Alabama’s Harrison Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on the Columbus Pool

COLUMBUS, Miss. – Boater Cody Harrison of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, caught five bass Saturday weighing 14 pounds, 14 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on the Columbus Pool. The tournament, hosted by Visit Columbus, was the fourth event for the Bass Fishing League Mississippi Division. Harrison earned $4,122 for his victory.

“I had a pretty early boat number and started out fishing a community area in the Columbus Pool,” Harrison said. “I spent my entire day going back and forth, fishing behind guys and trying to cover as much water and grass as I could.

“There was a shad spawn early in the morning, so I just stuck with that bite all day long,” added Harrison, who caught 12 bass during the day. “I culled three times and lost two I hooked up on, and I missed a few bites early.”

Harrison said he believes the key to his victory was the fact he was using a fluorocarbon line instead of the braided line that seemed to dominate the event. He said the fluorocarbon line aided his ability to feel bites on his white 3/8-ounce hand-tied swimjig that was given to him.

Harrison said the tournament was his first tournament experience on the Columbus Pool.

“I wasn’t expecting this win at all,” Harrison said. “Qualifying for the Regional Championship on Smith Lake now is just a huge weight off my shoulders. And I’ve had some top-5 finishes before, but to finally get this win is nice.”

The Top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

• 1st: Cody Harrison, Muscle Shoals, Ala., five bass, 14-14, $4,122
• 2nd: David Watkins, Caledonia, Miss., five bass, 14-5, $1,561
• 3rd: Eddie Armstrong, West Point, Miss., five bass, 11-10, $1,043
• 4th: Nick Churchill, Brandon, Miss., five bass, 11-9, $1,103
• 5th: Jerry Gilliam, Ethelsville, Ala., five bass, 10-15, $624
• 6th: John Anderson, Baysprings, Miss., four bass, 10-6, $1,772 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
• 7th: Evan Horne, Tuscumbia, Ala., five bass, 10-2, $520
• 8th: Timmy Ming, Louisville, Miss., five bass, 10-0, $468
• 9th: Keith Brumfield, Vicksburg, Miss., four bass, 9-10, $416
• 10th: D. Scott Gibson, Hattiesburg, Miss., five bass, 9-1, $364

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Churchill had a largemouth that weighed 4 pounds, 9 ounces that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $375.

Joey Tanner of Meridian, Mississippi, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $1,661 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 10 pounds, 5 ounces.

The Top 10 Strike King Co-anglers were:

• 1st: Joey Tanner, Meridian, Miss., five bass, 10-5, $1,661
• 2nd: Cameron Petras, Biloxi, Miss., three bass, 7-15, $781
• 3rd: Steve Shirley, Guin, Ala., three bass, 7-7, $521
• 4th: Colby Gaddy, Gordo, Ala., three bass, 7-2, $564
• 5th: Reggie Thornton, Columbus, Miss., four bass, 6-14, $312
• 6th: Glenn Rawson, Daleville, Miss., three bass, 6-5, $286
• 7th: Bryan Gibson, Arlington, Tenn., two bass, 6-3, $447
• 8th: Harpole Perkins, Pheba, Miss., three bass, 5-15, $234
• 9th: Ken Pecanty, Vicksburg, Miss., three bass, 5-14, $208
• 10th: Bobby Speake, Terry, Miss., three bass, 5-12, $182

Gibson caught the largest bass in the co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 4 pounds, 10 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $187.

After four events, Evan Horne of Tuscumbia, Alabama, leads the Bass Fishing League Mississippi Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 940 points, while Joey Tanner of Meridian, Mississippi, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 928 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 Smith Lake in Cullman, Alabama. 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.

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.