| Boater winner Jackson Mitchell of Sylvan Springs, Alabama, and co-angler winner Andy Lockhart of Amory, Mississippi. |
| Mississippi’s Lockhart Takes Co-Angler Division IUKA, Miss. (Sept. 29, 2025) – Boater Jackson Mitchell of Sylvan Springs, Alabama, caught a total of 10 bass weighing 44 pounds, 2 ounces, over two days to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Pickwick Lake . The tournament was the fifth and final event of the season for the BFL Mississippi Division. Mitchell earned $6,965, including a $2,500 Phoenix Bonus, for his victory. “I focused on main-river shallow bars during practice and threw a Heddon Zara Spook over them,” Mitchell said. “We had a cold front come through the night before the tournament, and it took those fish from 2 to 3 feet of water and put them out in deeper water. “I ended up LiveScoping them with a minnow and jerkbait,” Mitchell added. “Saturday just went right. Sunday, I lost three big ones, but I ended up culling two times an hour before weigh-in.” Mitchell said he approached the weigh-in stage convinced he didn’t have enough to win. “I thought someone would come in with 23 or 24 pounds today,” Mitchell said. “Weights were tight, man. It just came down to five ounces.” Mitchell won a BFL event as a co-angler in 2022 at age 16 at Lake Guntersville and was thrilled to get his first victory as a boater. “This feels awesome,” Mitchell continued. “I’ve dreamed of winning a BFL as a boater since I won three years ago, and this just feels great. I had a bad tournament here last year, and it’s good to get it done.” The top 10 boaters finished the tournament: 1st: Jackson Mitchell, Sylvan Springs, Ala., 10 bass, 44-2, $6,965 (includes $2,500 Phoenix Bonus) 2nd: Chandler Howell, Guntown, Miss., 10 bass, 43-13, $2,743 3rd: Banks Shaw, Harrison, Tenn., 10 bass, 43-7, $1,488 4th: Matteo Turano, Puryear, Tenn., 10 bass, 41-5, $1,142 5th: Clayton Ellis, Saltillo, Miss., 10 bass, 40-14, $1,393 6th: Dustin Blasengame, Booneville, Miss., 10 bass, 40-11, $819 7th: Kaden Casey, Clarksville, Tenn., 10 bass, 37-9, $744 8th: Deandre Allen, Tupelo, Miss., 10 bass, 36-7, $670 9th: Preston Kolisek, Loretto, Tenn., 10 bass, 35-11, $595 10th: Hunter Brewer, Lawrenceburg, Tenn., 10 bass, 35-6, $521 Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com. Chandler Howell of Guntown, Mississippi, caught a bass that weighed 6 pounds even and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $510.  Andy Lockhart of Amory, Mississippi, won the co-angler division and $2,233 Sunday, after bringing six bass to the scale that totaled 17 pounds, 13 ounces. The top 10 co-anglers finished: 1st: Andy Lockhart, Amory, Miss., six bass, 17-13, $2,233 2nd: Terry Bennett, Oxford, Miss., six bass, 17-11, $1,166 3rd: Zach Hedges, Utica, Ky., five bass, 17-0, $744 4th: Eric White, Vinemont, Ala., four bass, 14-7, $776 5th: Dalton Starnes, Louisville, Miss., four bass, 13-2, $447 6th: Wade Mitchell, Woodland, Miss., four bass, 12-4, $409 7th: Nathan Brewer, Lawrenceburg, Tenn., five bass, 11-10, $372 8th: Reggie Thornton, Columbus, Miss., four bass, 9-11, $335 9th: Carson Cook, Fulton, Miss., three bass, 8-11, $298 10th: William Walsh, Bon Aqua, Tenn., three bass, 8-7, $260 Eric White of Vinemont, Alabama, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $255, catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 13 ounces. With all five events in the division now complete, boater Luke Glasgow of Guin, Alabama, won the Fishing Clash Mississippi Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 1,309 points and earned the $1,000 prize, while Steve Hammack of Caledonia, Mississippi, won the Fishing Clash Mississippi Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 1,243 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. 10-11 BFL Regional tournament on Kentucky-Barkley Lake in Buchanan, 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. |