Danville’s Black Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Neely Henry Lake

GADSDEN, Ala. – Boater Lee Black of Danville, Alabama, caught five bass Saturday weighing 15 pounds, 6 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Neely Henry Lake. The tournament, hosted by the City of Gadsden, was the fourth event for the Bass Fishing League Bama Division. Black earned $4,315 for his victory.

“I started off and ran about 40 minutes to my first place, and it was kind of slow for the first two hours,” Black said. “I had four fish in the livewell, and one that weighed 3½ pounds. Then, about noon, the bigger fish started biting and I caught three 4-pounders.”

Black said he focused on an upriver section of Neely Henry and caught 10 bass, including eight keepers, during the course of the day. He said a vibrating jig accounted for most of his keeper fish. He added that two of his biggest fish came while flipping a Z-Man Palmetto BugZ creature bait.

“I have fished a lot of BFL events and have finished second and third, but never have won one,” Black said. “It feels good to finally get one.”

The Top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

• 1st: Lee Black, Danville, Ala., five bass, 15-6, $4,315
• 2nd: Kris Colley, Ragland, Ala., five bass, 15-0, $2,767
• 3rd: Wes Logan, Springville, Ala., five bass, 14-15, $1,439
• 4th: Scott Chatham, Kingston, Ga., five bass, 13-7, $1,007
• 5th: Mark McCaig, Oxford, Ala., five bass, 13-5, $1,563 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
• 6th: Taylor Parker, Lake View, Ala., five bass, 12-8, $1,441
• 7th: Jason Nixon, Wetumpka, Ala., five bass, 12-3, $683
• 7th: Bradley Jones, Aragon, Ga., five bass, 12-3, $683
• 9th: Beau Gregory, Tallassee, Ala., four bass, 11-14, $575
• 10th: David Wesson, Southside, Ala., five bass, 11-12, $503

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Colley had a largemouth that weighed 5 pounds, 11 ounces that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $610.

Mike Langdale of Sycamore, Georgia, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,657 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 11 pounds, 6 ounces.

The Top 10 Strike King Co-anglers were:

• 1st: Mike Langdale, Sycamore, Ga., five bass, 11-6, $2,657
• 2nd: Kade Kitchens, Southside, Ala., five bass, 10-8, $1,079
• 3rd: Johnny Suratt, Lawrenceburg, Tenn., five bass, 10-5, $717
• 4th: William Maddox, Trussville, Ala., five bass, 9-13, $503
• 5th: Jon Huffine, Powder Springs, Ga., five bass, 9-8, $413
• 5th: Rodney Thompson, Highland Home, Ala., five bass, 9-8, $413
• 7th: Justin Nalley, Fayetteville, Ga., five bass, 9-2, $360
• 8th: Cameron Petras, Biloxi, Miss., five bass, 9-1, $324
• 9th: Daniel Buswell Jr., Fayetteville, Ga., five bass, 8-13, $288
• 10th: Michael Corbett, Oxford, Ala., five bass, 8-9, $252

Marrell Deering of Rome, Georgia, caught the largest bass in the co-angler division, a fish weighing in at 4 pounds, 5 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $305.

After four events, Robbie Robinson of Mobile, Alabama, leads the Bass Fishing League Bama Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 961 points, while Mike Langdale of Sycamore, Georgia, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 979 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. 13-15 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Pickwick Lake in Counce, Tennessee. 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 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.