| Boater winner Emery Burnett of Appling, Georgia, and co-angler winner Ronnie Cutshall of Piedmont, South Carolina. |
| South Carolina’s Cutshall Earns Victory in Co-Angler Division APPLING, Ga. (Feb. 16, 2026) – Boater Emery Burnett of Appling, Georgia, caught a total of five bass weighing 22 pounds, 1 ounce, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Clarks Hill Lake. The tournament, hosted by Columbia County, Georgia, was the first of five events of the season for the BFL Savannah River Division. Burnett earned $2,420 for his victory. Burnett lives 15 minutes from his home waters of Clarks Hill Lake and said he formed his tournament-day strategy during practice when he found a pattern that he believed would pay off. “I found some schools of good fish out deep – 30 to 35 feet,” Burnett said. “That’s really what I targeted during the tournament – ditches and offshore structure.” Burnett fished the depths with a Greenfish Tackle Bad Little Shad and a Greenfish Tackle Big Rubber Jig. “On the Bad Little Shad I used Spike-It Sonic Coat so I could really see my bait further out at 90 to 100 feet,” Burnett said. “I fished the main lake and caught a total of 10 to 15 keepers. I did most of my damage during the forward-facing period but caught a few keepers later in the day that helped. “I had all my weight by 11 o’clock,” Burnett went on to say. “It was 10:30 when I caught a big one that weighed 6-11. After that I had a good feeling I might have won it.” In the past, Burnett had fished local tournaments with his father, but felt he wanted to branch out and compete in BFL events in 2026. “This win feels amazing,” Burnett said. “To see my dad and grandpa there… was priceless. They are the ones that taught me a ton about fishing.” The top 10 boaters finished the tournament: 1st: Emery Burnett, Appling, Ga., five bass, 22-1, $2,420 2nd: Tanner Hadden, Appling, Ga., five bass, 19-6, $1,160 3rd: Andrew Allen, Waterloo, S.C., five bass, 17-14, $630 4th: Tim Watson, Martin, Ga., five bass, 16-10, $530 5th: Jeremy York, Conyers, Ga., five bass, 15-11, $695 5th: Anthony Marks, Spartanburg, S.C., five bass, 15-11, $445 7th: Darren Ashley, Calhoun Falls, S.C., five bass, 15-7, $410 8th: Tab Anderson, Pendleton, S.C., five bass, 15-0, $385 8th: Robbie Mills, Appling, Ga., five bass, 15-0, $385 10th: Daniel Atkins, Anderson, S.C., five bass, 14-9, $370 Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com. Emery Burnett of Appling, Georgia, earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award after landing a 6-pound, 11-ounce bass worth $200.  Ronnie Cutshall of Piedmont, South Carolina, won the co-angler division and the top prize of $1,210 Saturday after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 10 pounds, 7 ounces. The top 10 co-anglers finished: 1st: Ronnie Cutshall, Piedmont, S.C., three bass, 10-7, $1,210 2nd: Greg West, Powder Springs, Ga., three bass, 10-1, $447 2nd: Chris Coleman, Ware Shoals, S.C., three bass, 10-1, $447 4th: Brennan Gunther, Johns Island, S.C., three bass, 9-14, $265 5th: Chris Pfrogner, Dawsonville, Ga., three bass, 9-11, $235 6th: Shaun Nelson, Canton, N.C., three bass, 8-7, $210 7th: David Allen, Mableton, Ga., three bass, 8-2, $210 8th: Mark Garrett, Six Mile, S.C., three bass, 7-9, $195 9th: Benjie Winkler, Cleveland, Ga., three bass, 7-5, $190 10th: Andy Burgess, Pickens, S.C., three bass, 7-2, $167 10th: Kevin Underwood, Gillsville, Ga., three bass, 7-2, $167 Ronnie Cutshall of Piedmont, South Carolina, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award after landing a 6-pound, 12-ounce bass worth $100. The top 45 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. 22-24 BFL Regional tournament on Watts Bar Lake in Spring City, 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 prize of a new Phoenix 518 pro with a 115-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard, worth $33,500. The 2026 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying tournament winners, will advance to one of six BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top seven, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2026 BFL All-American will take place May 28-30, at Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina, and is hosted by Capital City Lake Murray Country Regional Tourism. For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular BFL updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. |