| Boater Charles Williams of Clarksville, Arkansas, and co-angler John McCullar of Benton, Arkansas. |
Benton’s McCullar Earns Victory in Co-Angler Division RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. (May 18, 2026) – Boater Charles Williams of Clarksville, Arkansas, caught five bass totaling 23 pounds even to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Dardanelle . The tournament, hosted by Russellville Tourism, was the fourth of five events of the season for the BFL Arkie Division. Williams earned $10,150, including the lucrative $7,000 Phoenix MLF Bonus, for his victory. Williams had a stellar day on Lake Dardanelle, targeting wind-blown mats around the Spadra area to earn his third career BFL victory. Focusing on shallow water where wind and current positioned fish correctly, Williams spent the day swimming a jig around matted cover and isolated targets. “We were focusing on mats and the things the wind was blowing into,” Williams said. “The wind had to be hitting it just right.” Using a Strike King swimjig in a sexy shad color paired with a white Zoom Speed Craw trailer, Williams was able to generate consistent quality bites throughout the day. “Everything I caught came on that swimjig,” he said. After boating around 17 pounds by 10 a.m., Williams continued upgrading through midday, including two of his biggest fish around noon. “I got three more after 10 that put me up over 23 pounds,” he said. Williams credited quickly recognizing how the fish were positioned in relation to both the wind and river flow as the key to victory. “Figuring the pattern out early and running with it all day,” he explained. “Once I got figured out how they were set up in the wind versus how the river flows, and the depth range around 2 to 3 feet, I was able to run that pattern all the way back down to weigh-in.” The top 10 boaters finished the tournament: 1st: Charles Williams, Clarksville, Ark., five bass, 23-0, $10,150 (includes $7,000 Phoenix Bonus) 2nd: Walker Woodall, Benton, Ark., five bass, 22-11, $1,590 3rd: Mike Rhinehart, Pottsville, Ark., five bass, 19-4, $910 4th: Jon Paulovich, Benton, Ark., five bass, 18-14, $650 5th: Brandon Lee, Ratcliff, Ark., five bass, 18-8, $730 5th: Matt Baker, Glenwood, Ark., five bass, 18-8, $500 7th: Ben Blaschke, Roland, Okla., five bass, 17-2, $480 7th: Zack Freeman, Russellville, Ark., five bass, 17-2, $460 9th: Shawn Gordon, Russellville, Ark., five bass, 16-15, $630 10th: Leland Nixon, Bee Branch, Ark., five bass, 16-11, $430 Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com. Mike Scoggins of Danville, Arkansas, earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award after landing a 5-pound, 15-ounce bass worth $200.  John McCullar of Benton, Arkansas, won the co-angler division on Saturday with a three-bass limit that weighed in at 10 pounds, 9 ounces. McCullar brought home $1,865 for his victory. The top 10 co-anglers finished: 1st: John McCullar, Benton, Ark., three bass, 10-9, $1,865 2nd: Michael Snowden, Malvern, Ark., three bass, 10-8, $885 3rd: Alan Bernicky, Dardanelle, Ark., three bass, 10-1, $550 3rd: Cole Allen, Carlisle, Ark., three bass, 10-1, $550 5th: Joe Tucker, Osceola, Mo., three bass, 9-15, $315 6th: Ray Cates, Texarkana, Ark., three bass, 9-8, $270 7th: Randy Allen, Russellville, Ark., three bass, 8-13, $252 7th: Tony Wherry, Malvern, Ark., three bass, 8-13, $252 9th: Jason Phillips, Rison, Ark., three bass, 8-7, $240 10th: Ricco Johnson, Conway, Ark., three bass, 8-4, $225 McCullar also earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award after landing a 5-pound, 6-ounce bass worth $100. After four events, Matt Baker of Glenwood, Arkansas, leads the 7 Brew Arkie Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 990 points, while Alan Bernicky of Dardanelle, Arkansas, leads the Arkie Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 985 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. 22-24 BFL Regional tournament on Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma. 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. |
