| Boater winner Rick Hawkins of Roanoke, Virginia, and co-angler winner James Roten of West Jefferson, North Carolina. |
| North Carolina’s Roten Claims Co-Angler Division MARBURY, Md. (Sept. 8, 2025) – Boater Rick Hawkins of Roanoke, Virginia, caught a total of 10 bass weighing 33 pounds, 5 ounces, over two days to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Super Tournament (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on the Potomac River . The tournament, hosted by Charles County Recreation, Parks, and Tourism, was the fifth and final regular-season event of the season for the BFL Shenandoah Division. Hawkins earned $6,230 for his victory. “I had decided I was going to slow down and jig fish and drop-shot fish and really pick the cover apart,” Hawkins said. “I did that and only got five bites Saturday and seven bites on Sunday. Most of the guys who were fishing grass were catching tons of fish, just not large fish. That was the difference. I was fishing for the large bite.” Hawkins said his baits of choice were a Missile Baits jig in green pumpkin or black and blue, and an oxblood-colored Missile Baits Magic Worm. He focused his efforts on deeper banks and drop-offs north of Mattawoman Creek that featured wood, rock or grass or a combination of the three. Hawkins said he didn’t have a bite until 10 o’clock on Sunday morning, but his first bass checked in at 5 pounds. “I thought, ‘Well, that’s a good start,’” Hawkins said. “And about every hour I would get another bite. And each fish I caught was fairly large. I didn’t catch them on the same spot; I just pounded away and kept switching banks. When I caught my fourth fish, I knew I had a chance to win. I needed just one more bite.” Hawkins said he managed two more bites, resulting in a cull and the win. “The Potomac River has been somewhat of a thorn in my side for quite some time,” Hawkins said. “When I was younger, I won a lot of tournaments on the Potomac, and now I’m getting a little further along in age. I wondered when (the Potomac) was going to give me a little bit of something again, and it finally did. “I’m shocked, really, that it actually happened,” Hawkins added. “I thought when I was getting the quality bites I could have a chance. That’s the difference on the Potomac – the bigger bite. You either need a kicker fish or a good average. Well, I kind of had two kickers, and everything else was kind of large, too.” The top 10 boaters finished the tournament: 1st: Rick Hawkins, Roanoke, Va., 10 bass, 33-5, $6,230 2nd: Broderick Luckey, Lynchburg, Va., 10 bass, 30-3, $3,215 3rd: Tom Bateman, Welcome, Md., 10 bass, 29-13, $2,577 4th: Andrew George, Poplar Branch, N.C., 10 bass, 29-9, $1,954 (includes $500 Phoenix Bonus) 5th: Richard Hodges Jr, Camden, N.C., 10 bass, 29-1, $1,246 6th: Jackson Pleasant, Four Oaks, N.C., 10 bass, 28-8, $1,142 7th: Brandon Miskell, Vienna, Va., 10 bass, 27-14, $1,038 8th: Aaron Dixon, Bel Alton, Md., 10 bass, 27-0, $934 9th: Thomas Milton, Chester, Va., 10 bass, 26-14, $831 10th: Lenny Baird, Stafford, Va., 10 bass, 26-7, $727 Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com. James Maupin of Stanardsville, Virginia, caught a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 7 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $855.  James Roten of West Jefferson, North Carolina, won the co-angler division and $3,115 Sunday, after bringing a two-day total of six bass to the scale that totaled 18 pounds, 8 ounces. The top 10 co-anglers finished: 1st: James Roten, West Jefferson, N.C., six bass, 18-8, $3,115 2nd: John Lambert, Fredericksburg, Va, six bass, 16-7, $1,557 3rd: Nathan Routzahn, Myersville, Md., six bass, 16-4, $1,040 4th: Akira Okuyama, Rego Park, N.Y., six bass, 15-14, $727 5th: Cornell Badra, Clarksburg, Md., six bass, 15-1, $623 6th: Jeff Bender, Glenshaw, Pa., six bass, 14-8, $571 7th: Michael Duarte, Baltimore, Md., six bass, 14-2, $519 8th: Hampton Robinson, Bealeton, Va., six bass, 14-2, $467 9th: Eric Nelson, Gainesville, Va., six bass, 14-2, $415 10th: Zhengrong Tang, Berwyn, Pa., six bass, 14-1, $790 Zhengrong Tang of Berwyn, Pennsylvania, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $427, catching a bass that weighed in at 4 pounds, 2 ounces. With all five events in the division now complete, boater Broderick Luckey of Lynchburg, Virginia, won the Fishing Clash Shenandoah Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 1,309 points and earned the $1,000 prize, while Hampton Robinson of Bealeton, Virginia, won the Fishing Clash Shenandoah Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 1,251 points and earned the $500 payout. 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 James River in Richmond, Virginia. 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. |
