TRENTON, Mich. – Boater Scott Dobson of Clarkston, Michigan, caught a total of five bass weighing 21 pounds, 15 ounces, Sunday to win the Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on the Detroit River. The tournament was the third of five events of the season for the BFL Michigan Division Presented by 3rd Deck Brewing Company, and the second event of a back-to-back BFL tournament weekend on the Detroit River. Dobson earned $2,690 for his victory.
Dobson, who has fished the Detroit River for 33 years, went into the tournament with a game plan built on experience.
“I used my knowledge of the water and tried to time everything just perfectly to catch in the Detroit River and St. Clair,” Dobson said.
Dobson targeted current-related spots in 14 to 25 feet of water dropshotting a Berkley Powerbait Maxscent Flat Worm, as well as a finesse jig and a Carolina rig tipped with a Berkley Powerbait Chigger Craw.
Dobson said he caught several fish on the Detroit River, including a key weigh-in fish, and then ran to Lake St. Clair and started his Garmin LiveScope period on the north end of the lake. There he caught several fish, including another key weigh-in fish.
“I went to a deeper current spot on the St. Clair River and caught some more keepers, Dobson said. “Then I came back to the Detroit River and culled one final time.”
Dobson said the skies were overcast and cloudy most of the day, but the sun popped out and triggered the big ones to bite from 12:30-1:30 p.m.
“I never weighed my fish,” Dobson said. “I knew I had three good ones that were over 4 pounds, but I didn’t know how much over 4 they were. I had two fish I was desperately trying to cull that were like 3 3/4 pounds, but I never did get rid of those fish.”
Dobson approached weigh-in thinking his limit might not be enough for a win. He knew St. Clair could give up a 25- or 26-pound bag on any given day. He said he was tired, but knew he gave it his best shot.
“I’m so beat up and tired from running up and down the Detroit River,” Dobson said. “You haven’t lived until you’ve taken a ride down the Detroit River in the afternoon. It’s like a washing machine. You get yachts and freighters going through there and the waves never subside.
“You take the wins whenever you can,” Dobson added. “When you hold the trophy it’s great and you’re elated, but you’re so tired all you really want to do is get home and take a shower.”
The Top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Scott Dobson, Clarkston, Mich., five bass, 21-15, $2,690
2nd: Heath Wagner, Angola, Ind., five bass, 21-14, $1,330
3rd: Aaron Limber, Northwood, Ohio, five bass, 20-4, $700
4th: Matthew Davis, Morenci, Mich., five bass, 20-3, $570
5th: David Horstman, Adrian, Mich., five bass, 19-15, $510
6th: Aidan Lindsay, Howell, Mich., five bass, 19-8, $450
7th: Joe Hale, Carleton, Mich., five bass, 19-4, $430
8th: Tanner Hampton, Bourbon, Ind., five bass, 19-1, $620
9th: Wilson Burton, Findlay, Ohio, five bass, 19-0, $900 (includes $500 Phoenix bonus)
10th: Chris Hellebuyck, White Lake, Mich., five bass, 18-11, $540
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Tanner Hampton of Bourbon, Indiana, earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award after landing a 5-pound, 5-ounce bass worth $200.
Anthony Gilmore of Livonia, Michigan, won the co-angler division and the top prize of $1,295 Sunday after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 12 pounds, 1 ounce.
The Top 10 co-anglers finished:
1st: Anthony Gilmore, Livonia, Mich., three bass, 12-1, $1,295
2nd: Scott Davis, Morenci, Mich., three bass, 11-9, $715
3rd: Mike Mueller, Delaware, Ohio, three bass, 11-6, $350
4th: Steve Pennington, Delton, Mich., three bass, 11-5, $270
4th: Jeremy Middleton, Mansfield, Ohio, three bass, 11-5, $370
6th: Scott Lutz, Bremen, Ind., three bass, 11-1, $225
7th: Kade Oliver, Muncie, Ind., three bass, 10-14, $220
8th: Colin Town, Paris, Ont., three bass, 10-12, $205
8th: Caleb Edgerton, Dayton, Ohio, three bass, 10-12, $305
10th: Rosario Murello, Greenwood, Ind., three bass, 10-11, $195
Jeremy Middleton of Mansfield, Ohio, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award after landing a 5-pound, 4-ounce bass worth $100.
After three events, Scott Dobson of Clarkston, Michigan, now leads the 7 Brew Michigan Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 739 points, while Mike Mueller of Delaware, Ohio, leads the Michigan Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 736 points.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the division based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 8-10 BFL Regional tournament on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland. Boaters will fish for a top award of a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard worth $50,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top prize of a new Phoenix 518 pro with a 115-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard, worth $33,500.
The 2026 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 co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying tournament winners, will advance to one of six BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top seven, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2027 BFL All-American will take place June 5-7, at the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes in Kissimmee, Florida, and is hosted by Experience Kissimmee.
Proud sponsors of the 2026 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7 Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Buffalo, BUBBA, Cigars International, Epic Baits, Grizzly, Mercury, MillerTech, Mystik Lubricants, OFF! Deep Woods, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, PiranhO2, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, VOSKER, YETI and Yuengling.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular BFL updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.