Hodges’ Burroughs Earns Victory at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Santee Cooper
Boater Jason Burroughs of Hodges, S.C., and Strike-King co-angler Hunter Bailey of North Augusta, S.C.
SUMMERTON, S.C. – Boater Jason Burroughs of Hodges, South Carolina, caught five bass Saturday weighing 30 pounds, 11 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Santee Cooper. The tournament was the second event for the Bass Fishing League South Carolina Division. Burroughs earned $13,463, including the lucrative $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus, for his victory.
Burroughs, who now has four Phoenix Bass Fishing League wins, said during practice he had found areas that held 3½- to 4½-pound bass, and he expected to net 19 pounds at weigh-in. During the tournament, he said he focused on the edges of grass on the lower lake using a ½-ounce shad-colored Buckeye Lures Double Willow Spinnerbait.
“When I got to my first area, my first fish was probably 5½ pounds and jumped off,” Burroughs said. “But by 9:30 I had five fish – including one that weighed 1½ pounds – that went 20 pounds. Then I culled that 1½-pounder with one that weighed 9-6, so that was a pretty big upgrade.
“I had the rest of the day to catch one more big one, and I ended up culling a 4-pounder with a 7-pounder, and that’s what pushed me over 30 pounds,” Burroughs added.
Burroughs said he fished in just one area throughout the day.
“The females had moved up, and the fish were the right size, so I wasn’t going to run to another area,” Burroughs said. “I knew there were big ones where I was, so I chose to stay. That’s definitely out of character for me. I’m normally moving more than everybody.
“This win is very special to me,” Burroughs added. “It’s been 10 years since I was on Santee, and I only practiced two days. There were some absolute local hammers there that could have pulled off the win. So, winning there is a whole lot more special than winning on your home lake where you fish all the time.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Jason Burroughs, Hodges, S.C., five bass, 30-11, $13,463 (includes $7,000 Phoenix Bonus)
2nd: Corey Casey, Moncks Corner, S.C., five bass, 26-4, $2,214
3rd: Wade Grooms, Bonneau, S.C., five bass, 25-9, $1,478
4th: Brent Riley, Cross, S.C., five bass, 25-1, $1,033
5th: Daniel Jordan, Hartsville, S.C., four bass, 24-2, $886
6th: Ross Burns, Columbia, S.C., five bass, 21-15, $812
7th: Tanner Fletcher, Hartsville, S.C., five bass, 21-13, $738
8th: Sean Anderson, Leesville, S.C., five bass, 20-13, $664
9th: John Duarte, Middle River, Md., five bass, 20-12, $590
10th: Bradford Beavers, Summerville, S.C., five bass, 20-4, $517
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Burroughs’ 9-pound, 6-ounce largemouth was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and also earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $635.
Hunter Bailey of North Augusta, South Carolina, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,531 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 19 pounds, 12 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:
1st: Hunter Bailey, North Augusta, S.C., five bass, 19-12, $2,531
2nd: Jacob Barfield, Conway, S.C., five bass, 17-11, $1,107
3rd: Lonnie Drusch, Sumter, S.C., four bass, 15-1, $738
4th: Brennan Gunther, Mount Pleasant, S.C., three bass, 14-4, $455
4th: Kiel Kelly, Moore, S.C., four bass, 14-4, $455
4th: Gordon Owens, Summerton, S.C., five bass, 14-4, $455
7th: Eddie Hall, Inman, S.C., five bass, 12-10, $369
8th: Sammy Evans, Donalds, S.C., three bass, 11-4, $332
9th: Christopher Helton, Greer, S.C., three bass, 10-0, $295
10th: Mack Martin, Clinton, S.C., four bass, 9-15, $258
Bailey also caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 8 pounds, 3 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $317.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 13-15 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Pickwick Lake in Counce, Tennessee. Boaters will compete 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 fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.
The 2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six Regional Championships 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 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American. The 2022 All-American will be held June 2-4 at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.
The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the MLF Toyota Series, the pathway to the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.
Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, AFTCO, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Revital Outdoors, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X, YETI and Yo-Zuri.
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.