Brandon’s Barber bests field at Phoenix Bass Fishing League event at Ross Barnett Reservoir

New Albany’s Rasberry wins Strike King co-angler Division title

BRANDON, Miss. – Boater Joel Barber of Brandon, Mississippi, caught a five-bass limit weighing 16 pounds, 13 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Ross Barnett Reservoir. The tournament was the third event of the season for the BFL Mississippi Division. Barber earned $3,426 for his victory.

“I caught one probably 5 (pounds) and one 4 – both spawned out and skinny as a rail,” Barber said. “I caught them on a frog, fishing extremely slow. I didn’t catch a lot of fish, I only culled twice. But overall, it was a very good day and I really enjoyed it.”

Barber said that his two big fish came on the frog, but he also added a couple of keepers on a ChatterBait. He fished offshore, in just 3 to 4 feet of water targeting points in an area that had a couple of creeks flowing into it.

“I was throwing a (Heddon Zara) Spook and a big buzzbait, trying to get the big bite,” Barber said. “My co-angler probably caught 10 or 12 and he had a good shot at winning, but he couldn’t keep them on. They were jumping on him and he just missed them. I’m grateful that I was able to get the right ones in the boat.”

The Top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

• 1st:        Joel Barber, Brandon, Miss., five bass, 16-13, $3,426
• 2nd:       Taurian Parks, Clinton, Miss., five bass, 16-3, $1,713
• 3rd:       Alfred Williams, Jackson, Miss., five bass, 16-1, $1,141
• 4th:        Jared Smith, Petal, Miss., five bass, 14-14, $799
• 5th:        Doug Taylor, Booneville, Miss., five bass, 13-13, $685
• 6th:        Christian Rushing, Wiggins, Miss., five bass, 13-9, $628
• 7th:        Mike Jones, Brandon, Miss., five bass, 13-4, $542
• 7th:        Todd Reed, Brandon, Miss., five bass, 13-4, $542
• 9th:        Clint Pegg, Caledonia, Miss., five bass, 13-3, $1,927 (includes $500 Phoenix Bonus)
• 10th:     Mark Gwin, Tupelo, Miss., five bass, 12-15, $400

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Anthony Reid of Kenner, Louisiana, caught a bass that weighed 6 pounds, 3 ounces, to earn the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $430.

Anthony Rasberry of New Albany, Mississippi, won the Strike King co-angler division and $1,909 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that weighed 13 pounds, 6 ounces.

The Top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:

• 1st:        Anthony Rasberry, New Albany, Miss., five bass, 13-6, $1,909
• 2nd:       Louis Stevens, Grenada, Miss., five bass, 13-1, $855
• 3rd:       Troy Ladner, Bay Saint Louis, Miss., five bass, 11-14, $770
• 4th:        Mitchell Bond, Collins, Miss., five bass, 11-11, $399
• 5th:        Corey Carson, Blue Mountain, Miss., five bass, 11-3, $342
• 6th:        Hunter Averett, Carriere, Miss., three bass, 11-1, $523
• 7th:        Ryan Lecompte, Picayune, Miss., three bass, 9-12, $285
• 8th:        Shawn Gaar, Brandon, Miss., five bass, 9-11, $256
• 9th:        Shane Long, Pontotoc, Miss., three bass, 8-10, $228
• 10th:     Buddy French, Monticello, Miss., four bass, 8-8, $199

Averett earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $210, catching a bass that weighed in at 6 pounds, 9 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.

After three events, Taurian Parks of Clinton, Mississippi, leads the BFL Mississippi Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 729 points, while Hunter Averett of Carriere, Mississippi, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 724 points.

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. 5-7 BFL Regional tournament on Lake Eufaula in Eufaula, Oklahoma. Boaters will fish 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 compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

The 2023 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 2023 All-American event will take place May 31-June 2, on Lake Hartwell in Seneca, South Carolina. The event is hosted by Visit Oconee SC.

Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, General Tire, Grundéns, Gill, Lew’s, Lowrance, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X 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.