| Boater winner Kaden Buchmann of Troutman, North Carolina, and co-angler winner Kevin Henderson of Honea Path, South Carolina. |
| South Carolina’s Henderson Tops Co-Angler Division ANDERSON, S.C. (Sept. 29, 2025) – Boater Kaden Buchmann of Troutman, North Carolina, caught a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 36 pounds, 7 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Hartwell. The tournament, hosted by Visit Anderson, was the fifth and final event of the season for the BFL Savannah River Division. Buchmann earned $5,814 for his victory. Buchmann said he didn’t practice much for the two-day event. Buchmann had never posted a top-10 finish at Lake Hartwell and said he didn’t have high expectations for the tournament. “This didn’t happen like I figured it would,” said Buchmann. “I had 6 pounds the first day at 9 or 10 o’clock. Then I caught a couple of good ones, lost a couple and kind of pulled my way up, and before I knew it, I was sitting at 17 or 18 pounds. I thought, ‘Dang, I didn’t expect this to happen today.’ “I didn’t fish very clean Saturday, but it was a much better day for me,” Buchmann went on to say about the two-day tournament. “The bass were way more active.” Buchmann said a change in weather played a big factor for him in the tournament on Sunday. Saturday’s skies were cloudy, there wasn’t much wind and a bit of rain made for a better bite. Sunday was sunny and windy, and his bite slowed significantly. Buchmann used a combination of observing banks, maps and contours to put together a plan to fish “anything that looked good.” “I didn’t catch one anywhere I’d caught one before until this weekend,” Buchmann said. “I just went fishing.” Buchmann’s key baits included a ½-ounce Muffin Top jig, a Shane’s Baits buzzbait and a Queen Tackle jighead. “I caught one that went about 6 pounds around lunch time, and I thought, ‘Well, that was a nice boost,’” Buchmann said. “I thought I had a pretty good shot overall because of how my first day went. Then I caught one about 3½ pounds with an hour to go. I felt really good then. “This feels unbelievable,” Buchmann added with a laugh. “I was not expecting a win at Hartwell this year at all.” The top 10 boaters finished the tournament: 1st: Kaden Buchmann, Troutman, N.C., 10 bass, 36-7, $5,814 2nd: Chase Carey, Hoschton, Ga., 10 bass, 34-3, $3,039 3rd: Greg Glouse, Liberty, S.C., 10 bass, 30-1, $1,694 4th: Lane Parker, Waleska, Ga., 10 bass, 30-0, $1,185 5th: Troy Harris, Watkinsville, Ga., 10 bass, 29-7, $1,015 6th: Brad Benfield, Demorest, Ga., 10 bass, 29-4, $1,431 (includes $500 Phoenix Bonus) 7th: Jayme Rampey, Liberty, S.C., 10 bass, 28-13, $846 8th: Hunter Dill, Travelers Rest, S.C., 10 bass, 28-6, $762 9th: Keaton Owens, Inman, S.C., 10 bass, 28-3, $677 10th: Bradley Day, Anderson, S.C., 10 bass, 27-1, $592 Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com. Buchmann caught a bass that weighed 4 pounds, 11 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $637.  Kevin Henderson of Honea Path, South Carolina, won the co-angler division and $2,539 Sunday, after bringing six bass to the scale that totaled 16 pounds, 1 ounce. The top 10 co-anglers finished: 1st: Kevin Henderson Honea Path, S.C., six bass, 16-1, $2,539 2nd: Jeff Rikard, Leesville, S.C., six bass, 13-13, $1,269 3rd: Dusty Wood, Belton, S.C., six bass, 13-13, $846 4th: Thomas Pennell III, Boiling Springs, S.C., six bass, 13-3, $911 5th: Chris Wilson, Easley, S.C., six bass, 12-8, $508 6th: Ronnie Cutshall, Piedmont, S.C., six bass, 11-12, $465 7th: Dwayne Parton, Anderson, S.C., six bass, 11-7, $423 8th: Corey Veal, Royston, Ga., six bass, 11-6, $381 9th: Benjie Winkler, Cleveland, Ga., six bass, 11-2, $339 10th: Bryan Ramey, Easley, S.C., six bass, 10-0, $296 Thomas Pennell III of Boiling Springs, South Carolina, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $319, catching a bass that weighed in at 4 pounds, 12 ounces. With all five events in the division now complete, boater Lane Parker of Waleska, Georgia, won the Fishing Clash Savannah River Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 1,335 points and earned the $1,000 prize, while Chase Gurkin of Simpsonville, South Carolina, won the Fishing Clash Savannah River Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 1,306 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 Lake Murray in Columbia, South 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. |