Leesburg’s Steve Floyd Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Kentucky-Barkley Lake

GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. – Boater Steve Floyd of Leesburg, Ohio, caught five bass Saturday weighing 22 pounds, 10 ounces, to win the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine event on Kentucky-Barkley Lake. The tournament, hosted by the Kentucky Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau, was the second event of the season for the Bass Fishing League LBL Division. Floyd earned $12,618, including the lucrative $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus, for his victory.

“I ran south and fished in the Blood River area and flipped bushes in pockets,” Floyd said. “I thought I’d catch maybe 14 pounds. I didn’t think I’d get very many big bites, but my second fish right out of the gate was a 6-pounder, and that made me feel a little bit better.”

Floyd said he caught 25 keepers during the tournament, including two 6-pounders and one that weighed more than five pounds. Floyd said he caught his fish on a green-pumpkin Strike King Rage Bug.

“This win is awesome,” Floyd said. “I’m from Ohio, but the most fun thing I can do is come down here and flip bushes in my favorite place. If I could go anywhere and fish any style it would be to do just what I did to win this.”

The Top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

                1st:        Steve Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, five bass, 22-10, $12,618 (includes $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
                2nd:       Seth Roberts, Jacksboro, Tenn., five bass, 20-2, $2,309
                3rd:       Brian Futch, Herrin, Ill., five bass, 17-7, $1,539
                4th:        Larry Frasier, Eddyville, Ky., five bass, 15-14, $1,078
                5th:        Brad Hutcheson, Troy, Tenn., five bass, 15-13, $924
                6th:        Lonnie Bowlin, Benton, Ill., four bass, 15-11, $1,527
                7th:        Puggy Deberry, Calvert City, Ky., four bass, 15-9, $770
                8th:        Clint Knight, Lewisburg, Ky., five bass, 15-3, $693
                9th:        David Brunaugh, Carbondale, Ill., five bass, 14-4, $616
                10th:     Jon Fatheree, Grantsburg, Ill., five bass, 14-0, $512
                10th:     Drew Boggs, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 14-0, $512

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Bowlin had a largemouth that weighed 6 pounds, 5 ounces that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $680.

Gary Huber II of Saint Charles, Missouri, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,270 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 13 pounds even.

The Top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

                1st:        Gary Huber, Saint Charles, Mo., five bass, 13-0, $2,270
                2nd:       Carl Oelker, Greenbrier, Tenn., five bass, 12-13, $1,235
                3rd:       Gabe Montgomery, Jackson, Mo., five bass, 11-15, $757
                4th:        Jesse Gustafson, Gilbertsville, Ky., four bass, 11-8, $530
                5th:        Andrew Bailey, Woodlawn, Tenn., three bass, 10-10, $784
                6th:        Alexis Joyce, Benton, Ky., five bass, 10-3, $416
                7th:        Secret York, Benton, Ky., five bass, 9-9, $378
                8th:        Tim Rampaul, Dickson, Tenn., four bass, 9-3, $341
                9th:        Michael Harvel, Jonesboro, Ill., four bass, 9-1, $303
                10th:     Pat Rapp, Hawesville, Ky., three bass, 8-15, $465

Bailey caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 6 pounds, 3 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $330.

After two events, Drew Boggs of Lebanon, Tennessee, leads the Bass Fishing League LBL Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 486 points, while Ed Daniell of West Frankfort, Illinois, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 476 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 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 Toyota Series, the pathway to the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the 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.