Harriman’s Moore earns first career win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League event at Watts Bar Lake
Wartburg’s Malone tops Strike King co-angler division
SPRING CITY, Tenn. – Boater Jeffery Moore of Harriman, Tennessee, caught a three-bass limit weighing 13 pounds, 2 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Watts Bar Lake . The tournament was the fourth event of the season for the BFL Volunteer Division. Moore earned $8,889, including the lucrative $5,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus, for his victory.
To protect the resource, the anglers competing at Watts Bar were held to a three-fish limit. For Moore, catching a 13-plus-pound three-fish bag was a solid showing for this time of year
“I grew up on that lake fishing,” he said. “I ran history. I’ve been catching a few fish off a place cranking. I pulled up there today (Saturday) and I caught a good one and a keeper. Then I ran another spot and caught my third one. And then I went flipping after that. I put a jig in my hand and went flipping the rest of the day. I caught my biggest fish flipping and probably caught two limits flipping.”
Later in the day, Moore pulled up on a key brush pile sunk in about 11 feet of water and, using a worm, landed a 3-pounder that gave him the final boost he needed to lock up the win by just 8 ounces over second place.
It was classic summertime run-and-gun fishing. After he caught his initial limit cranking, Moore was confident that if he could get a quality bite up shallow on a jig, which he did, that he’d have a chance to win it. But he knew he had to mix it up, too. Moore’s final three-fish limit consisted of one caught on a crankbait, one on a worm and one on a jig.
“The lake’s not fishing as good as it used to. Used to this time of year you could stay deep and you could just hit holes. They’d school up. They don’t school up like they used to. You just kind of have to run water.”
While reflecting on his win, Moore thanked Phoenix Boats dealer Bunch Marine in Harriman, Tennessee, for their support.
“They take really good care of me,” he added. “They’ve treated me really well. Super nice people.”
The Top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Jeffery Moore, Harriman, Tenn., three bass, 13-2, $8,889 (includes $5,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
2nd: Jake Gardner, Lenoir City, Tenn., three bass, 12-10, $1,944
3rd: Travis Bowen, Duffield, Va., three bass, 9-11, $1,297
4th: Dustin Dyer, Johnson City, Tenn., three bass, 9-8, $907
5th: Randy Oliver, Johnston City, Tenn., three bass, 9-7, $778
6th: Derrick Blake, Rockwood, Tenn., three bass, 9-6, $713
7th: John Murray, Spring City, Tenn., three bass, 9-5, $583
7th: Blake Wheat, Evensville, Tenn., three bass, 9-5, $583
7th: Dalton Munsey, Washburn, Tenn., three bass, 9-5, $1,108
10th: Chase Henley, Kingston, Tenn., three bass, 9-4, $579
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Dalton Munsey of Washburn, Tennessee, caught a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 15 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $525.
Travis Malone of Wartburg, Tennessee, won the Strike King co-angler division and $2,494 Saturday, after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 8 pounds, 13 ounces.
The Top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: Travis Malone, Wartburg, Tenn., three bass, 8-13, $2,494
2nd: Matt Burgess, Knoxville, Tenn., three bass, 8-5, $972
3rd: Konnor Sweet, Abingdon, Va., three bass, 8-4, $649
4th: Don Bible, Knoxville, Tenn., three bass, 7-5, $454
5th: Conner Hicks, Tazewell, Va., three bass, 7-3, $389
6th: Shaun Godsey, Decatur, Tenn., three bass, 6-15, $356
7th: Tyler Wyrick, Sharps Chapel, Tenn., two bass, 6-8, $308
7th: Corey Smith, Hazard, Ky., three bass, 6-8, $308
9th: Rex Henry, Hixson, Tenn., three bass, 6-7, $259
10th: Harold Addison II, Columbia, S.C., three bass, 6-0, $227
Dewayne Drummonds of Gray, Kentucky, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $262, catching a bass that weighed in at 4 pounds, 5 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After four events, Corey Neece of Bristol, Tennessee, leads the Fishing Clash Volunteer Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 943 points, while Keith Gunsauls of Dandridge, Tennessee, leads the Fishing Clash Volunteer Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 946 points.
The next event for BFL Volunteer Division anglers will be held Sept. 28-29, at Lake Cherokee in Jefferson City, Tennessee. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call 270-252-1000.
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. 17-19 BFL Regional tournament on Clarks Hill Lake in Appling, Georgia. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki 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 or Suzuki outboard.
The 2024 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.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters 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.