JEFFERSON, Texas (Jan. 29, 2024) – Boater Colby Miller of Elmer, Louisiana, caught a five-bass limit weighing 28 pounds, 3 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 second event of the season for the BFL Cowboy Division. Miller earned $3,641 for his victory.
“I was kind of worried about the wind,” said Miller, whose first time on Lake of the Pines was during his practice period before the tournament. “I knew it was supposed to get up a bit more throughout the day. I had two little areas I thought I was going to be able to do well in.
“I went to the first area and caught a 4-pound fish fairly quickly,” Miller continued. “Then the rain hit, and that continued for 20 to 30 minutes. As soon as the rain quit, I caught a 6-pounder.”
Miller said he then went 45 minutes without a bite and decided to relocate.
“When I made the move, it was definitely the right move,” Miller said. “Within 10 minutes I caught my kicker, which was an 8-3. Five minutes later I caught a 5-pounder, then one that went 3½. It was 9:30 in the morning, and I had 28-3.
“When I caught my fifth keeper, I thought I might have a shot at winning,” Miller added. “My co-angler said, ‘There’s no doubt. You just won.’ And at that point, I was jacked up and thought I had a shot. Then the wind started blowing and I wasn’t able to fish how I needed to fish. I tried to move around, and every move I made was the wrong move.”
Miller said he fished the rest of the day targeting bottom structure with an Alabama rig, trying to cull the 3½-pound bass, but as the day went on his confidence in a victory waned. Miller never got another bite after his fifth keeper bass.
“I just kept after it and hoping, because I was getting nervous,” Miller said. “So, this win is great. This feels amazing.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Colby Miller, Elmer, La., five bass, 28-3, $3,641
2nd: Tater Reynolds, Florien, La., five bass, 27-7, $2,120
3rd: Robert Parkison, Marshall, Texas, five bass, 25-12, $2,189 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Bonus)
4th: Jeffery Rice, Shreveport, La., five bass, 24-1, $850
5th: Fisher Davis, Mount Ida, Ark., five bass, 18-0, $728
6th: Zack Fogle, Longview, Texas, five bass, 15-10, $668
7th: Dylan Sorrells, Dallas, Texas, five bass, 14-5, $607
8th: Ron Festavan, Vivian, La., four bass, 13-10, $546
9th: Arthur Johnson, Judson, Texas, five bass, 12-13, $485
10th: Corey Calvert, Coldspring, Texas, five bass, 11-13, $425
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Robert Parkison of Marshall, Texas, caught a bass that weighed 8 pounds, 10 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $475.
William Easley of Pollok, Texas, won the Strike King co-angler division and $1,820 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 17 pounds, 5 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: William Easley, Pollok, Texas, five bass, 17-5, $1,820
2nd: Robert Massey, Calhoun, La., five bass, 16-1, $910
3rd: James Moore, Jr., Lampasas, Texas, four bass, 12-8, $757
4th: Allen Musser, Ada, Okla., five bass, 11-0, $425
5th: Ethen Evans, Hughes Springs, Texas, three bass, 10-12, $364
6th: Robert Spangenberg, Montgomery, Texas, five bass, 10-1, $318
6th: Shane Trowbridge, Deer Park, Texas, three bass, 10-1, $318
8th: Austin Roach, Big Sandy, Texas, five bass, 9-9, $273
9th: Liam Curtright, Angleton, Texas, two bass, 8-13, $480
10th: Andrew Duhon, Lake Charles, La., four bass, 7-12, $212
Liam Curtright of Angleton, Texas, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $237, catching a bass that weighed in at 6 pounds, 8 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After two events, Jeffery Rice of Shreveport, Louisiana, leads the BFL Cowboy Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 495 points, while James Moore, Jr., of Lampasas, Texas, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 492 points.
The next event for BFL Cowboy Division anglers will be held March 9, at Toledo Bend Lake in Zwolle, Louisiana. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.
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. 17-19 BFL Regional tournament on Wright Patman Lake in Texarkana, Texas. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki 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 or Suzuki outboard.
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.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota and YETI.
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