TEXARKANA, Texas – Watch the weigh-in from Day 3 of the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Regional Tournament at Wright Patman Lake on Oct. 19, 2024. View full results here.

2024 Phoenix Bass Fishing League – Watts Bar Lake Regional Tournament Day 3 weigh-in (10/19/2024)

October 19, 2024 • Phoenix Bass Fishing League

SPRING CITY, Tenn. – Watch the weigh-in from Day 3 of the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Regional Tournament at Watts Bar Lake on Oct. 19, 2024. View full results here.

2024 Phoenix Bass Fishing League – Wright Patman Lake Regional Tournament Day 2 weigh-in (10/18/2024)

October 18, 2024 • Phoenix Bass Fishing League

TEXARKANA, Texas – Watch the weigh-in from Day 2 of the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Regional Tournament at Wright Patman Lake on Oct. 18, 2024. View full results here.

2024 Phoenix Bass Fishing League – Watts Bar Lake Regional Tournament Day 2 weigh-in (10/18/2024)

October 18, 2024 • Phoenix Bass Fishing League

SPRING CITY, Tenn. – Watch the weigh-in from Day 2 of the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Regional Tournament at Watts Bar Lake on Oct. 18, 2024. View full results here.

2024 Phoenix Bass Fishing League – Wright Patman Lake Regional Tournament Day 1 weigh-in (10/17/2024)

October 17, 2024 • Phoenix Bass Fishing League

TEXARKANA, Texas – Watch the weigh-in from Day 1 of the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Regional Tournament at Wright Patman Lake on Oct. 17, 2024. View full results here.

2024 Phoenix Bass Fishing League – Watts Bar Lake Regional Tournament Day 1 weigh-in (10/17/2024)

October 17, 2024 • Phoenix Bass Fishing League

SPRING CITY, Tenn. – Watch the weigh-in from Day 1 of the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Regional Tournament at Watts Bar Lake on Oct. 17, 2024. View full results here.

Wisconsin’s Mike Brueggen wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League regional on the Mississippi River, qualifies for 10th All-American appearance

Ohio’s Brent Jones tops Strike King co-angler division

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October 14, 2024 • MLF • Press Releases

QUAD CITIES, Ill. – Boater Mike Brueggen of La Crosse, Wisconsin, caught a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 42 pounds, 8 ounces, to win the Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine Regional on Pools 13-17 of the Mississippi River. The tournament, which was hosted by Visit Quad Cities, concluded Saturday. For his win, Brueggen earned a prize package valued at $59,200, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200hp Mercury or Suzuki outboard and $10,000.

The Mississippi River event served as Regional championship for BFL Region 3. The field included the top 45 boaters and co-anglers based on point standings, plus each of the tournament winners, from the 2024 Great Lakes, Hoosier, Illini and Michigan divisions. The top six boaters and co-anglers have qualified for the 2025 BFL All-American, which will be held on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, May 29-31.

Winning this tournament earned Brueggen an incredible 10th BFL All-American qualification, adding to an already stellar BFL career that includes 11 victories and 67 Top-10 finishes in 155 events fished since 2002. Brueggen has been a mainstay of the Great Lakes Division the entire time, earning Angler of the Year honors six times in a 12-season span from 2009 to 2020. This season, he finished runner-up in the AOY race to earn his shot at the Regional in Quad Cities.

All but one of Brueggen’s tournament wins have come on river systems – mostly the Mississippi River out of his hometown on La Crosse. He put all that river knowhow to work early preparing for this year’s Regional.

“I started figuring it (the winning pattern) out a year ago when the schedule came out,” he said. “I came down and practiced. And I came down before cutoff and practiced. I figured out that I could try to fish shallower than everybody to possibly get an advantage.”

The biggest challenge he encountered was the fact that this stretch of river doesn’t have the weeds that he’s used to fishing in La Crosse. He ended up deciphering a milk run of shallow main-river current-related spots.

“I didn’t think I could win,” he said. “I caught enough keepers (in practice) that I knew there were groups of fish up shallow. This week I caught bigger fish than I expected to catch. I did not hook many in practice, and I did not realize I was on that many fish.”

On Day 1, Brueggen caught 13 pounds, 3 ounces from some logs using a Texas rig. He felt like 12 pounds per day would be enough for a high finish, so he laid off the fish early. On Day 2, he caught some big ones early and filled out a limit of 15-1, which was the biggest single-day weight of the event. With a good limit in the box, he quit fishing early again.

“Because I caught a good weight every day early, I didn’t expand, so I hadn’t seen my other water in four or five days,” Brueggen said. “So Saturday it was really weird when I didn’t have them early and had to go fishing again. I didn’t catch my last two decent ones until 1:30.”

A final-day weight of 14-4 gave Brueggen the win with a cushion of more than 3 pounds.

With next season’s Regional also scheduled for the Quad Cities stretch of the Mississippi River, the champ was hesitant to reveal too much about where he caught his fish, other than the spots were small. He actually thought they’d be one-fish spots, but he was able to catch multiple keepers off some of them.

He used the Texas rig on Day 1 because he couldn’t fish the logs the way he wanted to with a shallow crankbait. From there, his primary lures were a crankbait and a Head Hunter Nasty 50/50 spinnerbait. The spinnerbait produced nine of his keepers in three days.

Looking ahead to All-American No. 10, Brueggen, who clearly has a fierce competitive streak, shared how he feels about the opportunity: “Pressure, honestly. The last couple I haven’t made Top 10s in, and it bothers me.”

As if he has anything to prove, he’ll get a chance to right the Top-10 ship next May.

The top six boaters who qualified for the 2025 Phoenix BFL All-American finished:

1st: Mike Brueggen, La Crosse, Wis., 15 bass, 42-8, $59,200

2nd: Adam Crigger, Le Claire, Iowa, 15 bass, 39-1, $10,200

3rd: Travis Boley, Weldon, Ill., 15 bass, 38-15, $5,602

4th: Cody Kelley, Plainwell, Mich., 15 bass, 37-10, $3,760

5th: Colby Schrumpf, Highland, Ill., 15 bass, 36-15, $2,640 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)

6th: Grant Neubauer, Medford, Wis., 15 bass, 35-13, $1,656

The rest of the Top 12 who made the cut to fish on Saturday finished:

7th: Jeremy Mull, Pawnee, Ill., 15 bass, 35-1, $1,472

8th: Hunter Litchfield, Macomb, Ill., 15 bass, 34-2, $1,288

9th: Drake van Dike, Livonia, Mich., 15 bass, 33-2, $2,104

10th: Daniel Franklin, Davenport, Iowa, 15 bass, 33-0, $1,012

11th: Mario Rossi, Granite City, Ill., 13 bass, 31-13, $920

12th: William Briere, Mooresville, Ind., 15 bass, 31-5, $1,920

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The top-finishing boater (not including the winner) from each division earned a $1,000 bonus for placing highest in the event. Those anglers included:

Great Lakes: Adam Crigger, LeClaire, Iowa, 2nd Place, $1,000

Hoosier: William Briere, Mooresville, Ind., 12th Place, $1,000

Illini: Travis Boley, Weldon, Ill., 3rd Place, $1,000

Michigan: Cody Kelley, Plainwell, Mich., 4th Place $1,000

Drake van Dike of Livonia, Michigan, won the Berkley Big Bass Boater award and $1,000 for landing a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 2 ounces, the biggest of the tournament.

Brent Jones of Okeana, Ohio, won the Strike King co-angler division Saturday after bringing a three-day total of 13 bass weighing 30 pounds, 6 ounces, to the scale. His $50,000 prize package included a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200hp Mercury or Suzuki outboard.

The top six Strike King co-anglers who qualified for the 2025 Phoenix BFL All-American finished:

1st: Brent Jones, Okeana, Ohio, 13 bass, 30-6, $50,000

2nd: Ross Davis, St. Elmo, Ill., 13 bass, 28-9, $5,219

3rd: Brian Townley, Wyoming, Mich., 10 bass, 25-15, $2,857

4th: Billy French, Hamilton, Ohio, 11 bass, 24-5, $2,166

5th: Mark Folsom, Waterville, Iowa, 13 bass, 24-1, $1,444

6th: Chase Johnson, Quincy, Ill., 11 bass, 24-1, $849

The rest of the Top 12 who made the cut to fish on Saturday finished:

7th: Dominick Dinovo, Joliet, Ill., 12 bass, 23-4, $755

8th: Thomas Bridges, Kankakee, Ill., 11 bass, 22-13, $661

9th: Kim Sapetti, Chatham, Ill., nine bass, 20-3, $566

10th: Timothy Wittren, Ontario, Wis., nine bass, 18-1, $519

11th: Hayden Swain, Tamaroa, Ill., six bass, 14-13, $472

12th: David Ondrla, Elmhurst, Ill., seven bass, 13-15, $472

The top-finishing co-angler (not including the winner) from each division earned a $500 bonus for placing highest in the event. Those anglers included:

Great Lakes: Mark Folsom, Waterville, Iowa, 5th Place, $500

Hoosier: Billy French, Hamilton, Ohio, 4th Place, $500

Illini: Ross Davis, St. Elmo, Ill., 2nd Place, $500

Michigan: Brian Townley, Wyoming, Mich., 3rd Place $500

Dante Johnson of Gurnee, Illinois, caught a bass that weighed 4 pounds, 4 ounces, to win the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award worth $500.

The 2024 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 2025 BFL All-American will take place May 29-31, 2025, at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by hosted by Visit Hot Springs and the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.

Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7 Brew Coffee, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, PowerStop Brakes, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, 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.

Bonneau’s Grooms gets second win of the season at Phoenix Bass Fishing League regional on Santee Cooper

Georgia’s Lemaster tops Strike King co-angler division

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October 14, 2024 • MLF • Press Releases

CLARENDON COUNTY, S.C. – Boater Wade Grooms of Bonneau, South Carolina, caught a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 33 pounds, 8 ounces, to win the Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine Regional on Santee Cooper Lakes. The tournament, which was hosted by the Clarendon County Chamber of Commerce, concluded Saturday. For his win, Grooms earned a prize package valued at $58,344, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200hp Mercury or Suzuki outboard and $10,000.

The Santee Cooper event served as Regional championship for BFL Region 4. The field included the top 45 boaters and co-anglers based on point standings, plus each of the tournament winners, from the 2024 Bama, Bulldog, Gator and North Carolina divisions. The top six boaters and co-anglers have qualified for the 2025 BFL All-American, which will be held on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, May 29-31.

For the safety of the anglers, Major League Fishing proactively cancelled Day 1 of the Santee Cooper event due to extreme winds caused by Hurricane Milton. But it was actually lingering effects of Hurricane Helene that had the biggest impact on this tournament.

Around the time anglers started practicing, lake managers dropped the bottom out of the fishery, lowering it by about 5 1/2 feet to make room for runoff into the system. Then the runoff arrived, raising the lake level each day through practice and the event.

According to Grooms, who lives on Santee Cooper, water level fluctuations like this are rare. It made a drastic impact on the fishery.

“The lake was pristine,” he said, referring to conditions before the storm. “There was a lot of grass. It was crystal clear, like an aquarium. Over the last four or five days it has come up a foot a day. So that rise in water brought orange mud water. It was the nastiest, foamy looking and there was all this debris.

“There was a lot of grass in the lake,” he added. “What happened when it went low and came back up, it was so much inflow that it was just current – like a strong current of muddy water. It ripped out a bunch of the grass. The conditions were tough.”

On top of that, a cold front arrived on Day 1, and it was 37 degrees in the morning.

“It hasn’t been that cold since last April. All the conditions you don’t want with bass fishing occurred here within one week.”

Mother Nature rolled out a real challenge for the Regional qualifiers, but that’s kind of the point, right? Fall fishing is all about navigating changing weather and seasonal transitions, and the best anglers in their region should be challenged for a shot at grassroots fishing’s biggest tournament.

Grooms adapted, using his knowledge of good grass beds and some solid logic regarding the current conditions.

“I tried to find the cleanest water I could find,” he said. “There was one little strip I found that was 500 yards wide by 500 yards long.”

Within that stretch, he targeted a clumpy mix of hydrilla and eelgrass. There were actually a lot of fish in the area, but they got tougher to catch as the tournament went on. On Day 1, Grooms caught an impressive 19-pound limit – the biggest limit of the tournament – anchored by a pair of 5-pound, 10-ounce bass.

On Day 2, the area had shrunk in half, with muddy water moving in and forcing Grooms to slide closer to the bank to stay in the cleaner water. That was a challenge too, because he was catching his fish where clean water and grass met in about 6 feet. Grooms realized the fish weren’t moving with that clearer water, and he caught only 14 pounds, 8 ounces fishing a bit shallower on the final day. Still, it was enough to get the win by a half-pound over Scott Wiley Jr.

Grooms caught all his fish on a junebug-colored Zoom Speed Worm.

“It was weighted, and I was slow-rolling it and just ticking the grass,” Grooms said. “If you weren’t making contact with grass you weren’t getting bit. So that was the main thing.”

Grooms navigated quite the mix of challenges to earn a trip to his first All-American. You could credit the win to his local knowledge, a great strategy or his willingness to buckle down in one area and grind it out. He said all those things played a part, but so did something else.

“The power of prayer,” he said. “It works.”

The top six boaters who qualified for the 2025 Phoenix BFL All-American finished:

1st: Wade Grooms, Bonneau, S.C., 10 bass, 33-8, $58,344

2nd: Scott Wiley Jr., Bay Minette, Ala., 10 bass, 33-0, $9,344

3rd: Jamie Fountain, East Dublin, Ga., eight bass, 26-7, $5,173

4th: Chad Poteat, Mount Airy, N.C., 10 bass, 26-0, $4,428 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)

5th: Vernelle Quinnie, Duncanville, Ala., eight bass, 25-3, $1,669

6th: Andrew George, Poplar Branch, N.C., 10 bass, 24-12, $1,502

The rest of the Top 12 finished:

7th: Donald Griffith, Robertsdale, Ala., seven bass, 23-15, $1,335

8th: Lucas Murphy, West Columbia, S.C., 10 bass, 23-15, $1,168

9th: Michael Smith, Andalusia, Ala., nine bass, 23-13, $1,001

10th: Michael Campbell, Pineville, S.C., 10 bass, 23-9, $918

11th: Brooks Anderson, Marietta, Ga., seven bass, 23-5, $834

12th: Matt Wieteha, Miami, Fla., nine bass, 22-13, $1,834

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The top-finishing boater from each division (not including the winner) earned a $1,000 bonus for placing highest in the event. Those anglers included:

Bama: Scott Wiley Jr., Bay Minette, Ala., 2nd Place, $1,000

Bulldog: Jamie M. Fountain, East Dublin, Ga., 3rd Place, $1,000

Gator: Matt Wieteha, Miami, Fla., 12th Place, $1,000

North Carolina: Chad Poteat, Mount Airy, N.C., 4th Place $1,000

Gary Givens of Semmes, Alabama, and Chad Smith of Buckhead, Georgia, tied for the Berkley Big Bass Boater award, each landing a bass that weighed 7 pounds, 10 ounces. They each took home $500 for their share of the prize.

Justin Lemaster of Royston, Georgia, won the Strike King co-angler division Saturday after bringing a two-day total of eight bass weighing 16 pounds, 10 ounces, to the scale. His $50,000 prize package included a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200hp Mercury or Suzuki outboard.

The top six Strike King co-anglers who qualified for the 2025 Phoenix BFL All-American finished:

1st: Justin Lemaster, Royston, Ga., eight bass, 16-10, $50,000

2nd: Jeffrey Webb, Watkinsville, Ga., eight bass, 15-15, $4,788

3rd: Tony Stevens, Monroe, Ga., seven bass, 15-9, $2,145

4th: Harold Grizzle, Gainesville, Ga., six bass, 14-5, $1,286

5th: Tim Greene, Loganville, Ga., seven bass, 12-15, $858

6th: Daniel Arnberg, Auburn, Ala., six bass, 12-12, $1,272

The rest of the Top 12 finished:

7th: John Burt Jr., Montgomery, Ala., four bass, 12-5, $686

8th: Shaun Ireland, Lake Worth, Fla., six bass, 11-14, $1,100

9th: Curtis Hillman, Eufaula, Ala., five bass, 11-6, $515

10th: Caleb Gwaltney, Athens, Ala., five bass, 11-4, $472

11th: Chad Cleckner, Spring Lake, N.C., five bass, 10-9, $929

12th: Josh McCrimmon, Nashville, Ga., five bass, 10-8, $679

The top-finishing co-angler from each division (not including the winner) earned a $500 bonus for placing highest in the event. Those anglers included:

Bama: Daniel Arnberg, Auburn, Ala., 6th Place, $500

Bulldog: Jeffrey Webb, Watkinsville, Ga., 2nd Place, $500

Gator: Shaun Ireland, Lake Worth, Fla., 8th Place, $500

North Carolina: Chad Cleckner, Spring Lake, N.C., 11th Place $500

Brody Bowen of Cleveland, Georgia, and Jeff Turner of Morris, Illinois, tied for the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award. They each took home $250 for catching a bass that weighed in at 6 pounds, 1 ounce.

2024 Phoenix Bass Fishing League – Mississippi River Regional Tournament Day 3 weigh-in (10/12/2024)

October 12, 2024 • Phoenix Bass Fishing League

QUAD CITIES, Ill. – Watch the weigh-in from Day 3 of the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Regional Tournament at Pools 13-17 on the Mississippi River on Oct. 12, 2024. View full results here.

2024 Phoenix Bass Fishing League – Santee Cooper Regional Tournament Day 2 weigh-in (10/12/2024)

October 12, 2024 • Phoenix Bass Fishing League

CLARENDON COUNTY, S.C. – Watch the weigh-in from Day 2 of the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Regional Tournament at the Santee Cooper Lakes on Oct. 12, 2024. View full results here.

2024 Phoenix Bass Fishing League – Mississippi River Regional Tournament Day 2 weigh-in (10/11/2024)

October 11, 2024 • Phoenix Bass Fishing League

QUAD CITIES, Ill. – Watch the weigh-in from Day 2 of the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Regional Tournament at Pools 13-17 on the Mississippi River on Oct. 11, 2024. View full results here.

2024 Phoenix Bass Fishing League – Santee Cooper Regional Tournament Day 1 weigh-in (10/11/2024)

October 11, 2024 • Phoenix Bass Fishing League

CLARENDON COUNTY, S.C. – Watch the weigh-in from Day 1 of the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Regional Tournament at the Santee Cooper Lakes on Oct. 11, 2024. View full results here.

2024 Phoenix Bass Fishing League – Mississippi River Regional Tournament Day 1 weigh-in (10/10/2024)

October 10, 2024 • Phoenix Bass Fishing League

QUAD CITIES, Ill. – Watch the weigh-in from Day 1 of the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Regional Tournament at Pools 13-17 on the Mississippi River on Oct. 10, 2024. View full results here.

Phoenix Bass Fishing League regional tournament to visit Watts Bar Lake

Rhea County to host 200 boaters and co-anglers from four BFL divisions competing for spot in 2025 BFL All-American, top prize of $60,000

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October 8, 2024 • MLF • Press Releases

SPRING CITY, Tenn. – The Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine’s Choo Choo, Music City, Piedmont and Volunteer divisions will wrap up their 2024 season in Spring City, Tennessee, next week, Oct. 17-19, with the Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine Regional Event at Watts Bar Lake Presented by recteq. The tournament was previously slated for Clarks Hill Lake in Appling, Georgia, but was shifted to Watts Bar Lake due to recent storm damage.

Hosted by the Rhea County Department of Tourism – Fish Spring City, the three-day regional tournament will feature the top 45 boaters and co-anglers plus tournament winners from all four divisions, battling it out for a top prize of $60,000, including a Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard and $10,000, along with lucrative contingency awards, including up to an additional $7,000 Phoenix MLF Bonus. Strike King co-anglers will compete for a top prize of $50,000, including a Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard. Winners will be determined by the heaviest three-day catch.

The top six finishers in each regional will qualify for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American. The highest finishing boater from each division will also receive a $1,000 bonus and the highest finishing co-angler from each division will receive a $500 bonus.

Bass Pro Tour angler Wesley Strader of Spring City, Tennessee, said the tournament is shaping up to be a great event.

“Watts Bar Lake has been a little slow the last couple years, but it’s been fishing really good throughout the spring, summer and fall this year,” Strader said. “The fish have been fat and healthy, so the fishery is looking really good.”

While recent weather conditions due to Hurricanes Helene and Milton have adversely affected several MLF tournaments over the past week or so, forcing cancellations and venue changes for multiple events, Strader said Watts Bar Lake is just beginning to see the effects of Mother Nature’s latest wrath.

“The runoff from the rains in North Carolina and upper East Tennessee have finally gotten to us, so anglers can expect to see a lot of muddy water,” Strader said. “The lake just turned to solid mud, except for off the main channel. That main channel will still be muddy, but fishable. I expect to see a lot of grass fishing and a lot of guys throwing a frog, as well as spinnerbaits, ChatterBaits and buzzbaits throughout the event.

“They’re running a lot of water out of the dam and have been for a while,” Strader continued. “With another hurricane on the approach, I’m sure they will continue letting water out for a while, which will impact the fishery and the way fish are setting up.”

Strader said he believes it will take at least 28 pounds for anglers to advance to the final day but expects a 16-pound average per day to take home the win.

Anglers will launch at 7:30 a.m. ET each morning from the Spring City Boat Ramp, located at 417 Toestring Valley Road, in Spring City. Weigh-ins will also be held at the ramp and will begin at 3:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend the event or follow the action online through the “MLF Live” weigh-in broadcasts at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine consisted of 24-divisions devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season and five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, advance to one of six Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regionals. The 2025 BFL All-American will be held May 29-31 at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by Visit Hot Springs and the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.

The top boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the Toyota Series, the pathway to the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals and ultimately the Bass Pro Tour. For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Texarkana’s Wright Patman Lake set for Phoenix Bass Fishing League regional tournament

200 qualified boaters and Strike King co-anglers ready to compete for spot in 2025 BFL All-American, top prize of $60,000

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October 8, 2024 • MLF • Press Releases

TEXARKANA, Texas – The Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine’s Arkie, Cowboy, Mississippi and Okie divisions are set to close out the 2024 season next week, Oct. 17-19, in Texarkana, Texas, with the Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine Regional Tournament on Wright Patman Lake.

The three-day event, hosted by the City of Texarkana, Texas, will feature the top 45 boaters and co-anglers plus tournament winners from all four divisions, fishing for a top prize of $60,000, including a Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard and $10,000, along with lucrative contingency awards, including up to an additional $7,000 Phoenix MLF Bonus. Strike King co-anglers will compete for a top prize of $50,000, including a Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard. Winners will be determined by the heaviest three-day catch.

The top six finishers in each regional will qualify for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the 42nd annual BFL All-American. The highest finishing boater from each division will also receive a $1,000 bonus and the highest finishing co-angler from each division will receive a $500 bonus.

“Wright Patman is a pretty good-sized lake, but it fishes relatively small when the water is at normal pool, which is where it’s at now,” said pro Jim Tutt of Longview, Texas, who has 34 career Top-10 finishes in MLF competition. “Generally, the lake is well known for water levels being high all the time – like 10, 15, 20-foot high, all the time. But they built a new bridge last year, and they’ve been working on a few things here and there and the water has been at normal pool for the last year, which is kind of unusual.

“There are basically two different fishing styles available,” Tutt continued. “You’ve got the lower lake, and then the upper lake which is the Sulfur River and the Sulfur River flats up there where it comes into the lake. There are a lot of great areas to target, but it can be very difficult place to navigate. There are a lot of hidden stumps and timber – I hit something the other day on the main lake in 18 foot of water and knocked my skeg off. So, everyone is going to need to be very cautious while boating. But it’s going to be a really fun tournament.”

Tutt said that he expects typical fall patterns to be in play for competitors.

“I’m definitely going to have a buzzbait tied on,” Tutt said. “I’ll also have a small, shallow-diving squarebill crankbait, something to flip – maybe a (Zoom) Baby Brush Hog – and a spinnerbait. I like to keep it simple, but I think all of those baits will be players in this one.

“We’ve got a cool spell coming – we’re getting down into the 50s this week, which should turn on the fishing some more. I think if a guy can catch in the high 13 or 14 for two days, he’ll do pretty good and will probably make the top 12 to fish the final day. But I definitely think it could take up to 20 pounds a day to win this one.”

Anglers will launch at 7:30 a.m. CT each morning from the Sportsman’s Cove boat ramp, located at 850 Sportsman’s Cove Road in Texarkana. Weigh-ins will also be held at the boat ramp and will begin at 3:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend the event or follow the action online through the “MLF Live” weigh-in broadcasts at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The top boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division also earn priority entry into the Toyota Series, the pathway to the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals and ultimately the Bass Pro Tour. For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.