| Boater Joshua Tyner of Spencer, Indiana, and Strike-King co-angler Gabe Montgomery of Jackson, Missouri. |
Missouri’s Montgomery Tops Co-Angler Division WHITTINGTON, Ill. (July 21, 2025) – Boater Joshua Tyner of Spencer, Indiana, caught a five-bass limit weighing 16 pounds, 8 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Rend Lake Presented by Suzuki Marine . The tournament, hosted by Seasons Lodge at Rend Lake, was the fourth event of the season for the BFL Illini Division. Tyner earned $3,417 for his victory. Sometimes the worst practices lead to the best tournaments. For Tyner, that certainly was the case. After a terrible practice, he decided he’d fish an area where he has some history on the lake. Then he caught a lucky break on tournament day. “I had a good boat draw,” he said. “I was boat four and was able to get on my starting spot. Within three casts, I caught my big fish of the day. That kind of set me up for the day. I was able to slow down and stay in that area and not run around. I had planned on running and gunning. That kept me in that one area, and I was able to catch five keepers there.” Tyner’s big fish was a 5-pounder. He caught that kicker and all his fish in a creek arm on the lower end of the lake, primarily targeting rock and wood. “I caught all my fish on two baits,” he added. “I caught them on a tube and a Neko rig.” The top 10 boaters finished the tournament: 1st: Joshua Tyner, Spencer, Ind., five bass, 16-8, $3,417 2nd: Jeremy Mull, Pawnee, Ill., five bass, 13-7, $1,989 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus) 3rd: Riley Walk, Neoga, Ill., five bass, 12-14, $992 4th: Adam Brookman, Bonnie, Ill., five bass, 11-10, $695 5th: Mike Hudson, Creal Springs, Ill., five bass, 11-9, $595 6th: Dan Shoraga, West Frankfort, Ill., five bass, 11-6, $546 7th: Richard Skiff, Edwardsville, Ill., three bass, 10-2, $496 8th: Brennon McCord, Thompsonville, Ill., five bass, 9-13, $447 9th: Chad Dunn, Poseyville, Ind., four bass, 9-6, $397 10th: Anthony Balding Jr., Arnold, Mo., four bass, 9-5, $347 Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com. Tyner caught a bass that weighed 5 pounds and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $340.  Gabe Montgomery of Jackson, Missouri, won the co-angler division and $1,489 Saturday, after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 9 pounds, 12 ounces. The top 10 co-anglers finished: 1st: Gabe Montgomery, Jackson, Mo., three bass, 9-12, $1,489 2nd: Ken Landreth, Belleville, Ill., three bass, 8-6, $744 3rd: Chase Hughart, Marion, Ill., two bass, 7-9, $667 4th: Brad Thacher, Murray, Ky., three bass, 7-5, $347 5th: Jeff Ozmon, Rock Hill, S.C., two bass, 6-0, $298 6th: Ross Davis, St. Elmo, Ill., two bass, 5-13, $273 7th: Eric Mahn, Herculaneum, Mo., two bass, 5-8, $248 8th: Tim Hunt, Decatur, Ill., three bass, 5-0, $223 9th: Owen Boyer, Cantrall, Ill., two bass, 4-14, $198 10th: Elmo Rogers, Albion, Ill., two bass, 4-11, $174 Chase Hughart of Marion, Illinois, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $170, catching a bass that weighed in at 4 pounds, 7 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day. After four events, Riley Walk of Neoga, Illinois, now leads the Fishing Clash Illini Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 968 points, while Bobby McNeil of Crest Hill, Illinois, leads the Fishing Clash Illini Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 922 points. The next event for BFL Illini Division anglers will be held Sept. 6-7, at Kentucky-Barkley Lakes in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000. 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. 3-4 BFL Regional tournament on the Mississippi River out of Quad Cities, Illinois. 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. Proud sponsors of the 2025 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, Deep Dive App, E3 Sport Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Humminbird, Lew’s, Li Time Batteries, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI. For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. |