Illinois’ Hahne Bests Field at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Lake Eufaula

Oklahoma's Moody Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division

EUFAULA, Okla. – Boater Darren Hahne of Ottawa, Illinois, caught five bass Saturday weighing 16 pounds, 12 ounces, to win the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Eufaula presented by Flamingo Fish and Marine. The tournament was the second event of the season for the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Okie Division, and the first of a tournament double-header weekend as another event took place on Sunday. Hahne earned $4,698 for his victory.

“It was real tough fishing,” Hahne said. “I found a couple of spots on some points back near Porum Landing, and I caught them there on a spinnerbait and a jig. I caught probably 15 bass in all, six or seven keepers, and lost a couple of good ones.”

Hahne said his baits of choice were a white Terminator Spinnerbait and a brown jig, and he targeted buck bushes in 6 to 8 feet of water. Hahne said his familiarity with Lake Eufaula paid off during the tournament.

“It’s about time I won here,” Hahne said. “I’ve finished second on Eufaula twice, and I’m just glad to get this one. It’s my home lake, even though I live in Illinois and have been gone for 25 years. I was raised on that lake as a kid. So it felt good to finally get the win.”

The Top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

• 1st:        Darren Hahne, Ottawa, Ill., five bass, 16-12, $4,698
• 2nd:       Ian Leybas, McAlester, Okla., four bass, 13-1, $1,873
• 2nd:       Mike Paul, Tuttle, Okla., four bass, 13-1, $2,073
• 4th:        Shawn Mote, Ardmore, Okla., five bass, 13-0, $1,050
• 5th:        Derek Fulps, Broken Arrow, Okla., five bass, 12-10, $1,400 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
• 6th:        Justin Phillips, Checotah, Okla., five bass, 12-4, $1,025
• 7th:        Joshua Teply, Harrah, Okla., three bass, 11-10, $1,395
• 8th:        Austin Cranford, Moore, Okla., five bass, 10-12, $675
• 9th:        Phillip Lunceford, Stigler, Okla., four bass, 10-10, $600
• 10th:     Nic Conger, Fort Smith, Ark., five bass, 10-7, $525

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Teply had a largemouth that weighed 6 pounds, 14 ounces that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $645.

Ray Moody of Norman, Oklahoma, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,249 Saturday after catching three bass weighing 9 pounds, 10 ounces.

The Top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

• 1st:        Ray Moody, Norman, Okla., three bass, 9-10, $2,249
• 2nd:       Garrett Howard, Cameron, Okla., two bass, 7-3, $1,125
• 3rd:        Derrick Skinner, Muskogee, Okla., three bass, 7-2, $752
• 4th:        Brennon Sharp, Folsom, Calif., two bass, 6-13, $525
• 5th:        Aaron Warren, Collinsville, Okla., two bass, 5-4, $550
• 6th:        David Blankinship, Cushing, Okla., two bass, 5-1, $412
• 7th:        Alan Hill, Ada, Okla., two bass, 4-13, $375
• 8th:        Blake Dominguez, Edmond, Okla., two bass, 4-6, $337
• 9th:        Jeff Corriveau, Owasso, Okla., two bass, 4-1, $300
• 10th:      Jim Wylie, Yukon, Okla., two bass, 4-0, $249
• 10th:      Brian Radford, Bixby, Okla., two bass, 4-0, $249

Thad Hewitt of Delaware, Oklahoma, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 3 pounds, 15 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $322.

After Saturday’s event, Shawn Mote of Ardmore, Oklahoma, led the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Okie Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 496 points, while David Blankinship of Cushing, Oklahoma, led the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 490 points.

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 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin. 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 Toyota Series, the pathway to the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the 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.