Dardanelle’s Martin warms up to earn win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League event on Lake Ouachita
Pine Bluff’s Clark dominates Strike King Co-Angler division
MOUNT IDA, Ark. – Boater Blake Martin of Dardanelle, Arkansas, caught a five-bass limit weighing 17 pounds, 13 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Ouachita . The tournament was the first event of the season for the BFL Arkie Division. Martin earned $4,507 for his victory.
“I thought this tournament would be won in clear water, so I tried fishing deep grass, but I couldn’t figure it out,” said Martin. “So, I went up into mud into the river like I’m used to.
“I wasn’t catching much; the wind was blowing and I was cold,” Martin added. “And it’s funny – that’s the reason I found the fish I did. I was just trying to get out of the wind in the back of a pocket and was just fishing while I was trying to warm up. It turns out they were way more shallow than I thought they would be.”
Martin said most of his fish came in 1 to 2 feet of water on a Z-Man Evergreen ChatterBait Jack Hammer, and the bait provided enough weight to post his first BFL win in three tries.
“I thought I could compete in them, but never thought I would win a BFL,” Martin said. “I’ve been fishing my whole life, but I didn’t expect this.”
The Top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
- 1st: Blake Martin, Dardanelle, Ark., five bass, 17-13, $4,507
- 2nd: Samuel Hutson, Benton, Ark., five bass, 17-4, $2,908
- 3rd: Braxton Shifflett, Jessieville, Ark., five bass, 14-15, $1,502
- 4th: Chris Huselton, Conway, Ark., five bass, 14-14, $1,052
- 5th: Matt Wood, Jessieville, Ark., five bass, 14-12, $901
- 6th: Teddy Bogard, White Hall, Ark., five bass, 14-11, $1,326 Includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
- 7th: Damian Roberts, Dumas, Ark., five bass, 14-9, $751
- 8th: Austin Johnston, Mena, Ark., five bass, 14-8, $676
- 9th: Justin Bean, Benton, Ark., five bass, 14-6, $601
- 10th: Jordan Haas, Russellville, Ark., five bass, 13-15, $526
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Hutson caught a largemouth that weighed 8 pounds, 2 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $655.
John Clark of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, won the Strike King co-angler division and a total of $2,232 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 17 pounds, 6 ounces.
The Top 10 Strike King Co-anglers finished:
- 1st: John Clark, Pine Bluff, Ark., five bass, 17-6, $2,232
- 2nd: Taylor Nichols, Stephens, Ark., five bass, 12-3, $1,116
- 3rd: Steven Logan, Hugo, Okla., three bass, 11-14, $1,063
- 4th: Lance Fowler, Dardanelle, Ark., five bass, 11-9, $521
- 5th: Steve Meredith, Jessieville, Ark., five bass, 11-5, $446
- 6th: John Hankins, Atkins, Ark., three bass, 11-2, $390
- 6th: Mike Toska, Hot Springs, Ark., four bass, 11-2, $390
- 8th: Dave Tull, Waldron, Ark., five bass, 10-10, $335
- 9th: Derek Dixon, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 10-8, $498
- 10th: Jody Jones, Harvey, Ark., five bass, 10-5, $260
Logan earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $320, catching a largemouth that weighed in at 6 pounds, 15 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
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, 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.