Buckeye Division hits the Ohio to start the season
LAWRENCEBURG, Ind. – This year, the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Buckeye Division will start the season in May on the Ohio River at Tanners Creek. The timing should be perfect for the event, as the water is falling from spring floods and the bass are spawning.
Tournament details
Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Buckeye Division
Lawrenceburg, Ind.
May 18, 2024
About the fishery
Over 900 miles long, the Ohio River is a dynamic and diverse fishery. Flowing from its headwaters in Pennsylvania to the Mississippi River, it has a vast history outside of bass fishing. Still, it’s also home to all three species of bass, with varying fishing quality along the length of the river.
Navigable and regulated by a system of locks and dams, the river itself also changes a lot from end to end. Near Maysville, Ohio, there’s milfoil in some areas of the river. In other parts of the river, you can find lily pads. Around Tanners Creek and Cincinnati, most of the cover consists of rock or wood with plenty of creeks branching off the river to harbor bass.
What to expect
With seven BFL wins to his credit on the Ohio River, Chris Wilkinson is pretty much always in the mix when he launches his boat on the river. This time, he expects a good showing for the Ohio.
“I fished another pool this last weekend, and they’re just starting to move up on the beds,” he said. “It should be a really strong creek bite. The main river, I don’t personally see that coming into play, but somebody may figure something out there. I think some fish will be on beds, and some fill will be already spawned.
“I think we’re hitting this time frame really good,” he added. “It should be a really good turnout as long as we don’t have some crazy weather come through and blow the creeks out.”
For his part, Wilkinson figures he’ll pop around in the creeks, throwing a Hook Some Bass spinnerbait, Hog Snatcher Baits tube or a Hawgback Lures buzzbait.
He’s also of the opinion that it will take 12 to 14 pounds to win, which is a lot on many stretches of the Ohio River.
“If we fish a summer tournament, anything over 8 pounds, you’ve got a shot to win,” Wilkinson said. “If we don’t get any crazy weather, this should be a really good tournament. The 2 1/2-pound-plus fish are the ones that you need. That doesn’t sound very big, but for the Ohio River that’s a good keeper. This weekend I had over 30 keepers, but it’s the quality bite. It’s getting yourself in the right position to catch solid fish.”