See the 2021 All-American Roster
The 98 best boaters and co-anglers from MLF’s grassroots ranks will compete on Douglas Lake, June 3-5 in the 2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine All-American Presented by TINCUP. One of the longest-running championships in bass fishing, the All-American is often considered to be the pinnacle of the grassroots level and has launched the careers of anglers like Shaw Grigsby, Jacob Wheeler, Jeremy Lawyer and many more throughout the years. This year, the event returns to its traditional early summer timeslot and heads to Douglas Lake for a showdown in the mountains of east Tennessee.
How They Qualified
The 2021 All-American will feature a field of the top 49 boaters and 49 Strike King co-anglers from across the 24-division Bass Fishing League and The Bass Federation. The field includes the top six boaters and co-anglers from each of six 2020 Regional Championships plus the top six from the 2020 Wild Card and top eligible finisher from each of the seven TBF divisions in the 2020 TBF National Championship.
What’s at Stake
This year, the anglers are all competing for a grand prize of up to $120,000 in the boater division, including a lucrative $20,000 Phoenix MLF5 Bonus contingency award, and $50,000 in the Strike King co-angler division.
Additionally, the highest-finishing boater and co-angler from each of seven Regional Championships (including the Wild Card) and the TBF National Championship at the All-American will advance to the 2021 Toyota Series Championship for a shot at winning $235,000 and $33,500, respectively.
The Field
Here’s a look at this year’s field for the All-American, sorted by the qualification route each angler took.
BFL Regional at Lake Cherokee
Boaters
Josh Butler – Hayden, Ala.
Timmy Thompkins – Myrtle Beach, S.C.
John Duvall – Madison, Ga.
Dale Pelfrey – Rockwood, Tenn.
Chris Martinkovic – Hamilton, Ohio
Brant Grimm – Church Hill, Tenn.
Co-anglers
Don Bible – Knoxville, Tenn.
Rex Henry – Hixson, Tenn.
Jeff Rikard – Leesville, S.C.
Andrew Starnes – Chapin, S.C.
Dax Liner – Mineral Bluff, Ga.
Daniel Buswell Jr. – Fayetteville. Ga.
BFL Regional at Lake Chickamauga
Boaters
Drew Boggs – Lebanon, Tenn.
Blake Tomlin – Greenville, Ga.
Jason Nixon – Wetumpka, Ala.
Brent Butler – Vonore, Tenn.
Lloyd Pickett Jr. – Bartlett, Tenn.
Christopher Thomas – Birmingham, Ala.
Co-anglers
Sam Lemons – Vonore, Tenn.
Brent Clark – Bowling Green, Ky.
Curtis Cline – Lafayette, Tenn.
Keith Whipple – Iuka, Miss.
Allen Neal – Whitley City, Ky.
Michael Petras – Biloxi, Miss.
BFL Regional at the James River
Boaters
Chris Daves – Spring Grove, Va.
Jason Burger – Bridgeton, N.J.
Chris Baldwin – Lexington, N.C.
Keith Estes – Spring Grove, Va.
Jason Thomas – Lexington, N.C.
Chad Poteat – Mount Airy, N.C.
Co-anglers
Moo Bae – West Friendship, Md.
David Mills – Wirtz, Va.
Rod Mackinnon III – Middletown, N.Y.
Travis Garrett – Charlottesville, Va.
Terri Davis – Chilhowie, Va.
Robert Wedding – Welcome, Md.
BFL Regional at Lake Lanier
Boaters
Chris Nelson – Social Circle, Ga.
Randy Dover – Buford, Ga.
Trent Palmer – Cumming, Ga.
Cody Hoyle – Rutherfordton, N.C.
Collin Smith – Honea Path, S.C.
JR McCay – Robertstown, Ga.
Co-anglers
Kevin Henderson – Honea Path, S.C.
Randy Paquette – Sarasota, Fla.
John Wilson – Six Mile, S.C.
Mickey Bergeron – Amherst, Va.
Sam Loveless – Somerset, Ky.
Dustin Elrod – Jasper, Ga.
BFL Regional at the Mississippi River
Boaters
Cade Laufenberg – La Crosse, Wis.
Wilson Burton – Findlay, Ohio
Leslie Brandenburg – Springfield, Mo.
Mike Mertens – Mount Pleasant, Iowa
Randy Ramsey Jr. – Chicago, Ill.
Kevin Ruh – Onalaska, Wis.
Co-anglers
Stefan Marginean – Glenview, Ill.
Lenny Bays – Dayton, Ky.
Jon Cordray – House Springs, Mo.
James Jarvis – West Frankfort, Ill.
Andy Messina – Camdenton, Mo.
Chuck Davis – Farmington, Ill.
BFL Regional at Table Rock
Boaters
Roger Fitzpatrick – Eldon, Mo.
Shane Long – Willard, Mo.
Brandon Booth – Bryan, Texas
Eric Olliverson – Lampe, Mo.
Josh Busby – Rogersville, Mo.
Hunter Litchfield – Macomb, Ill.
Co-anglers
Melinda Hays – Hot Springs, Ark.
Cedric Jackson – Sicily Island, La.
Chase Fitzpatrick – Eldon, Mo.
Ken Coats – Claremore, Okla.
Jake Elledge – Broken Arrow, Okla.
Kanon Harmon – Benton, Ark.
BFL Wild Card at Lake of the Ozarks
Boaters
Austin Culbertson – Moberly, Mo.
Kyle Kitts – Joplin, Mo.
Harmon Davis – Marlow, Okla.
Joey Schmidt – Hickory, Ky.
Garrett Johnson – Mineral Point, Mo.
Richie Marsh – Excelsior Springs, Mo.
Co-anglers
Raymie Long – Stanford, Ky.
Zach Barnes – Chickamauga, Ga.
Cotton Snodgrass – Norman, Okla.
Bryan Schuster – Oklahoma City, Okla.
Jeff Cave – Mount Juliet, Tenn.
Chris Gebhardt – Columbia, Mo.
TBF National Championship
Boaters
Central – Scott Whitehead – Columbus, Miss.
Southern – Michael Deen – Waycross, Ga.
Eastern – Robert Stock – Morris Plains, N.J.
Mid-Atlantic – Mike Morris – Dover, Del.
Northwest – Jason Crone – Kalispell, Mont.
Northern – Brad Knight – Sussex, Wis.
Southwest – Sam Heckman – Pueblo West, Colo.
Co-anglers
Northern – Don Ary – Jamestown, Ohio
Southwest – Adam Cacal – Las Vegas, Nev.
Southern – Scott Neiheisel – Cincinnati, Ohio
Eastern – Guiseppe Andreoli – Harrisville, R.I.
Central – Joshua Moore – Grand Cane, La.
Northwest – Douglas Stiffarm – Columbia Falls, Mont.
Mid-Atlantic – Matt Felty – Sykesville, Md.