Michigan’s Eldred earns victory at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional tournament on Dale Hollow Lake
Strike King co-angler victory goes to Kentucky’s Shrader
BYRDSTOWN, Tenn. – Boater Evan Eldred of Gaines, Michigan, brought a three-day total of 15 bass to the scale weighing 59 pounds, 10 ounces, to win the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine regional event on Dale Hollow Lake in Byrdstown, Tennessee. For his victory, Eldred earned $64,330, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000. Eldred also received automatic entry into the 2024 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American Championship, May 29-31, at Cherokee Lake in Jefferson County, Tennessee.
“Practice was super tough for me,” Eldred said. “I was running all over and trying different things. I’d never been here before. I was trying shallow and deep. I was Damiki rigging a lot because I had heard it worked well on Dale Hollow.
“Finally, out of frustration, I told myself I was going to drive to the farthest point of the lake that I could,” Eldred said. “I got to the dam and found a creek and saw some shad blowing up. I graphed over them, saw the bait balls, and the fish below them. I figured they were smallmouth.”
Eldred cast to the bait balls in 30 feet of water and caught two largemouth – a 4-pounder and a 4½-pounder – on back-to-back casts.
Eldred said once the tournament began, he repeated that pattern in every creek he came across. He targeted the bait balls with a 1/8-ounce Megabass Okashira Jig Head tipped with a Strike King 3X ElazTech Baby Z Too Soft Jerkbait in Grey Glimmer Pearl Belly.
“The 1/8-ounce head was the key, and within an hour I had a 20-pound bag,” Eldred said.
Eldred said he landed around 30 keeper largemouth during the tournament, but said he had to work really hard for his bites.
“They would bite in bite windows, I noticed,” Eldred said. “There was only an hour or two every day they would bite.
“After the first day, I thought to myself, ‘Man, I’m leading this thing. I’d better not blow it,’” Eldred said. “I had a target on my back.”
Eldred said a slow Day 2 on Friday almost dashed his hopes of victory, as he didn’t have a fish in the livewell at 11 a.m.
“None of the fish on my spots would bite,” Eldred said. “I had to relocate, and as soon as I did, I got three in the boat. Then it took me until 2 o’clock to catch my fifth fish.”
Eldred said he went into the final day of competition not knowing what to expect.
“I wanted to catch 25 pounds, but it wouldn’t have surprised me if I’d zeroed,” Eldred said. “Those fish were that tough to get to bite.”
Eldred caught his limit Saturday by 10 a.m., then upgraded his final day’s weight seven times during the day to secure the win.
The top six boaters that qualified for the 2024 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American were:
- 1st: Evan Eldred, Gaines, Mich., 15 bass, 59-10, $64,330 (includes $2,500 Phoenix MFL Contingency Bonus)
- 2nd: Josh Lee, Powell, Tenn., 15 bass, 58-12, $11,000
- 3rd: Jacob Woods, Loudon, Tenn., 15 bass, 57-7, $5,500
- 4th: Dillon Falardeau, Hixson, Tenn., 15 bass, 55-6, $3,000
- 5th: Donavan Carson, Bluff City, Tenn., 15 bass, 53-14, $2,000
- 6th: Isaac Peavyhouse, Jamestown, Tenn., 15 bass, 53-12, $1,800
Rounding out the Top 10 boaters were:
- 7th: Griffin Heffington, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 15 bass, 53-3, $1,600
- 8th: Justin Latham, Reelsville, Ind., 15 bass, 51-11, $1,900
- 9th: Joshua Short, Bean Station, Tenn., 15 bass, 48-4, $1,200
- 10th: Brody Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, 15 bass, 45-9, $2,600
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The top four boaters from each division that earned a $1,000 bonus for placing highest in the event were:
Bama: Blake Davenport, Jemison, Ala., 11th Place, $1,000
Illini: Levi Kohl, Edinburg, Ill., 17th Place, $1,000
Michigan: Brody Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, 10th Place, $1,000
Volunteer: Josh Lee, Powell, Tenn., 2nd Place $1,000
Eldred took home an extra $2,500 as the highest finishing Phoenix MLF Bonus member. Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $7,000 per event in each Phoenix Bass Fishing League tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the Phoenix MLF Bonus contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.
Luke Shrader of Monticello, Kentucky, weighed in eight bass over three days totaling 17 pounds, 15 ounces to win the top Strike King co-angler prize package of $50,150, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.
The top six Strike King co-anglers that qualified for the 2024 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American were:
- 1st: Luke Shrader, Monticello, Ky., eight bass, 17-15, $50,150
- 2nd: Stephen Vick, Dandridge, Tenn., four bass, 12-8, $6,000
- 3rd: Gary Huber II, St. Charles, Mo., six bass, 11-4, $3,000
- 4th: Cody Stokes, Ooltewah, Tenn., five bass, 11-2, $1,500
- 5th: Ryan Legg, Parma, Ohio, three bass, 10-2, $1,500
- 6th: Darren Kelly, Wartburg, Tenn., four bass, 8-8, $1,300
Rounding out the Top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:
- 7th: Jeffery McCoy, Montgomery, Ala., three bass, 8-6, $1,300
- 8th: Stuart Vitollo, Alabaster, Ala., three bass, 6-11, $700
- 9th: Rob Miller, Albion, Mich., three bass, 6-11, $600
- 10th: Corey Smith, Hazard, Ky., three bass, 6-10, $550
The top four Strike King Co-anglers from each division that earned a $500 bonus for placing highest in the event were:
Bama: Jeffery McCoy, Montgomery, Ala., 7th Place, $500
Illini: Gary Huber, II, St. Charles, Mo., 3rd Place, $500
Michigan: Ryan Legg, Parma, Ohio, 5th Place, $500
Volunteer: Stephen Vick, Dandridge, Tenn., 2nd Place $500
The Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Regional Tournament on Dale Hollow Lake was hosted by the Byrdstown-Pickett County Chamber of Commerce. It featured the top pros and Strike King co-anglers from the Bama, Illini, Michigan and Volunteer divisions.
The 2023 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, advance to one of six BFL Regional tournaments where they compete 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 BFL All-American.
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 Invitationals and ultimately the Bass Pro Tour.
Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, General Tire, Grundéns, Gill, Lew’s, Lowrance, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X 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.