| Boater winner Ryan Deal of Evansville, Indiana, and co-angler winner Jeff Moorman of Liberty Township, Ohio. |
| Ohio’s Moorman Claims Co-Angler Division LAWRENCEBURG, Ind. (Sept. 22, 2025) – Boater Ryan Deal of Evansville, Indiana, caught a total of 10 bass weighing 18 pounds, 5 ounces, over two days to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on the Ohio River-Tanners Creek. The tournament was the fifth and final event of the season for the BFL Hoosier Division. Deal earned $6,190 for his victory. “I fished in creeks both days and stayed out of the main river,” said Deal. “I caught nine keepers Saturday on a spinnerbait, and eight or nine keepers Sunday on a spinnerbait as well. So, creeks both days and mostly spinnerbait fish did it for me.” Deal said in addition to the spinnerbait, soft plastics accounted for some bass in his weigh-in bag in an area he ran to, 15 miles downriver from takeoff. Saturday Deal had a limit and a kicker bass near four pounds, and he knew he would probably be sitting in the top three after weigh-in. A better-quality bite on Sunday took some of the pressure off him, and he took a 1-pound lead into Sunday. “I knew I had a really good shot at winning if I had a good day to back up my first day,” Deal said. “A 1-pound lead-* is a lot on the Ohio River. And it worked out well. “Wins are few and far between,” said Deal, who notched his fourth career BFL win. “I’ve had 55 top-10s and made the All-American four times, so I’ve had a good career. But even with all of that success, wins are still few and far between. So, it feels great when you get one.” The top 10 boaters finished the tournament: 1st: Ryan Deal, Evansville, Ind., 10 bass, 18-5, $6,190 2nd: Chris Wilkinson, Farmersburg, Ind., 10 bass, 15-8, $2,845 3rd: Pete Justice, Sharonville, Ohio, 10 bass, 15-2, $1,897 4th: Doug Ruster, New Palestine, Ind., 10 bass, 14-5, $1,328 5th: Adrian Urso, Union, Ky., seven bass, 13-11, $1,238 6th: Pat White, Ameila, Ohio, eight bass, 13-11, $1,043 7th: Tony Collins, Dayton, Ohio, 10 bass, 13-10, $1,448 (includes $500 Phoenix Bonus) 8th: Nick Uebelhor, Jasper, Ind., 10 bass, 13-10, $853 9th: Michael Nesbitt, St. Paris, Ohio, 10 bass, 13-7, $759 10th: Blake Knies, Jasper, Ind., nine bass, 12-7, $664 Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com. Chad Mrazek of Montgomery, Texas, caught a bass that weighed 4 pounds, 7 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $742.  Jeff Moorman of Liberty Township, Ohio, won the co-angler division and $3,095 Sunday, after bringing six bass to the scale that totaled 7 pounds, 14 ounces. The top 10 co-anglers finished: 1st: Jeff Moorman, Liberty Township, Ohio, six bass, 7-14, $3,095 2nd: Gary Higgins, Bloomfield, Ind., six bass, 7-6, $1,422 3rd: Brad Hostetler Sr., Nineveh, Ind., four bass, 7-2, $948 4th: Adam Troyer, Brownsburg, Ind., four bass, 7-0, $1,035 5th: Billy French, Hamilton, Ohio, four bass, 6-15, $569 6th: Jeffrey Smith, West Chester, Ohio, five bass, 6-12, $522 7th: Nickolas Myers, Zionsville, Ind., four bass, 6-10, $474 8th: Nathaniel Hester, Indianapolis, Ind., five bass, 6-4, $427 9th: Michael Stevenson, Leitchfield, Ky., four bass, 5-13, $379 10th: Dan Pardue, Morgantown, Ind., five bass, 5-11, $382 Adam Troyer of Brownsburg, Indiana, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $371, catching a bass that weighed in at 3 pounds, 7 ounces. With all five events in the division now complete, boater Chris Wilkinson of Farmersburg, Indiana, won the Fishing Clash Hoosier Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 1,327 points and earned the $1,000 prize, while Derek Jackson of New Albany, Indiana, won the Fishing Clash Hoosier Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 1,243 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. 10-11 BFL Regional tournament on Kentucky-Barkley Lake in Buchanan, 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. |
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.