| Boater winner David Winters of Rock Hill, South Carolina, and co-angler winner Mark Lee of Gastonia, North Carolina. |
| North Carolina’s Lee Earns Victory in Co-Angler Division YORK, S.C. (March 9, 2026) – Boater David Winters of Rock Hill, South Carolina, caught a total of five bass weighing 19 pounds, 1 ounce, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Wylie. The tournament, hosted by Visit York County, was the second of five events of the season for the BFL North Carolina Division. Winters earned $2,780 for his victory. Winters said he focused his efforts on the lower end of Lake Wylie, between Nivens Creek and Allison Creek Park. “My practice wasn’t so great,” Winters said. “I found a few areas that showed promise, but I never got any bites to amount to anything in practice. “I ran straight to my first area where I had found them schooling the day before, and the first fish I caught was a 4-pounder,” Winters went on to say. “That was a good start to get me motivated and get me going.” Winters said he left that area with a limit of 12 pounds on a jerkbait and headed to his second area, but Winters found the fishing slow there. He switched baits to an old favorite to try to change his luck. “I changed to a Rapala Shad Rap 5 Crankbait, which is an old-school bait everybody kind of laughs about and nobody really throws anymore. I caught a 5-pounder and culled a couple of more times.” Winters said his attack was a hodge-podge of springtime shallow-water fishing tactics, and he finished up his day throwing a jig when the sun popped out. “I was looking for shallow bait,” Winters said. “Most of the bait right now is holding on gravel and clay banks. I know the lake; I’ve fished here for 20 years. I was just moving from spot to spot. “I’ve been close to winning so many times and couldn’t get to the top, but this time it all panned out,” Winters added. “Honestly, I don’t know this has set in for me yet. It feels good. Now I just want to get the next win.” The top 10 boaters finished the tournament: 1st: David Winters, Rock Hill, S.C., five bass, 19-1, $2,780 2nd: Daniel Sparks, Kingstown, N.C., five bass, 16-9, $1,420 3rd: Ron Farrow, Rock Hill, S.C., five bass, 16-8, $740 4th: Kaden Buchmann, Troutman, N.C., five bass, 15-14, $700 5th: Michael Stephens, Gastonia, N.C., five bass, 15-12, $530 6th: Keith Roberts, Hurt, Va., five bass, 15-9, $460 7th: Jake Monti, Mooresville, N.C., five bass, 14-5, $950 (includes $500 Phoenix bonus) 8th: Logan Anderson, Sherrills Ford, N.C., five bass, 14-2, $430 9th: Travis Donaldson, Cleveland, N.C., five bass, 13-15, $410 10th: Joey Outlaw, Camden, S.C., five bass, 13-14, $400 Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com. Chad Sims of Lancaster, South Carolina, earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award after landing a 5-pound, 14-ounce bass worth $200.  Mark Lee of Gastonia, North Carolina, won the co-angler division and the top prize of $1,540 Saturday after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 11 pounds, 9 ounces. The top 10 co-anglers finished: 1st: Mark Lee, Gastonia, N.C., three bass, 11-9, $1,540 2nd: Justin Bach, Kannapolis, N.C., three bass, 10-1, $710 3rd: James Roten, West Jefferson, N.C., three bass, 9-10, $370 4th: Dustan Hudson, Grover, N.C., three bass, 8-14, $300 5th: Colby Shuping, Boomer, N.C., three bass, 8-5, $247 5th: Riley Smallwood, Shallotte, N.C., three bass, 8-5, $247 7th: Marvin Godard, Charlotte, N.C., three bass, 7-15, $322 7th: Thomas Pennell III, Boiling Springs, S.C., three bass, 7-15, $222 9th: Brandon Lawson, Union, S.C., three bass, 6-13, $210 10th: Dale Surrett, Midland, N.C., three bass, 6-8, $175 10th: Todd Huntley, Inman, S.C., three bass, 6-8, $175 Mark Lee of Gastonia, North Carolina, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award after landing a 5-pound, 5-ounce bass worth $100. After two events, Kaden Buchmann of Troutman, North Carolina, now leads the 7 Brew North Carolina Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 497 points, while Todd Huntley of Inman, South Carolina, leads the North Carolina Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 491 points. 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. 15-17 BFL Regional tournament on Clarks Hill Lake in Appling, Georgia. 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. |