| Boater winner Matthew Rock of Bristol, Virginia, and co-angler winner Chuck Lyons of Riner, Virginia. |
| Virginia’s Lyons Claims Co-Angler Division SPRING CITY, Tenn. (Sept. 22, 2025) – Boater Matthew Rock of Bristol, Virginia, caught a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 34 pounds, 2 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Watts Bar . The tournament, hosted by the Rhea County Department of Tourism – Fish Spring City, was the fifth and final event of the season for the BFL Volunteer Division. Rock earned $4,604 for his victory. Rock said he targeted main-river channel swings in 25 to 35 feet of water using LiveScope. He said the fish weren’t structure related and there was no rhyme or reason to the catches. “I found an area in practice – about a 300-yard stretch – and I just sat there until about 10:30 Saturday and caught all of my weight there. Then I just went running around practicing for the next day,” said Rock. “I went back there Sunday and caught four, but the fish had left, so I relocated and caught my fifth keeper at 2:40.” Rock said he used a Big Huey Lures custom minnow and a Big Huey Lures custom jighead to boat his bass from the channel swings. Saturday, he boated “nine or 10” keepers, and only five Sunday, but they were the right five to secure his first BFL win as a boater. “When I caught that fifth keeper Sunday, I knew the rest of the boys would have to really catch them to beat me,” Rock said. “I wasn’t going to just let them have it.” The top 10 boaters finished the tournament: 1st: Matthew Rock, Bristol, Va., 10 bass, 34-2, $4,604 2nd: Bryce McDonald, Paintsville, Ky., 10 bass, 31-15, $2,452 3rd: Jeremy Gordon, Rutledge, Tenn., 10 bass, 31-0, $2,036 (includes $500 Phoenix Bonus) 4th: Turner Tharpe, Dayton, Tenn., 10 bass, 30-13, $1,074 5th: Michael Morrison, Stamping Ground, Ky., 10 bass, 30-4, $1,461 6th: Corey Neece, Bristol, Tenn., 10 bass, 30-2, $844 7th: Jeffery Moore, Harriman, Tenn., 10 bass, 29-12, $767 8th: Terry Ford, Harriman, Tenn., 10 bass, 28-8, $691 9th: Josh Lee, Powell, Tenn., 10 bass, 28-4, $614 10th: Camdyn Cranfill, Dayton, Tenn., 10 bass, 28-4, $537 Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com. Michael Morrison of Stamping Ground, Kentucky, caught a bass that weighed 4 pounds, 1 ounce, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $540.  Chuck Lyons of Riner, Virginia, won the co-angler division and $2,572 Sunday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 13 pounds, 3 ounces. The top 10 co-anglers finished: 1st: Chuck Lyons, Riner, Va., five bass, 13-3, $2,572 2nd: Christopher Davis, Huntsville, Ala., four bass, 10-15, $1,151 3rd: Dewayne Drummonds, Gray, Ky., four bass, 10-0, $767 4th: Konnor Sweet, Abingdon, Va., four bass, 9-5, $537 5th: Kasey Hunley, Sharps Chapel, Tenn., three bass, 9-3, $460 6th: Billy Joe Wheat, Evensville, Tenn., four bass, 8-13, $422 7th: Steve Ouellette, Knoxville, Tenn., four bass, 7-15, $384 8th: Luke Shrader, Monticello, Ky., three bass, 7-8, $395 9th: Howard Smith, Hamilton, Ohio, three bass, 6-9, $307 10th: Don Carmack, Middlesboro, Ky., two bass, 5-7, $269 Lyons also earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $270, catching a bass that weighed in at 3 pounds, 6 ounces. With all five events in the division now complete, boater Jeremy Gordon of Rutledge, Tennessee, won the Fishing Clash Volunteer Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 1,360 points and earned the $1,000 prize, while Kasey Hunley of Sharps Chapel, Tennessee, won the Fishing Clash Volunteer Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 1,335 points and earned the $500 payout. 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. 24-25 BFL Regional tournament on Dale Hollow Lake in Byrdstown, 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 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. 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. |