After a six-week break, the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by MillerTech will be back in action for Stop 4 Presented by Phoenix Boats on Douglas Lake May 8-10. Douglas will represent a new test for many anglers in the field, especially when it comes to this three-day event. The Tennessee fishery has only ever hosted one MLF tournament above the Phoenix Bass Fishing League level, when it held the Qualifying Round of a Bass Pro Tour event in 2023 (nearby Cherokee Lake hosted the Knockout and Championship Rounds).
While that level of unknown should make for an intriguing test for the competitors, it’ll also make picking a lineup challenging for Phoenix Fantasy Fishing Presented by 13 Fishing players. We’ve dug into the field and the history that’s available to give you all the information you need to pick a winning team.
DeFoe the clear local favorite
Since joining the Bass Pro Tour in 2019, Ott DeFoe has never competed in an event at the Pro Circuit, Toyota Series or BFL levels. That should tell you all you need to know about his confidence level at Douglas. DeFoe, of course, is great everywhere. But he lives on Douglas and has won a pair of Bassmaster Opens on the fishery. While there is an element of risk involved with picking a BPT angler who will have no interest in points and thus fish solely to win this event, I’ll gladly ride with DeFoe’s local knowledge.
Another perhaps sneakier angler who has spent plenty of time on Douglas in recent years is Caz Anderson. While Anderson resides in North Carolina, he fished collegiately at Carson-Newman University, which is just a few miles from the lake. Anderson is off to a solid start to his rookie season, having finished between 26th and 31st in each of the first three events, and this event will represent a golden opportunity to put himself in the thick of the race for BPT qualification.
Some history of note
Only one angler in the field has previously won an MLF event on Douglas … sort of. Keith Poche won the aforementioned Bass Pro Tour event that was split between Douglas and Cherokee, but he finished fourth in his group during the Qualifying Round on Douglas before finding the winning honey hole on Cherokee. Still, Poche will have a good idea where to start on Douglas, and he might be able to access some water up the river that no one else can get to – a winning strategy on the fishery in the past. Matt Becker also finished in the Top 10 at that BPT event, while Jared Lintner made the Knockout Round thanks to a big second day on Douglas with a five-fish limit weighing 15-12.
Outside of that BPT event, there isn’t a ton of pertinent history. But it’s worth noting that Drew Boggs finished in the Top 10 of the BFL Regional on Douglas last fall as well as at a 2021 Open on the fishery. He’s coming off his best-ever Pro Circuit finish, too – a third-place showing at Wheeler. Levi Kohl and Grant Meisenhelter also finished in the Top 10 of that same BFL Regional.
Keep riding the high-flyers
You shouldn’t need any reason to pick Banks Shaw for your Fantasy Fishing team aside from the fact that he now has two wins and nine Top 10s in 10 career Pro Circuit events after his victory on Wheeler. But just in case you do, he once won a high school event on Douglas. Drew Gill is also an auto-pick no matter where he’s competing.
Shaw might be the only angler you could argue is arriving at this event with more momentum than University of North Alabama teammate Dylan Nutt. The 22-year-old just won the Bassmaster Classic about an hour away on Fort Loudoun Lake. He and his twin brother, Carter Nutt – who is coming off back-to-back Top 10s – deserve to be popular picks.
Lastly, while Douglas isn’t technically a Tennessee River reservoir (the French Broad River joins the Holston not far below the Douglas dam to form the Tennessee River), it has a lot of the same characteristics. Few are better on the system or hotter right now than Matteo Turano, who recently won a Toyota Series event on Kentucky Lake, then backed it up with a solid showing at REDCREST.
Other names to know
Clint Knight – The same reasoning for liking Turano applies to Knight. He’s another Kentucky Lake local who has been fishing well of late and who has a chance to put himself in legitimate contention to earn a BPT berth with a strong event at Douglas.
Hayden O’Barr – O’Barr has proven he can catch ‘em anywhere, and he finally got the monkey off his back with his first professional win about a month ago on Pickwick. Look for him to ride that momentum to another strong finish.
Levi Thibodaux – Thibodaux had a strong showing at a Bassmaster college event on Douglas in 2024, where he finished 12th. He’s been fishing well since a rough start to the season at the Harris Chain, having made the Top 25 at both Santee Cooper and Wheeler and a Top 10 at last week’s Toyota Series event on Lake Seminole.
My picks
Flight 1: Ott DeFoe, Drew Gill, Banks Shaw, Dylan Nutt, Matteo Turano
Flight 2: Caz Anderson, Tripp Berlinsky, Clint Knight, Carter Nutt, Hayden O’Barr