LAVONIA, Ga. – Boater Jason Burroughs of Hodges, South Carolina, caught five bass Saturday weighing 18 pounds, 5 ounces, to win the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Hartwell. The tournament, hosted by the City of Lavonia, was the third event for the Bass Fishing League Savannah River Division. Burroughs earned $13,472, which includes the lucrative $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus, for his victory.

“I fished the lower end of the lake from Andersonville Island to the dam,” said Burroughs, who tabs Lake Hartwell as his home body of water. “I caught 10 or 11 fish during the day, and they were all keepers.”

Burroughs said he focused on fishing blueback herring patterns by utilizing a white swimbait and chrome topwater bait, as well as a shaky-head rig to catch his bass.

“The fishing was just spread out all during the day,” Burroughs said. “I had one fish that weighed 6 pounds, 3 ounces, and it made all the difference in the world. I caught it at 1:45 (p.m.).”

The Top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st: Jason Burroughs, Hodges, S.C., five bass, 18-5, $13,472 (includes $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
2nd: Greg Glouse, Liberty, S.C., five bass, 17-2, $2,436
3rd: Joe Anders, Easley, S.C., five bass, 16-5, $1,623
4th: Baylor Ronemus, Tiger, Ga., five bass, 15-10, $1,137
5th: Austin Davis, Pelzer, S.C., five bass, 15-7, $974
6th: Blake Campbell, Anderson, S.C., five bass, 14-13, $852
6th: Michael Webster, Gastonia, N.C., five bass, 14-13, $852
8th: Daulton Smith, Martin, Ga., five bass, 14-10, $1,466
9th: Darren Ashley, Calhoun Falls, S.C., five bass, 14-5, $609
9th: Jayme Rampey, Liberty, S.C., five bass, 14-5, $609

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Smith earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $735 with a largemouth that weighed 6 pounds, 5 ounces.

Sammy Evans of Hodges, South Carolina, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,664 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 13 pounds, 5 ounces.

The Top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st: Sammy Evans, Hodges, S.C., five bass, 13-5, $2,664
2nd: Jason Goldman, Commerce, Ga., five bass, 12-4, $1,182
3rd: Gavin Ballew, Travelers Rest, S.C., five bass, 11-8, $670
3rd: Brandon Hendrix, Anderson, S.C., five bass, 11-8, $670
5th: Harold Grizzle, Gainesville, Ga., five bass, 11-7, $473
6th: Kevin Dye, Central, S.C., five bass, 11-5, $413
6th: Scott Gardner, Seneca, S.C., five bass, 11-5, $413
8th: Johnny Hancox, West Union, S.C., five bass, 10-15, $335
8th: Matthew Bourgoin, North Augusta, S.C., five bass, 10-15, $335
10th: Casey McQuerns, Appling, Ga., five bass, 10-13, $628

McQuerns caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 4 pounds, 8 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $352.

After three events, Jason Burroughs of Hodges, South Carolina, leads the Bass Fishing League Savannah River Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 744 points, while Eduardo Pabon of Gainesville, Georgia, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 717 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. 20-22 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Smith Lake in Cullman, Alabama. 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.