BRISTOL, Tenn. – The Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Volunteer Division continues with the season’s second event, slated for South Holston Reservoir on March 8.
Although the lake has experienced up-and-down water levels this year, Bristol, Tennessee’s Corey Neece expects solid weights to be posted in this event due to the caliber of smallmouth and largemouth bass present the fishery.
The BFLs offer an expanded slate of Regional events in 2025, which minimizes travel costs and provides anglers more chances to qualify for the 2026 All-American. Anglers are able to fish closer to home on familiar lakes, with a chance to take home a $50,000 Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower outboard as a boater, and a new $20,000 cash award as a co-angler.
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What to expect
Neece, who finished second last season on South Holston and won this season’s kickoff for the Volunteer Division on Lake Chickamauga in February, will fish in this event and predicts good weights throughout the field.
“It’s been a little tough this year so far, to be honest, because the lake is getting a lot of pressure, but I still think it will take around 20 pounds to win,” he said. “It always seems to take 20 to win here and 15 or so to get a check because the lake is full of quality fish. The lake is mainly smallmouth, and there are a bunch of 3- to 4-pounders in there, but it also has some good largemouth. I think a mixed bag will be the way to win this one.”
Neece reports that the bite has been a little tricky, because of the rising and falling water levels, but shared that things are starting to settle.
“The water was 10 or 15 feet high a couple of weeks back, and now they’re starting to drop it,” he said. “There’s some fish on the bank, but the bulk of the fish are still set in a winter pattern; they haven’t made the big push to the shallows yet. The water is still in the mid-40s, and there should be a lot of winter-type baits working.”
According to Neece, forward-facing sonar is likely to be a factor with a jighead minnow, but that will not be the only way to catch them.
“The ‘Damiki-rig’ style of baits will definitely play, but people will be able to catch them on a jerkbait and crankbait along the bank,” he said. “The water on the upper end is a little dirtier right now, which should help the cranking bite. All of the local stuff has been taking 18 to 20 pounds to win, and it’s being won from one end to the other, so the whole lake should be in play for this one.”