglers finished: 1st: Daniel Nolen, Lexington, Tenn., three bass, 11-3, $2,144 2nd: Carson Fitzgerald, Whitesville, Ky., three bass, 11-2, $949 3rd: Josh Mileur, Murphysboro, Ill., three bass, 10-13, $633 4th: Mitchell Adams Sr., Smyrna, Tenn., three bass, 9-11, $443 5th: Javon Booker, Beaver Dam, Ky., three bass, 9-6, $379 6th: Adam Lucas, Cape Girardeau, Mo., three bass, 8-15, $348 7th: Hunter Holguin, Knoxville, Tenn., three bass, 8-3, $300 7th: Jeff Johnston, Nashville, Tenn., three bass, 8-3, $300 9th: Jim Elmore, Independence, Ky., three bass, 8-1, $237 9th: Tim Burke, Burlington, Ky., three bass, 8-1, $237 Daniel Nolen of Lexington, Tennessee, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $247, catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 5 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day. After three events, Levi Kohl of Edinburg, Illinois, now leads the Fishing Clash LBL Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 747 points, while Daniel Nolen of Lexington, Tennessee, leads the Fishing Clash LBL Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 744 points. The next event for BFL LBL Division anglers will be held July 12, at Kentucky-Barkley Lakes in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000. The top 60 boaters and co-anglers in the division based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 24-25 BFL Regional tournament on Dale Hollow Lake in Byrdstown, Tennessee. Boaters will fish for a top award of a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard worth $50,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $20,000. The 2025 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 134 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 60 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying tournament winners, will advance to one of 12 BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top three, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. |