Port Saint Lucie’s Hoinig Claims Victory at Two-Day Phoenix Bass Fishing League Super Tournament on Lake Okeechobee
Longwood’s Dimauro Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division
CLEWISTON, Fla. – Boater Nicholas Hoinig of Port Saint Lucie, Florida, caught 10 bass weighing 38 pounds, 6 ounces, to win the two-day MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Okeechobee in Clewiston, Florida. The tournament, hosted by the Hendry County Tourism Development Council, was the fifth and final regular-season event for the Bass Fishing League Gator Division presented by Revital Outdoors. Hoinig earned $8,075 for his victory.
Hoinig said he found his tournament fish late during his practice on Friday. He caught almost all of his fish that he weighed from that area, pitching a black and blue Gambler Fat Ace Stick Worm on a 5/0 Gamakatsu Heavy Cover hook with an Ark Fishing Tungsten Weight. He fished his rig with a heavy Ark Invoker Pro rod and 65-pound-test braid line.
“The fish were staging and getting ready to spawn,” said Hoinig. “It was just an early wave of fish that was coming up. I was one of two boats fishing in there; the third-place finisher was the only other guy in the area. I milked that area pretty good. I caught only one other fish I weighed in from another spot.
“This win feels awesome,” Hoinig added. “I’ve been fishing BFLs for eight or nine years and never won. I’ve had buddies win one and they all say, ‘You’re time is coming.’ I finally got it done, and it feels freaking awesome.”
The Top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
- 1st: Nicholas Hoinig, Port Saint Lucie, Fla., 10 bass, 38-6, $8,075
- 2nd: Caleb Frazier, Beverly Hills, Fla., 10 bass, 35-2, $3,537
- 3rd: Ronnie Buck, Miami, Fla., 10 bass, 33-2, $2,359
- 4th: Eric Panzironi, Longwood, Fla., nine bass, 32-7, $1,651
- 5th: Bob Knoerzer, Winter Springs, Fla., nine bass, 30-6, $2,957 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF5 contingency bonus)
- 6th: Greg Jones, Sarasota, Fla., six bass, 29-4, $1,297
- 7th: Lance Pemble, Leesburg, Fla., 10 bass, 28-15, $1,179
- 8th: Douglas Sauls, Winter Garden, Fla., 10 bass, 28-10, $1,061
- 9th: John Adkinson, Winter Haven, Fla., 10 bass, 28-1, $943
- 10th: Ben McCann, Bradenton, Fla., 10 bass, 27-0, $825
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Bob Knoerzer of Winter Springs, Florida, caught a bass weighing 8 pounds, 15 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – to earn the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $1,042.
Davis Dimauro of Longwood, Florida, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $3,537 Sunday after catching a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 20 pounds, 2 ounces.
The Top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:
- 1st: Davis Dimauro, Longwood, Fla., 10 bass, 20-2, $3,537
- 2nd: Daniel Valois, Coral Springs, Fla., eight bass, 20-1, $1,769
- 3rd: Robert Kinder, Tampa, Fla., eight bass, 19-5, $1,180
- 4th: Luis Lindstedt, Melbourne, Fla., 10 bass, 19-1, $825
- 5th: Tyler Nekolny, Coral Springs, Fla., 10 bass, 17-8, $707
- 6th: Mike Greenwell, Alva, Fla., seven bass, 17-6, $649
- 7th: J.P. Sims, Port Saint Lucie, Fla., seven bass, 17-5, $590
- 8th: Randy Paquette, Sarasota, Fla., eight bass, 16-9, $531
- 9th: Steven Hollingsworth, Lakeland, Fla., nine bass, 15-9, $472
- 10th: Jarrett Vick, Archer, Fla., four bass, 15-9, $934
Jarrett Vick of Archer, Florida, caught the largest bass in the Strike King Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 6 pounds, 3 ounces. The catch earned him the Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $521.
With the regular season now complete, boater Mark Lundgren of Saint Cloud, Florida, won the 2022 Bass Fishing League Gator Division presented by Revital Outdoors Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with a five-event total of 1,243 points to earn the $1,000 boater AOY award. Davis Dimauro of Longwood, Florida, won the 2022 Strike King Co-Angler Gator Division presented by Revital Outdoors AOY race with 1,330 points and earned the $500 Strike King Co-angler of the Year award.
Now, the top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the division based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will advance to compete in the Oct. 6-8 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Lake Murray in Prosperity, South Carolina. 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.