COLUMBUS, Miss. – Boater Yancy Windham of Reform, Alabama, caught a five-bass limit Saturday weighing 16 pounds, 1 ounce, to win the Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on the Columbus Pool. Saturday’s tournament was the first of a back-to-back BFL weekend on the Columbus Pool, and the third of five regular-season events for the BFL Mississippi Division. Windham earned $2,410 for his victory.
Windham said he kept his approach simple on a hot, tough day on the Columbus Pool, opting to stay in the same pool rather than lock through. From there, he leaned on a variety of homemade baits and put together a steady grind that produced his first career BFL victory.
“I caught them on a variety of lures,” Windham said. “I caught them on homemade spinnerbaits and homemade jigs and some homemade plastic. Pretty much just grinding all day. It was tough.”
The spinnerbait produced the bulk of his weigh-in fish, accounting for three of the bass he brought to the scale. Windham also caught two key fish on a homemade jig and added another keeper on a homemade soft-plastic bait, giving him the kind of versatility needed to stay productive throughout the day.
Windham said he would not be fishing the second event of the back-to-back weekend on Sunday, despite picking up the win Saturday.
“I’m a pastor,” Windham said. “I’ll be back home at church, preaching tomorrow.”
The Top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Yancy Windham, Reform, Ala., five bass, 16-1, $2,410
2nd: Brandon Bolton, West Point, Miss., five bass, 13-12, $1,250
3rd: David Dupler, Columbus, Miss., five bass, 13-0, $870
4th: Kyle Shaw, Millport, Ala., five bass, 11-9, $520
4th: Jesse Steadham, Byram, Miss., five bass, 11-9, $520
6th: Ryan Lecompte, Picayune, Miss., five bass, 11-5, $1,030 (includes $500 Phoenix Bonus)
7th: John Anderson, Bay Springs, Miss., five bass, 11-0, $420
8th: Tim Fox, Meridian, Miss., five bass, 10-14, $660
9th: Randy Craft, Seminary, Miss., five bass, 10-11, $390
10th: Brandon Bell, Starkville, Miss., five bass, 10-7, $380
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
David Dupler of Columbus, Mississippi, earned the $200 Berkley Big Bass Boater award after landing a 5-pound, 9-ounce bass.
Jeffery Reece of Guys, Tennessee, won the co-angler division and the top prize of $1,205 Saturday after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 7 pounds, 12 ounces.
The Top 10 co-anglers finished:
1st: Jeffery Reece, Guys, Tenn., three bass, 7-12, $1,205
2nd: Sank Payton, Bay Springs, Miss., two bass, 7-3, $725
3rd: Cole Smith, Millport, Ala., three bass, 6-13, $335
4th: James Moffitt, Louisville, Miss., two bass, 6-12, $275
5th: Thomas Alexander, Austin, Ark., three bass, 6-0, $230
5th: Reggie Thornton, Columbus, Miss., three bass, 6-0, $230
7th: Jay Criddle, Flora, Miss., three bass, 5-14, $210
8th: Marian Hall, Hattiesburg, Miss., three bass, 5-9, $205
9th: Mitchell Bond, Collins, Miss., three bass, 5-8, $195
9th: Austin Conn, Cordova, Tenn., three bass, 5-8, $195
Sank Payton of Bay Springs, Mississippi, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award after landing a bass weighing 4 pounds, 7 ounces to earn the $100 prize.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the division based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 8-10 BFL Regional tournament on Lake Eufaula in Eufaula, Alabama. Boaters will fish for a top award of a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard worth $50,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top prize of a new Phoenix 518 pro with a 115-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard, worth $33,500.
The 2026 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 co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying tournament winners, will advance to one of six BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top seven, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American.
Proud sponsors of the 2026 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7 Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Buffalo, BUBBA, Cigars International, Epic Baits, Grizzly, Mercury, MillerTech, Mystik Lubricants, OFF! Deep Woods, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, PirahnO2, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, VOSKER, YETI and Yuengling.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular BFL updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.