BROOKELAND, Texas (News release) – Boater Blake Schroeder of Whitehouse, Texas, caught five bass Saturday weighing 23 pounds, 4 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Sam Rayburn Reservoir. The tournament, hosted by the Jasper County Development District, was the third event for the Bass Fishing League Cowboy Division. Schroeder earned $5,475 for his victory.
”It wasn’t fast and furious by any means,” Schroeder said. “I caught one big one on a 6th Sense Cloud 9 C15 crankbait that was about 7½ pounds. I caught a few other ones on a Carolina rig with a Big Bite Baits Pro Lizard in 8 to 12 feet of water. I also caught some of my better ones on beds around hay grass and buck brush on a 3-inch Big Bite Baits soft plastic.”
Schroeder said he caught 15 bass during the course of the day, 11 of which were keepers, fishing north of the Highway 147 bridge.
”This is my third BFL win, and it feels good,” Schroeder said. “I know it’s an accomplishment to win one, and there aren’t a ton of people who get the opportunity to win several, so I’m certainly blessed to have the chance to win in back-to-back years. And winning against the field of anglers that fish Sam Rayburn is an accomplishment in itself.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
- 1st: Blake Schroeder, Whitehouse, Texas, five bass, 23-4, $5,475
- 2nd: Tater Reynolds, Florien, La., five bass, 22-9, $2,737
- 3rd: Chris Diberardino, Zavalla, Texas, five bass, 21-8, $2,327 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
- 4th: Cameron Mattison, Benton, La., five bass, 20-8, $2,056
- 4th: Shaine Campbell, Brookeland, Texas, five bass, 20-8, $1,186
- 6th: Wyatt Frankens, Corrigan, Texas, five bass, 19-9, $1,004
- 7th: Dicky Newberry, Houston, Texas, five bass, 18-6, $912
- 8th: Logan Sherrer, Karnack, Texas, five bass, 18-5, $821
- 9th: Jason Bonds, Lufkin, Texas, five bass, 18-1, $730
- 10th: Dillon Harrell, New Caney, Texas, five bass, 17-11, $639
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Mattison had a 9-pound, 10-ounce largemouth that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $870.Rondell Joseph of Manvel, Texas, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,737 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 15 pounds, 9 ounces.The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:
- 1st: Rondell Joseph, Manvel, Texas, five bass, 15-9, $2,737
- 2nd: Bryan Myers, Ragley, La., five bass, 14-11, $1,369
- 3rd: Tim Sink, Kemah, Texas, five bass, 14-8, $913
- 4th: John Pilinski, Haughton, La., two bass, 13-4, $1,074
- 5th: Ron Dickens, North Richland Hills, Texas, four bass, 13-0, $547
- 6th: Darren Bland, Orange, Texas, four bass, 12-14, $502
- 7th: Albert Ignacio, Dallas, Texas, five bass, 12-13, $456
- 8th: Mitchel Martin, Washington, La., five bass, 12-7, $388
- 8th: Byron Green, Humble, Texas, four bass, 12-7, $388
- 10th: Eric Pearce, Roanoke, Texas, five bass, 11-11, $319
Pilinski caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 9 pounds, 7 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $435.
After three events, Tater Reynolds of Florien, Louisiana, leads the Bass Fishing League Cowboy Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 744 points, while Albert Ignacio of Dallas, Texas, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 708 points.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 20-22 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma. Boaters will compete 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 fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.
The 2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, 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, will advance to one of six Regional Championships 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 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American. The 2022 All-American will be held June 2-4 at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.
The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the MLF Toyota Series, the pathway to the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.
Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, AFTCO, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Revital Outdoors, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X, YETI and Yo-Zuri.
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