Michael Morrison Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Dale Hollow Lake
BYRDSTOWN, Tenn. – Boater Michael Morrison of Stamping Ground, Kentucky, caught five bass Saturday weighing 19 pounds, 14 ounces, to win the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine event on Dale Hollow Lake. The tournament, hosted by Star Point Marina and Resort, was the second event for the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Mountain Division. Morrison earned $5,475 for his victory.
“We started out on a spot I had found during the Toyota Series Central Division event two weeks ago,” Morrison said. “The fish were still there, and I made the first drop and caught one about 4 pounds, then I caught a 14-inch keeper smallmouth.
“I had some Carolina-rig spots that I had caught some fish on, and I thought I could get a quick limit doing that, but I hit those places and didn’t do any good,” Morrison said.
Morrison said he decided to relocate and made a run toward the dam and filled out his limit in 30 minutes. A 4-pound, 14-ounce bass replaced the 14-inch smallmouth, and his weigh bag was set at 2:15 p.m.
“We started back up the lake about 2:45, and I got about midway, and it started sinking in a little bit,” Morrison said. “I told myself, ‘I think I just won this thing.’
“To beat these guys here on Dale Hollow is an accomplishment I can’t describe,” Morrison said.
Morrison said his baits of choice were a Damiki Armor Shad Soft Jerkbait and a Venom Lures Dream Craw on a wobble-head jighead. He also caught fish on a Carolina rig tipped with a Zoom Brush Hog.
The Top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
- 1st: Michael Morrison, Stamping Ground, Ky., five bass, 19-14, $5,475
- 2nd: Tristan Abbott, Somerset, Ky., five bass, 18-13, $2,937
- 3rd: Brian Wilson, Somerset, Ky., five bass, 18-10, $1,827
- 4th: Tim McDonald, Paintsville, Ky., five bass, 18-8, $1,277
- 5th: Bailey Gay, Union, Ky., five bass, 18-7, $1,595, (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
- 6th: Tony Eckler, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 18-3, $1,004
- 7th: Branden Grubb, Lily, Ky., five bass, 18-2, $1,112
- 8th: Brett Graham, Cold Spring, Ky., five bass, 17-11, $821
- 9th: Nathan Adams, High Ridge, Mo., five bass, 17-8, $730
- 10th: Matthew Mullins, Russellville, Ky., five bass, 17-6, $639
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Jim Dean of Huntington, West Virginia, had a largemouth that weighed 5 pounds, 8 ounces that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $870.
John Fitzpatrick of Baxter, Tennessee, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,631 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 16 pounds, 14 ounces.
The Top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:
- 1st: John Fitzpatrick, Baxter, Tenn., five bass, 16-14, $2,631
- 2nd: Lee Sinclair, Albany, Ky., five bass, 15-11, $1,315
- 3rd: Timothy Jolley, Monroe, Tenn., five bass, 14-14, $877
- 4th: Will Bandy, Edmonton, Ky., five bass, 14-11, $614
- 5th: Bill Haunert, Byrdstown, Tenn., five bass, 14-6, $526
- 6th: Curt Fannin, Prestonsburg, Ky., five bass, 13-10, $582
- 7th: Brent Clark, Bowling Green, Ky., five bass, 13-7, $438
- 8th: Mike Morrison, Staffordsville, Ky., five bass, 13-4, $395
- 9th: Jake Mattingly, Stanford, Ky., five bass, 12-11, $551
- 10th: Todd Stopher, London, Ky., four bass, 10-10, $307
Travis Parrott of Byrdstown, Tennessee, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 3 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $410.
After two events, Tristan Abbott of Somerset, Kentucky, leads the Bass Fishing League Mountain Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 499 points, while Timothy Jolley of Monroe, Tennessee, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 497 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. 20-22 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Smith Lake in Cullman, Alabama. 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 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.