SCOTTSBORO, Ala. – Boater Jason Atkins of Section, Alabama, caught a five-bass limit weighing 22 pounds, 13 ounces, Saturday to win the Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Guntersville. Hosted by the Mountain Lakes Chamber of Commerce, the tournament was the third event of the season for the BFL Choo Choo Division. Atkins earned $11,601, including the lucrative $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus, for his victory.

A part-time Guntersville guide and a steel mill worker, Atkins knows the lake well. His experience paid off with him making the right moves to counter a somewhat tough bite.

“It was very slow,” he said. “They didn’t move any water. So it was a very tough bite. You could tell by the weights. This morning (Saturday) we started just fishing real slow, and it just turned out it worked out for us.”

Atkins said the bass are transitioning to spawn, and he located some quality fish on beds prior to the tournament. However, he wasn’t able to get there to sight-fish for them before other anglers. Instead, he caught his fish on four prespawn and spawning flats using a shad-colored swim jig fished on a steady retrieve. The deepest bass came out of about 6 feet. The rest were shallower.

“It was a very slow bite,” he added. “I just had to slow way down.”

The Top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:          Jason Atkins, Section, Ala., five bass, 22-13, $11,601 (includes $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
2nd:        Dillon Falardeau, Hixson, Tenn., five bass, 18-9, $2,023
3rd:        Mel Kennedy, Hiawassee, Ga., five bass, 18-2, $1,348
4th:         Steve Lopez, Oconomowoc, Wis., five bass, 17-9, $944
5th:         Danny Hall, Ellijay, Ga., five bass, 17-8, $809
6th:         Fisher Anaya, Eva, Ala., five bass, 17-6, $742
7th:         Jeff Knight, Cleveland, Tenn., five bass, 16-14, $674
8th:         Tanner Hadden, Appling, Ga., five bass, 16-6, $573
8th:         Ben Yarbrough, Athens, Ala., five bass, 16-6, $573
10th:      Tim Thornbury, Red Bank, Tenn., five bass, 15-12, $472

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Atkins caught a bass that weighed 7 pounds, 8 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $555.

James Ramsey of Boaz, Alabama, won the Strike King co-angler division and $2,023 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 17 pounds, 6 ounces.

The Top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:

1st:          James Ramsey, Boaz, Ala., five bass, 17-6, $2,023
2nd:        Rodney Stewart, Decatur, Ala., five bass, 15-14, $1,011
3rd:        Todd McBride, Huntsville, Ala., five bass, 14-10, $674
4th:         Joshua Green, Cartersville, Ga., three bass, 14-4, $472
5th:         Alex Roberts, Franklin, Tenn., four bass, 13-14, $405
6th:         Logan Jones, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 13-7, $471
7th:         Scott Sexton, Corryton, Tenn., five bass, 12-11, $337
8th:         Shunsuke Miyashima, Chattanooga, Tenn., five bass, 12-10, $303
9th:         Richard Bailey, Florence, Ala., four bass, 12-5, $270
10th:      Cason Sanchez, Fayetteville, Tenn., five bass, 12-1, $236

Michael Matlock of Olivehill, Tennessee, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $277, catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 7 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.

After three events, Fisher Anaya of Eva, Alabama, leads the Fishing Clash Choo Choo Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 742 points, while Todd Mowery of Madison, Alabama, leads the Fishing Clash Choo Choo Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 715 points.

The next event for BFL Choo Choo Division anglers will be held July 13, at Neely Henry Lake in Gadsden, Alabama. 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 Clarks Hill Lake in Appling, Georgia. 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, Fishing Clash, 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.

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.