| Boater winner Brennon McCord of Thompsonville, Illinois, and co-angler winner Gage Smith of Shelbyville, Illinois. |
| Shelbyville’s Smith Wins Co-Angler Division WHITTINGTON, Ill. (April 13, 2026) – Boater Brennon McCord of Thompsonville, Illinois, brought five bass to the scale weighing 18 pounds even to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Rend Lake. The tournament, hosted by Seasons Lodge at Rend Lake, was the first of five events of the season for the BFL Illini Division. McCord earned $5,840, including a $2,500 Phoenix contingency bonus, for his victory. “I caught three flipping and two on a ChatterBait,” McCord said. “I was pretty much targeting wood and fishing for spawners in the pockets.” With low water levels positioning fish tighter to available cover, McCord said the conditions helped concentrate bass, but heavy fishing pressure made execution critical throughout the day. “The water’s low, so there’s nowhere for them to really hide,” McCord said. “It’s kind of congregating them, but they’re getting a lot of pressure too, so it made it tough.” McCord stayed committed to his pattern around isolated wood and was able to steadily upgrade his limit as the day progressed. “I culled three times,” McCord went on to say. The top 10 boaters finished the tournament: 1st: Brennon McCord, Thompsonville, Ill., five bass, 18-0, $5,840 (includes $2,500 Phoenix bonus) 2nd: Jeremy Mull, Pawnee, Ill., five bass, 17-13, $1,680 3rd: Adam Eggertsen, Marion, Ill., five bass, 16-14, $850 4th: Matthew Warren, Benton, Ill., four bass, 15-12, $680 5th: Greg Mullins, Mount Vernon, Ill., five bass, 14-11, $700 6th: Jeffrey Farmer, Sesser, Ill., four bass, 14-10, $520 7th: Mario Rossi, Granite City, Ill., four bass, 12-8, $500 8th: Lonnie Bowlin, Benton, Ill., four bass, 11-9, $470 9th: Chad Diedrich, Nashville, Ill., four bass, 11-9, $470 10th: Dan Shoraga, West Frankfort, Ill., two bass, 11-3, $630 Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com. Boater Dan Shoraga of West Frankfort, Illinois, also earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award honors with an 8-pound, 7-ounce bass worth $200.  Gage Smith of Shelbyville, Illinois, won the co-angler division and the top prize of $1,770 Saturday after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 12 pounds, 1 ounce. The top 10 co-anglers finished: 1st: Gage Smith, Shelbyville, Ill., three bass, 12-1, $1,770 2nd: Jeff Anderson, St. Louis, Mo., two bass, 9-13, $840 3rd: Thomas Heintz, Marion, Ill., three bass, 9-11, $425 3rd: Hayden Landreth, Texico, Ill., three bass, 9-10, $340 5th: Gage Elder, Decatur, Ill., two bass, 8-13, $300 6th: Amanda Black, Toledo, Ill., three bass, 8-6, $260 6th: Ross Davis, St. Elmo, Ill., three bass, 6-9, $250 8th: Gary Huber II, St. Charles, Mo., three bass, 6-3, $240 9th: Joey Fritts, Red Bud, Ill., two bass, 5-11, $230 10th: Dennis Spell, Bonne Terre, Mo., two bass, 5-7, $215 Smith also earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award after landing a 5-pound, 13-ounce bass worth $100. After one event, Brennon McCord now leads the 7 Brew Illini Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 250 points, while Gage Smith leads the Illini Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 250 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 Kentucky Lake in Calvert City, Kentucky. 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. |