NORTHEAST, Md. – Boater Jason Orecchio of Andover, New Jersey, weighed in five bass totaling 20 pounds, 4 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on the Chesapeake Bay. The tournament was the first event of the season for the BFL Northeast Division. Orecchio earned $4,119 for his victory.
“It feels nice to get the win,” Orrechio said. “I was fishing up the Susquhanna River, targeting smallmouth. I found them mainly in the rocks, in 5 to 10 feet of water.
“The key bait for me today was a green-pumpkin-colored Keitech (swimbait) on a drop-shot rig,” Orrechio went on to say.
The Top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
- 1st: Jason Orecchio, Andover, N.J., five bass, 20-4, $4,119
- 2nd: Michael Sentore, Gloucester City, N.J., five bass, 18-11, $2,059
- 3rd: Steven Dimatteo, Lancaster, Pa., four bass, 16-12, $1,374
- 4th: Alex Korol, Fairpoint, N.Y., five bass, 15-11, $961
- 5th: Christopher Sperling, Cato, N.Y., five bass, 14-12, $824
- 6th: Rick McFaul, Phoenix, Md., five bass, 14-5, $755
- 7th: Peter Yanni, Gaithersburg, Md., four bass, 13-9, $1,186 (includes $500 Phoenix Bonus)
- 8th: Conor Cahill, Swedesboro, N.J., four bass, 12-10, $618
- 9th: Michael Gardner, Townsend, Del., four bass, 12-6, $549
- 10th: Dave Williams, Jackson, N.J., five bass, 11-11, $480
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
John Welsh of Slatington, Pennsylvania, caught a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 14 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $565.
Ryan Sweeney of Secane, Pennsylvania, won the Strike King co-angler division and a total of $2,059 Saturday, after bringing four bass to the scale that totaled 16 pounds, 1 ounce.
The Top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:
- 1st: Ryan Sweeney, Secane, Pa., four bass, 16-1, $2,059
- 2nd: Kenny Ibberson, Lindwold, N.J., four bass, 14-14, $1,312
- 3rd: Andre Wynn, Windsor Mill, Md., five bass, 13-3, $687
- 4th: John Alexander, Mount Airy, Md., four bass, 12-15, $480
- 5th: John Chacosky, Media, Pa,, four bass, 12-4, $562
- 6th: Kevin Collins, Morristown, N.J., four bass, 11-5, $378
- 7th: Michael Bahnweg, Union Dale, Pa., three bass, 11-3, $326
- 7th: Harry Moore, Clarington, Ohio, four bass, 11-3, $326
- 9th: Matt Hummel, Dillsburg, Pa., three bass, 9-7, $275
- 10th: Anthony Ell, Stanhope, N.J., three bass, 9-1, $240
Ibberson earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $282, catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 12 ounces.
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 the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland. 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, Mystik Lubricants, 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.