Teutopolis’ Dhom catches late kicker for victory at Phoenix Bass Fishing League event at Lake Shelbyville

La Place’s Cain wins Strike King Co-Angler Division

SHELBYVILLE, Ill. – Boater Jeremy Dhom of Teutopolis, Illinois, caught a five-bass limit weighing 15 pounds, 2 ounces, Saturday to win the Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Shelbyville. The tournament was the first event of the season for the BFL Illini Division. Dhom earned $4,246 for his victory.

“I drew a good number and was fortunate to get to my starting spot and caught two fish there,” Dhom said. “I bounced around and ended up having a limit by 8:30. Things were going good … I had 10 or 11 pounds on my five fish. Then I went about three hours without a tick in my line.”

Dhom said his drought continued with only one small fish to show for his efforts until late in the afternoon.

“About 1:45 I caught one that went more than 6 pounds, and that changed my day,” Dhom said. “That is a rare fish at Shelbyville. That just doesn’t happen very often. I knew I had it won after I caught that fish. It’s rare to break a 15-pound bag on Shelbyville in May.”

Dhom said he fished shallow flats offshore in his hunt for bass. He added the morning fish were in 3 to 5 feet of water, but the sun came out and his afternoon bites came in 8 to 10 feet. Dhom said he caught 25 fish during the course of the day, including eight keepers.

“I knew I had a good chance at doing well during this event,” Dhom said. “I fish up there all the time. I’ve won probably 15 to 20 team tournaments there. So, this year I said, ‘I’m going to jump up and fish the BFLs.’ And it turned out very well.”

The Top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

                1st:        Jeremy Dhom, Teutopolis, Ill., five bass, 15-2, $4,246
                2nd:       Joshua Tyner, Spencer, Ind., four bass, 13-15, $1,878
                3rd:       Ben Holmes, Altamont, Ill., five bass, 12-2, $1,253
                4th:        Derick Holmes, Fairfield, Ill., five bass, 11-9, $876
                5th:        Todd Blakeman, Chatham, Ill., five bass, 11-7, $1,721
                6th:        Dan Morehead, Paducah, Ky., five bass, 9-15, $689
                7th:        Garrett McDowell, Windsor, Ill., four bass, 9-14, $626
                8th:        Corey Bohlmann, Danvers, Ill., five bass, 9-12, $563
                9th:        Scott Neighbors, Makanda, Ill., five bass, 9-11, $501
                10th:     Larry Diveley, Saint Jacob, Ill., five bass, 9-10, $438

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Dhom’s 6-pound, 2-ounce bass also earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $490.

Tad Cain of La Place, Illinois, won the Strike King co-angler division and $2,478 Saturday, after bringing four bass to the scale that totaled 12 pounds, 4 ounces.

The Top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:

                1st:        Tad Cain, La Place, Ill., four bass, 12-4, $2,478
                2nd:       Jojo Johnson, Marion, Ill., five bass, 11-3, $1,089
                3rd:       Andrew Williams, Homer, Ill., four bass, 9-15, $627
                4th:        Jim Budde, Waterloo, Ill., four bass, 9-10, $438
                5th:        Lane Argo, Edinburg, Ill., five bass, 9-5, $376
                6th:        Evan McCormick, Edwardsville, Ill., four bass, 8-2, $344
                7th:        Rowdy King, Shelbyville, Ill., two bass, 7-11, $558
                8th:        Aaron Wehmeyer, Bloomington, Ill., four bass, 7-2, $282
                9th:        Richard Skiff, Edwardsville, Ill., three bass, 6-11, $250
                10th:     Gary Huber II, Saint Charles, Mo., four bass, 6-8, $219

Rowdy King of Shelbyville, Illinois, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $245, catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 11 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.

After one event, Jeremy Dhom of Teutopolis, Illinois, now leads the BFL Illini Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 250 points, while Tad Cain of La Place, Illinois, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 250 points.

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. 12-14 BFL Regional tournament on Dale Hollow Lake in Byrdstown, Tennessee. 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 through 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: 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.