| Boater winner Donald Miller of Harlem, Georgia, and co-angler winners Scott McKay of New London, North Carolina, and John Long of Grovetown, Georgia. |
North Carolina’s Scott McKay and Georgia’s John Long Tie to Top Co-Angler Division APPLING, Ga. (June 23, 2025) – Boater Donald Miller of Harlem, Georgia, caught a three-bass limit weighing 15 pounds, 9 ounces Saturday to win the Major League Fishing (MLF) Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Clarks Hill Lake . The tournament was the fourth event of the season for the BFL South Carolina Division. Miller earned $3,747 for his victory. The Georgia boater said he was excited to be fishing on his home lake again, and to secure his first career win targeting storm-downed trees with a shallow-water game plan. “We had a storm come through in October, and it knocked down a lot of trees around the bank,” Miller explained. “I practiced a couple days before the tournament and found some fish in those blowdowns.” Despite the promising practice, Miller said the competition day started slow. “I thought I’d get some bites early on, but I didn’t have a single fish at 10 a.m.,” he said. “I reckon they didn’t move in until after 10 that morning.” Once the bite turned on, however, Miller was in it for the win. “I was fishing swim jigs, Rebel Pop-R’s, and jerkbaits around those blowdowns,” he added. “That’s where I caught my biggest two – both six-pounders – and I caught one off of a rock bank. I had six keepers, but the league changed the limit to three fish due to the excessive heat, so that made it better.” The win was especially meaningful for the Clarks Hill local. “This is my first career win, although I came in second on Clarks Hill Lake two years ago,” Miller said. “I had two dead fish and lost that event by one ounce. So, this definitely feels like redemption.” The top 10 boaters finished the tournament: 1st: Donald Miller, Harlem, Ga., three bass, 15-9, $3,747 2nd: Joey Outlaw, Camden, S.C., three bass, 13-10, $1,668 3rd: Michael Murphy, Gilbert, S.C., three bass, 11-3, $1,112 4th: Jack Story, Atlanta, Ga., three bass, 11-2, $779 5th: Carl Smith, Lugoff, S.C., three bass, 10-9, $639 5th: Colby Cotterill, Charlotte, N.C., three bass, 10-9, $639 7th: Donald Poteat, Connellys Springs, N.C., three bass, 10-7, $528 7th: Darren Ashley, Calhoun Falls, S.C., three bass, 10-7, $528 9th: Bart Blackburn, North Augusta, S.C., three bass, 9-14, $445 10th: Matt O’Connell, Brooks, Ga., three bass, 9-11, $1,114 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Bonus) Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com. Miller caught a bass that weighed 6 pounds even to earn the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $410. Scott McKay of New London, North Carolina, and John Long of Grovetown, Georgia, tied for the win in the co-angler division to take home $1,251 each on Saturday, after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 7 pounds, 10 ounces. The top 10 co-anglers finished: 1st: Scott McKay, New London, N.C., three bass, 7-10, $1,251 1st: John Long, Grovetown, Ga., three bass, 7-10, $1,251 3rd: Doug Devall, Sumter, S.C., two bass, 7-7, $763 4th: Thomas Smith, Woodruff, S.C., three bass, 6-15, $389 5th: Riley Smallwood, Shallotte, N.C., three bass, 6-14, $484 6th: Jaxson Turner, Landrum, S.C., three bass, 6-12, $306 7th: Stephen Waldon, Ellenwood, Ga., two bass, 6-5, $278 8th: Carson Eckard, Taylorsville, N.C., three bass, 6-3, $250 9th: Bobby Smith, Asheville, N.C., three bass, 6-1, $222 10th: Sam Spencer, Hudson, N.C., three bass, 5-13, $195 Devall earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $205, catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 3 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day. After four events, Lucas Murphy of West Columbia, South Carolina, now leads the Fishing Clash South Carolina Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 966 points, while Thomas Pennell III of Boiling Springs, South Carolina, leads the Fishing Clash South Carolina Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 943 points. The next event for BFL South Carolina Division anglers will be held Sept. 6-7 – the Phoenix BFL Super Tournament at Lake Murray in Prosperity, South Carolina. 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. 3-4 BFL Regional tournament on Lake Norman in Huntersville, North Carolina. 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. |