We wrapped up another great Spring Trail on the Cooper River this past weekend! Thanks for fishing with us!
Dave Farrington & Robby Kennon Win CATT Kerr Lake, VA April 23, 2023
Last weekend we wrapped up the Kerr Spring Trail and it was a good one! 50 teams entered with a lot of cash on the line!
Dave Farrington & Robby Kennon took 1st Place with 5 bass weighing 14.24 lbs! They collected $3,490.00!
Doug Stallings & Seth Ellis claimed 2nd with 14.20 lbs worth $2,150.00!
Alden Patterson & Zach Smith 3rd with 13.90 and they earned a $1,310.00 pay day!
| Team | BF | Weight | Winnings |
| Dave Farrington – Robby Kennon | 4.39 | 14.24 | $3,490.00 |
| Doug Stallings – Seth Ellis | 0.00 | 14.20 | $2,150.00 |
| Alden Patterson – Zach Smith | 3.97 | 13.90 | $1,310.00 |
| David Bullock – Jimmy Henderson | 3.56 | 13.76 | $600.00 |
| Marty Warren – Bryan Calloway | 0.00 | 13.26 | $500.00 |
| Bryan Welch – Mark Inman | 3.41 | 13.10 | $400.00 |
| Travis Owens – Mark Hatcher | 0.00 | 12.99 | $300.00 |
| Tyler Trent – Ricky Trent | 0.00 | 12.57 | $225.00 |
| Michael Stewart – Buck Clark | 4.23 | 12.50 | $325.00 |
| Matthew Little – Derrick Bowden | 0.00 | 12.33 | $125.00 |
| Kevin Cheatham – Johnny Wilder | 0.00 | 12.29 | |
| Jason Houchins – Danny Houchins | 0.00 | 11.53 | |
| Tom Wilkinson – Brandon Curtis | 0.00 | 11.37 | |
| Daniel Jenkins – Logan Thornton | 0.00 | 11.35 | |
| Eric Christian – Matt Harrison | 0.00 | 11.06 | |
| Chad Hicks – Heath Johnson | 0.00 | 10.94 | |
| Eddie Glascock – Billy Dunn | 0.00 | 10.66 | |
| David Glenn – Jeff Staton | 0.00 | 10.59 | |
| Gary Colwell – Brandon Gray | 0.00 | 10.56 | |
| Randy Waterman – Donnie Avant | 0.00 | 10.36 | |
| Emmitt R Whitby – Monte Aleman | 0.00 | 10.34 | |
| Nelson Mayton – Chris McDaniel | 0.00 | 10.33 | |
| Gregory Lahr – Sherry Lahr | 0.00 | 9.91 | |
| Steve Lucy – Todd Dorton | 0.00 | 9.67 | |
| Billy Orr – John Parson | 0.00 | 9.35 | |
| Dan Jackson – Charlie Gunter | 0.00 | 8.55 | |
| Mark King – Steve Bowling | 0.00 | 8.31 | |
| David Matthews – Bobby Matthews | 0.00 | 8.23 | |
| Robbie Kennon – Chuck Morton | 0.00 | 3.69 | |
| Alex Sayer – Todd McCormick | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Eddie Fore | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Lonnie Whitfield – Phillip Smith | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Terry Freeman – Teddy Freeman | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Matt Childress – Brandon Stewart | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Kevin Kane – Kelli Krane | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Gray Williams – Derrick Currin | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Hal Blackwelder – Clift Swann | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Kenny Wilson – Lycia Niethammer | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Michael Dikun – Jenny Li | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Bobby Overby – Tony Milam | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Brian Cantrell – Donald Coleman | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Mark Major – Ben Major | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Roger Clary – Justin Rhew | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Mark Jackson – Morris Mustain | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Lynn Fox – Seth Ballard | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Kevin Hayslett – Tim Nobles | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Jay Fogleman – John Pilcher | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Aaron Falwell – Steven Coleman | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Danny Moss – Zack Davenport | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Dennis Reedy – Scott Smith | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Matt Stanley & Mike Kiser Win CATT Yadkin High Rock Lake, NC April 22, 2023
Next Yadkin Spring Qualifier is May 14th at High Rock Lake out of Southmont!
Matt Stanley & Mike Kiser took 1st Place with 5 bass weighing 23.59 lbs and weighed the Academy BF at 6.84 lbs! They collected $1,285.00!
Dusty Taylor & Kolton Hawks 2nd with 18.34 lbs!
John Kistler & Rusty Melton 4th with 17.26 lbs!
Nick Bashford & Brian File 5th 17.07 lbs and the 2nd BF at 6.12 lbs!
Keaton &n Allen Hawks 6th Place 16.74 lbs!
Chad Gainey & Mack Kitchens Win CATT Lake Wateree, SC April 22, 2023
Next up at Lake Wateree is the 2023 Spring Final April 29th! You only had to enter 1 Qualifier to be eligible to enter!
Even though the crowd have been down the fishing at Lake Wateree has been very good! The average winning weight for this Springs Qualifiers has been just over 20 lbs!
Chad Gainey & Mack Kitchens took 1st Place with 5 bass weighing 21.06 lbs! They also weighed the 1st Academy BF at 5.04 lbs and took home a total of $763.00!
2nd Place Colden & Bubba Baker with a limit weighing 20.13 lbs and a 5 pound kicker!
Grege & Abby Atkinson with 1805 lbs!
Greg & Abby with the Anglers Headquarters Gift Card!
Osage Beach Readies for MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Phoenix Stop 4 on Lake of the Ozarks
Field of 150 Professional Anglers to Compete for Top Prize of up to $115,000 and Qualification into REDCREST 2024
OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (April 26, 2023) – Major League Fishing (MLF), the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, is set to return to Osage Beach, Missouri, next week, May 4-6, for the MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitational Phoenix Stop 4 at Lake of the Ozarks Presented by Mystik Lubricants. The Invitationals feature a roster of 150 professional anglers competing for a top prize of up to $115,000 and an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2024 – the Bass Pro Tour championship – for the chance to win up to $300,000.
Hosted by the Tri-County Lodging Association, the tournament marks the fourth of six Tackle Warehouse Invitational events in 2023, offering competitors a total season purse of more than $3.9 million. In addition to the top payout of $115,000, the field is also competing for valuable points to win the coveted Invitational Angler of the Year (AOY) title. The top eight pros in the Tackle Warehouse Invitational AOY standings at the end of the season will receive an invitation to compete on the Bass Pro Tour in 2024.
“The Lake of the Ozarks is thrilled to welcome the Tackle Warehouse Invitational anglers, staff and fans to the lake,” said Lagina Fitzpatrick, Executive Director of the Tri-County Lodging Association. “We are very appreciative of our long-standing partnership with Major League Fishing and know the anglers love fishing in our little piece of paradise!”
Lake of the Ozarks is a very familiar destination for MLF and the majority of pro anglers in this tournament, as the fishery has played host to numerous MLF tournaments over the years, across all levels of competition. In the last professional MLF tournament to take place on the fishery, the Bass Pro Tour Bass Boat Technologies Stage Four on Lake of the Ozarks Presented by Bass Cat in 2022, pro Jesse Wiggins targeted the plentiful boat docks with a homemade shaky-head rig to take home the top payout of $100,000. Fellow Bass Pro Tour angler James Watson of Lampe, Missouri, made it to the Knockout Round of that event, and said that he expects next week’s event to be very similar.
“It’s going to be a really good tournament – you’re going to need to catch at least 20 pounds a day to compete,” Watson said. “There should be mostly spawning and postspawn fish – there might still be a few straggler prespawn fish coming up – but there is going to be a lot of sight-fishing, a good topwater bite and lots of wacky rigs and shaky-head-type deals going on.”
Watson said that the lake is so good that it makes it hard to predict just how the winner will be fishing.
“I think the key to doing well is probably going to be sight fishing,” Watson said. “If a guy can find three or four exceptional fish on the bed during practice and have them marked for when the tournament starts, that is going to be important. Another X-Factor might be a giant glide bait or a big swimbait.
“Forward-facing sonar isn’t my style, but it will play,” Watson continued. “The lake is so wide open right now. From dam to dam, any water color, pitching a jig, throwing a spinnerbait or a squarebill up the river, the fish live from dam to dam. It’s one of the reasons why it’s such a great fishery.”
Although he will not be competing in this event, Watson said he’d be throwing numerous different baits each day.
“I’d be sight-fishing some sort of tube, and I’d have a floating worm tied on,” Watson said. “Definitely a (River2Sea) Whopper Plopper, a (River2Sea) Worldwide Buzzbait, and a Zara Spook will catch them. And if I was going up the river, I’d be throwing a ½-ounce Strike King spinnerbait with double-willow blades, and a (Strike King) Thunder Cricket.
“Like I said before, you’re going to need to catch at least 20 pounds a day to have a chance at this one,” Watson went on to say. “I predict the winner has 60 to 62 pounds over the three days.”
In MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitational competition, the full field of 150 anglers compete in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday in a five-fish, weigh-in format. Only the top 50 pros, based on their two-day cumulative weight, will advance to the final round on Championship Saturday, where they will compete for the grand prize of up to $115,000, including the lucrative $35,000 Phoenix MLF Bonus for qualified anglers.
The winner of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitational Phoenix Stop 4 at Lake of the Ozarks Presented by Mystik Lubricants will be determined by the heaviest three-day cumulative weight and will receive an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2024. In addition, the season-long Invitational AOY will also earn a berth into REDCREST 2024.
Anglers will launch each day at 6:30 a.m. CT, Thursday through Saturday, from the Grand Glaize Beach Boat Ramp (Public Beach No. 2) at Lake of the Ozarks State Park, located at 711 Public Beach Road in Osage Beach, Missouri. Weigh-ins will also be held at the boat ramp daily beginning at 2:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend the event or follow the live on-the-water action all three days of competition online on MLF NOW! beginning at 7 a.m. CT at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitational Phoenix Stop 4 at Lake of the Ozarks Presented by Mystik Lubricants will feature live on-the-water coverage and a two-hour action-packed television show that will premiere on the CBS Sports Network on Saturday, October 21st.
Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Fox Rent a Car, General Tire, Grundéns, Lew’s, Lowrance, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Wiley X and YETI.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals on the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Two Bassmaster championships head to historic Lake Hartwell
The best anglers from around the country will be part of the 2023 Strike King Bassmaster High School Championship presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors and the Bassmaster Junior National Championship on the storied waters of Lake Hartwell.
Photo by Dalton Tumblin/B.A.S.S.
April 26, 2023
Two Bassmaster championships head to historic Lake Hartwell
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The 2023 national championships for the hugely popular Bassmaster High School and Junior Series will be decided on the renowned waters of Lake Hartwell. The 2023 Bassmaster Junior National Championship for second- through eighth-grade anglers will head to Anderson, S.C., July 21-22, while the Strike King Bassmaster High School Championship presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors will be held July 27-29.
“We are so excited to host the Bassmaster Junior and High School National Championships at Green Pond Landing and Lake Hartwell,” said Neil Paul, executive director of Visit Anderson, which is hosting the events. “The leadership of Anderson County has provided us with a facility that is second to none and the resources to be able to bring championship events to our community, and we are grateful. In addition, our Anderson County team recognizes the confidence that B.A.S.S. has in our community to provide a first-class event for the anglers, their families, sponsors of the sport and the B.A.S.S. team. We look forward to another memorable event in Anderson County!”
This will be the first year for the Junior Series National Championship to venture away from west Tennessee, while 2022 marked the first time the Bassmaster High School National Championship has been held on Lake Hartwell. Young anglers from 39 states and Ontario, Canada, qualified to compete as part of the 315-boat field. That initial event was not only a success on the water but also accounted for more than 6,100 room nights and had a total economic impact of $1.5 million for Anderson, earning recognition as a 2022 Champion of Economic Impact in Sports Tourism (Mid-Market Division) by Sports Destination Management.
As many as 440 junior and high school teams are expected to compete. Each two-angler team is accompanied by a coach who runs the boat and can give advice on fishing techniques and patterns.
“We are thrilled to give young anglers an opportunity to tackle Hartwell — one of the most storied fisheries in Bassmaster history — as they compete for a national title,” said Glenn Cale, B.A.S.S. Nation tournament manager — College, High School and Junior. “I think people will be amazed not only by the knowledge these young anglers have of the sport, but by the size of the fish they bring to the scales. What they know and how they perform at such a young age really shows how the sport of competitive bass fishing is evolving and gives us a good idea of the kind of competition we’ll see at the higher ranks in the future.”
The Bassmaster High School Series debuted in 2013 and has grown immensely since its inception. The program emphasizes sportsmanship, academics and conservation while giving young anglers a chance to improve and test their fishing skills in competition among their peers.
The tournaments are being hosted by Visit Anderson.
Andy Morgan On Top for Group B at Major League Fishing’s General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops Event on Caney Creek Reservoir
Tennessee Pro Catches 11 Bass for 38-12 to Jump Out to 13-Pound, 2-Ounce Lead, Group A to Wrap Qualifying Round Wednesday
MONROE-WEST MONROE, La. (April 25, 2023) – As numerous anglers struggled offshore with finicky bass that they could see on their Lowrance Active Target but not convince to bite, pro Andy Morgan of Dayton, Tennessee , went old-school Tuesday to jump out to an early lead. Morgan went to the bank, flipping and pitching his way to 11 scorable largemouth weighing 38 pounds, 12 ounces, to pace the field early for Group B in the Qualifying Round of the Major League Fishing (MLF) General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops.
Pro Dustin Connell of Clanton, Alabama, caught the largest bass of the day during Period 3 – a 7-pound, 8-ounce largemouth that came on a weightless wacky rig. If Connell’s largemouth remains the largest bass weighed by Group B after the conclusion of the two-day Qualifying Round on Thursday, he will take home a $25,000 Big Bass Bonus. Big Bass Bonuses are awarded throughout the competition, with payouts of $25,000, $50,000 and $100,000 being awarded for the single biggest fish in the Qualifying, Knockout and Championship rounds.
Link to Photo Gallery of Group B Day 1 Afternoon Highlights
Link to Video of Fish-Catch Highlights from Group B Day 1 on Caney Creek Reservoir
Morgan will bring a 13-pound, 2-ounce, lead over second-place pro and reigning Bally Bet Angler of the Year (AOY) Jacob Wheeler of Harrison, Tennessee, into Thursday’s second day of competition in the Qualifying Round for Group B. Wheeler landed seven scorable bass totaling 25-10, while pro Brent Ehrler of Redlands, California, went on a third-period flurry, catching four scorable bass weighing 19-7 in a one-hour timespan in Period 3 to finish the day in third place.
The 15 anglers in Group B will now have the day off Wednesday, while the 15 anglers in Group A will wrap up their two-day Qualifying Round. Group B will complete their two-day Qualifying Round of competition on Thursday.
“I was totally blindsided, I had no idea that this would happen and today was way better than I expected,” Morgan said. “I went into this little area – I wouldn’t say totally blind, because I had a couple of bites in there during practice – but I figured that I was just going to try to start out doing some shallower fishing. And then I kept getting bit.
“It was kind of crazy honestly, I had no idea that I was going to catch them like that,” Morgan continued. “I thought I could maybe get a couple of bites to get a start, but I was really shocked that I caught as many bass as I did. Because that place is tiny. It’s like a pond. And I was just shocked nobody else was around, and I was shocked that there were no locals. It was a very nice surprise.”
Morgan said he caught his bass on two baits – mainly a Zoom Z-Craw, but he did add a couple of keepers on a Strike King Rage Bug.
“Now it’s just like, okay, I hope this lasts another day so I can hang on,” Morgan said. “I would love to win this (Qualifying) round and skip the Knockout round and go straight to the Championship (Round), but I know that’s going to be a tough road to hoe, for sure. What I’m doing is very fragile. It’s shallow, fragile, and it can’t take a lot of pressure. And I leaned on it a lot today, a really small area.
“I just don’t think there are very many big ones doing what I’m doing, but I’ll take all of the 4 pounders,” Morgan went on to say.
The standings for the 15 pros from Qualifying Group B after Day 1 on Caney Creek Reservoir are:
1st: Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 11 bass, 38-12
2nd: Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., seven bass, 25-10
3rd: Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., four bass, 19-7
4th: Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla., four bass, 16-12
5th: Randy Howell, Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 16-11
6th: Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., three bass, 16-6
7th: Jonathon VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., five bass, 15-11
8th: Randall Tharp, Port Saint Joe, Fla., three bass, 14-7
9th: Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., four bass, 13-10
10th: Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala., three bass, 10-6
11th: Jordan Lee, Cullman, Ala., two bass, 8-1
12th: Cody Meyer, Star, Idaho, three bass, 7-15
13th: Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C., two bass, 5-5
14th: Fletcher Shryock, Guntersville, Ala., one bass, 2-5
15th: Brandon Coulter, Knoxville, Tenn., zero bass, 0-0
Full results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 57 bass weighing 211 pounds, 6 ounces caught by 14 pros on Tuesday, which included two 7-pounders and six 6-pounders caught from Caney Creek Reservoir.
Different from the Bass Pro Tour regular-season events, General Tire Heavy Hitters features anglers competing using the MLF catch, weigh, immediate-release format in which anglers catch as many scorable bass and as much weight as they can each day, while also feeling the pressure and intensity of the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard. A bass must meet the 2-pound minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable in the Qualifying and Knockout Rounds, but for the final day Championship Round a bass must weigh at least 3 pounds to be deemed scorable.
The 15 Anglers in Group A compete in their two-day qualifying round on Monday and Wednesday – the 15 anglers in Group B on Tuesday and Thursday. After each two-day qualifying round is complete, the top eight anglers from both groups advance to Thursday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round weights are zeroed, and the remaining 16 anglers compete to finish in the top 10 to advance to the Championship Round. In Saturday’s final day Championship Round, weights carry over from the Knockout Round and the highest two-day total wins. In addition to the tournament, Big Bass Bonuses are awarded in each round of competition with payouts of $25,000, $50,000 and $100,000 awarded to the single biggest fish in the Qualifying, Knockout and Championship rounds.
Anglers will launch each day at 7:30 a.m. CT. The Qualifying and Knockout Rounds, Days 1-5, will launch from Caney Creek Hooks Marina, located at 400 Spillway Road in Chatham, Louisiana. The final 10 anglers competing in the Championship Round will launch from Bonner Ferry Road, located five miles northwest of Bastrop off of Highway 593. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLF NOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
On Championship Saturday, April 29, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. MLF will welcome fans of all ages to visit the Bussey Brake boat ramp located at 5373 Boat Dock Road in Bastrop, to celebrate the top 10 and crown the 2023 General Tire Heavy Hitters Champion at the Watch Party and Trophy Presentation. The final 10 Heavy Hitters Championship Round Bass Pro Tour anglers will be on hand at the trophy celebration to meet and greet fans, sign autographs, and take selfies.
To qualify for General Tire Heavy Hitters, the weight of an angler’s single-largest bass from each event of the seven 2022 Bass Pro Tour events was recorded. The 30 anglers with the heaviest total from those seven bass qualified to compete in this event.
The MLF NOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action on all six days of competition from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
Television coverage of the General Tire Heavy Hitters 2023 Presented by Bass Pro Shops will be showcased across six two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m. ET, Aug. 5 and running each Saturday through Sept. 9 on Discovery. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel. Each two-hour long reality-based episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition.
Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF General Tire Heavy Hitters Event include: Abu Garcia, B&W Hitches, Bally Bet, Bass Cat Boats, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Builders First Source, Ferguson, Fox Rent A Car, General Tire, Kubota, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, NITRO Boats, Onyx, Phoenix Boats, Plano, Power-Pole, Shore Lunch, StarBrite, Sqwincher, T-H Marine, Toyota, United States Airforce, Yellowstone Bourbon, and YETI.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Former College Angler Bryce Boatright Earns Win in First Solo Event at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Lake Hamilton
| Boater Bryce Boatright of Sheridan, Arkansas, and Strike-King co-angler Jody Jones of Harvey, Arkansas. |
| Harvey’s Jones Earns Strike King Co-Angler Division Victory HOT SPRINGS, Ark. (April 24, 2023) – Boater Bryce Boatright of Sheridan, Arkansas, brought five bass to the scale totaling 15 pounds, 9 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Hamilton. The tournament was the third event of the season for the BFL Arkie Division. A former MLF College Fishing angler for Henderson State University, it was Boatright’s first career MLF event as a solo boater, and he notched his first career win and earned $4,825 for his victory. “It feels great to get this win,” Boatright said in his post-game interview. “I’ve got some history on this lake, and I’ve been wanting to get revenge here for some time. So it feels real good to win and get some vengeance. “It was a tough day – I only got seven bites all day long,” Boatright continued. “I caught my biggest fish – a 5-pounder on a bed. I caught a 4½- pounder on a wacky worm, and I got one good bite on a buzzbait. Those were my three key baits – I sight-fished, a buzzbait and a wacky worm.” Boatright said that he earned the victory by covering a lot of water. “I was all over the lake – mid-lake, down-lake – I ran all over and burned a lot of gas,” he said. “The key was just being in the right place at the right time. All of my fish were coming pretty shallow – in 2- to 6-feet. The top 10 boaters finished the tournament: 1st: Bryce Boatright, Sheridan, Ark., five bass, 15-9, $4,825 2nd: Rodney Copeland, Sallisaw, Okla., five bass, 15-6, $2,118 3rd: Russell Richmond, Sheridan, Ark., five bass, 14-15, $1,913 (includes $500 Phoenix Bonus) 4th: Kevin Brown, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 14-14, $988 5th: Nick Aber, Yukon, Okla., five bass, 13-15, $847 6th: Wayne Dixon, Morrilton, Ark., five bass, 13-13, $776 7th: Brian Bean, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 13-12, $706 8th: Chip Hawkins, Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 13-6, $835 9th: Brett King, Kinta, Okla., five bass, 12-5, $565 10th: Lance Pyle, Sherwood, Ark., five bass, 11-15, $494 Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com. Boatright’s biggest bass that weighed 4 pounds, 15 ounces, also earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $590.  Jody Jones of Harvey, Arkansas, won the Strike King co-angler division and $2,413 Saturday, after bringing a five-bass limit to the scale that totaled 12 pounds, 8 ounces. The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished: 1st: Jody Jones, Harvey, Ark., five bass, 12-8, $2,413 2nd: John Hankins, Atkins, Ark., five bass, 11-2, $1,059 3rd: Alex Albert, Broken Bow, Okla., five bass, 11-1, $706 4th: Aaron Calvert, Russellville, Ark., five bass, 11-0, $494 5th: Mark Sloan, Harrison, Ark., five bass, 10-10, $424 6th: Corey Ruff, Jacksonville, Ark., five bass, 10-9, $388 7th: L. Neil Welch, Malvern, Ark., five bass, 10-7, $353 8th: Zachary O’Brien, Palestine, Ark., five bass, 10-3, $318 9th: Steve Duggan, Pearcy, Ark., five bass, 9-9, $282 10th: Mitchell Moore, Russellville, Ark., four bass, 9-8, $247 Jones also earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler bonus of $295 with a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 3 ounces. After three events, Brian Bean of Hot Springs, Arkansas, leads the BFL Arkie Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 732 points, while John Hankins of Atkins, Arkansas, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 738 points. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 5-7 BFL Regional tournament on Lake Eufaula in Eufaula, Oklahoma. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard. The 2023 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 Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2023 All-American event will take place May 31-June 2, on Lake Hartwell in Seneca, South Carolina. The event is hosted by Visit Oconee SC. Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, General Tire, Grundéns, Gill, Lew’s, Lowrance, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X 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. |
Lafayette’s Hillebrandt Earns Victory at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Lake of the Pines
| Boater Ernie Hillebrandt of Lafayette, Louisiana, and Strike-King co-angler J.J. Matzke of League City, Texas. |
| League City’s Matzke Claims Strike King Co-Angler Win JEFFERSON, Texas (April 24, 2023) – Boater Ernie Hillebrandt of Lafayette, Louisiana, caught a five-bass limit weighing 18 pounds, 5 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake of the Pines. The tournament was the fourth event of the season for the BFL Cowboy Division. Hillebrandt earned $4,082 for the first MLF victory of his career. “This feels great,” Hillebrandt said in his post-game interview. “I’ve been doing this a long time, and this is my first win. “I was fishing on the south end of Lake of the Pines, targeting spawning fish,” Hillebrandt continued. “My key bait was a watermelon-seed-colored Zoom Super Fluke. Most of my keepers came on that. But the big one came on a white (River2Sea) Whopper Plopper. “The key to this victory was my history on the lake,” Hillebrandt went on to say. The top 10 boaters finished the tournament: 1st: Ernie Hillebrandt, Lafayette, La., five bass, 18-5, $4,082 2nd: Tater Reynolds, Florien, La., five bass, 17-2, $2,041 3rd: Travis Franks, Lake Charles, La., five bass, 16-7, $1,862 (includes $500 Phoenix Bonus) 4th: Nick Abshire, Sulphur, La., five bass, 16-1, $952 5th: Leon Jefferson, Baytown, Texas, three bass, 15-12, $1,796 6th: Red Ballard, Sulphur, La., five bass, 15-1, $748 7th: Arthur Johnson, Judson, Texas, five bass, 14-10, $680 8th: Ian Leybas, McAlester, Okla., five bass, 14-6, $612 9th: Trent Manuel, Iowa, La., five bass, 13-2, $544 10th: Dylan Smith, Midlothian, Texas, five bass, 13-1, $476 Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com. Jefferson caught a largemouth that weighed 8 pounds, 3 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $560.  J.J. Matzke of League City, Texas, won the Strike King co-angler division and a total of $2,041 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 14 pounds, 9 ounces. The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished: 1st: J.J. Matzke, League City, Texas, five bass, 14-9, $2,041 2nd: Glen Dockery, Longview, Texas, five bass, 13-9, $1,301 3rd: Nic Gardner, Frisco, Texas, five bass, 12-6, $683 4th: Lawrence Tidwell, Frisco, Texas, five bass, 12-4, $476 5th: Garrett Wilson, Willis, Texas, five bass, 11-12, $408 6th: Troy Ladner, Bay Saint Louis, Miss., five bass, 10-10, $774 7th: Scott LeBlanc, Lafayette, La., five bass, 10-8, $340 8th: Steven Fisher, Nacogdoches, Texas, five bass, 10-6, $289 8th: Dustin Berry, Dayton, Texas, five bass, 10-6, $289 10th: Cole Allen, Taylor, Ark., four bass, 10-2, $388 Dockery earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $280, catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 1 ounce – the largest co-angler catch of the day. After four events, Tater Reynolds of Florien, Louisiana, leads the BFL Cowboy Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 961 points, while J.J. Matzke of League City, Texas, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 980 points. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 5-7 BFL Regional tournament on Lake Eufaula in Eufaula, Oklahoma. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard. The 2023 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 Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2023 All-American event will take place May 31-June 2, on Lake Hartwell in Seneca, South Carolina. The event is hosted by Visit Oconee SC. Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, General Tire, Grundéns, Gill, Lew’s, Lowrance, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X 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. |
Alton Jones, Jr. Leads after Day 1 of Major League Fishing’s General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops Event on Caney Creek Reservoir
Texas Pro Catches Nine Bass Weighing 33 Pounds, 14 ounces to Lead Group A Qualifying Round after Day 1, 15 Anglers in Group B Set to Compete Tuesday
MONROE-WEST MONROE, La. (April 24, 2023) – As on-the-water reporter Rob Newell stated at the end of competition Monday, it was a day of feast or famine on Day 1 of the fourth-annual Major League Fishing (MLF) General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops. The anglers at the top of the leaderboard feasted, as numerous 6-, 7- and 9-pounders were weighed in. The anglers at the bottom of the leaderboard really struggled, and some big names in the sport were left with a bit of a hole to dig out of on Wednesday.
After the final bass had been logged into SCORETRACKER, pro Alton Jones, Jr., of Waco, Texas, held the early lead after Day 1 with nine scorable bass weighing 33 pounds, 14 ounces. REDCREST 2023 Champion Bryan Thrift of Shelby, North Carolina, held the lead for an extended period of time Monday, but was eclipsed by Jones in the third period. Thrift weighed in six scorable bass totaling 30 pounds, 2 ounces, to end the day in second place.
Pro Dakota Ebare of Brookeland, Texas, caught the heaviest bass of the day Monday – a beautiful largemouth that weighed 9 pounds, 5 ounces that came on a weightless wacky rig in Period 3. If Ebare’s fish remains the largest bass weighed by Group A after the conclusion of the two-day Qualifying Round on Wednesday, he will take home a $25,000 Big Bass Bonus. Big Bass Bonuses are awarded throughout the competition, with payouts of $25,000, $50,000 and $100,000 being awarded for the single biggest fish in the Qualifying, Knockout and Championship rounds.
Link to Hi-Res Photo of Day 1 Leader Alton Jones, Jr.
Link to Photo Gallery of Day 1 Highlights
Link to Video of Fish-Catch Highlights from Day 1 on Caney Creek Reservoir
The 15 anglers in Group A will now have the day off Tuesday, while the 15 anglers in Group B will begin their Day 1 Qualifying Round. Group A will complete their two-day Qualifying Round of competition on Wednesday.
Jones began the day as the first boat out from launch, which helped him get a prime position on the lake that was highly sought after.
“There was actually about five of us starting on one spot in about 20 feet of water,” Jones said. “I was able to catch four off that spot that got me going before I decided to move on to something else.”
That something else was moving up shallow among the boat docks on Caney Creek. With the sun shining bright and not much wind to speak of, the conditions were picture-perfect for Jones to sight-fish with a Geecrack Bellows Shad. The Texas pro had one bed fish already located from practice, but he quickly discovered a few more.
“I don’t think a lot of guys are sight-fishing right now, so it was cool to get to do that today,” Jones said. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to see as well as I did today on Wednesday, so I’m glad I was able to get some sight-fishing in today. The fish are hard to see, but the conditions allowed me to find some today.”
The standings for the 15 pros from Qualifying Group A after Day 1 on Caney Creek Reservoir are:
1st: Alton Jones, Jr., Waco, Texas, nine bass, 33-14
2nd: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., six bass, 30-2
3rd: Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala., six bass, 25-12
4th: Bradley Roy, Lancaster, Ky., six bass, 24-15
5th: Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas, five bass, 22-9
6th: Stephen Browning, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 18-15
7th: Josh Bertrand, Queen Creek, Ariz., four bass, 16-1
8th: Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala., three bass, 9-9
9th: Terry Scroggins, San Mateo, Fla., two bass, 8-1
10th: Alton Jones, Sr., Lorena, Texas, three bass, 7-12
11th: Gary Klein, Mingus, Texas, two bass, 5-8
12th: Mark Davis, Mount Ida, Ark., one bass, 4-12
13th: Mark Daniels, Jr., Tuskegee, Ala., one bass, 3-2
14th: Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., one bass, 2-12
15th: Kevin VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., one bass, 2-6
Full results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 55 bass weighing 216 pounds, 2 ounces caught by the 15 pros on Monday, which included one 9-pounder, one 7-pounder and six 6-pounders caught from Caney Creek Reservoir.
Different from the Bass Pro Tour regular-season events, General Tire Heavy Hitters features anglers competing using the MLF catch, weigh, immediate-release format in which anglers catch as many scorable bass and as much weight as they can each day, while also feeling the pressure and intensity of the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard. A bass must meet the 2-pound minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable in the Qualifying and Knockout Rounds, but for the final day Championship Round a bass must weigh at least 3 pounds to be deemed scorable.
The 15 Anglers in Group A compete in their two-day qualifying round on Monday and Wednesday – the 15 anglers in Group B on Tuesday and Thursday. After each two-day qualifying round is complete, the top eight anglers from both groups advance to Thursday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round weights are zeroed, and the remaining 16 anglers compete to finish in the top 10 to advance to the Championship Round. In Saturday’s final day Championship Round, weights carry over from the Knockout Round and the highest two-day total wins. In addition to the tournament, Big Bass Bonuses are awarded in each round of competition with payouts of $25,000, $50,000 and $100,000 awarded to the single biggest fish in the Qualifying, Knockout and Championship rounds.
Anglers will launch each day at 7:30 a.m. CT. The Qualifying and Knockout Rounds, Days 1-5, will launch from Caney Creek Hooks Marina, located at 400 Spillway Road in Chatham, Louisiana. The final 10 anglers competing in the Championship Round will launch from Bonner Ferry Road, located five miles northwest of Bastrop off of Highway 593. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLF NOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
On Championship Saturday, April 29, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. MLF will welcome fans of all ages to visit the Bussey Brake boat ramp located at 5373 Boat Dock Road in Bastrop, to celebrate the top 10 and crown the 2023 General Tire Heavy Hitters Champion at the Watch Party and Trophy Presentation. The final 10 Heavy Hitters Championship Round Bass Pro Tour anglers will be on hand at the trophy celebration to meet and greet fans, sign autographs, and take selfies.
To qualify for General Tire Heavy Hitters, the weight of an angler’s single-largest bass from each event of the seven 2022 Bass Pro Tour events was recorded. The 30 anglers with the heaviest total from those seven bass qualified to compete in this event.
The MLF NOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action on all six days of competition from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
Television coverage of the General Tire Heavy Hitters 2023 Presented by Bass Pro Shops will be showcased across six two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m. ET, Aug. 5 and running each Saturday through Sept. 9 on Discovery. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel. Each two-hour long reality-based episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition.
Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF General Tire Heavy Hitters Event include: Abu Garcia, B&W Hitches, Bally Bet, Bass Cat Boats, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Builders First Source, , Ferguson, Fox Rent A Car, General Tire, Kubota, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, NITRO Boats, Onyx, Phoenix Boats, Plano, Power-Pole, Shore Lunch, StarBrite, Sqwincher, T-H Marine, Toyota, United States Airforce, Yellowstone Bourbon, and YETI.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.