Virginia’s Pirowski earns win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League event at the Potomac River

Annandale’s Driscoll tops Strike King co-angler Division

MARBURY, Md. – Boater Alex Pirowski of Occoquan, Virginia, caught a five-bass limit weighing 18 pounds, 2 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on the Potomac River. The tournament, hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners, was the third event of the season for the BFL Shenandoah Division. Pirowski earned $5,607 for his victory. 

“I ran into Belmont Bay, a creek in the middle of the river, and jumped around to a few key areas I had found about a week ago,” said Pirowski. “I slowed down, fished Yamamoto Senkos and Z-Man ChatterBaits and just grinded through it.”

Pirowski said he targeted both grass and hard bottom in search of bass, and also caught a few off of docks. Most of his bass came shallow, in 2 to 4 feet of water. Pirowski said his efforts produced 12 keepers throughout the day.

“It has been taking 19½ pounds lately to even cash a check,” Pirowski said. “I thought I might end up getting some money back, but I never thought I had a chance at winning. So, this feels great. My friend and I have been putting some good hours in on the river, so to see it come together with a big win just feels really good.”

The Top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

• 1st:        Alex Pirowski, Occoquan, Va., five bass, 18-2, $5,607
• 2nd:       Myles Paugh, Aurora, W.V., five bass, 16-13, $2,436
• 3rd:       Mike Morris, Dover, Del., five bass, 16-9, $1,380
• 3rd:       Zachary Stoupa, Prince George, Va., five bass, 16-9, $1,380
• 5th:        Mike Hicks, Goochland, Va., five bass, 16-0, $893
• 5th:        Jim Jarvis, Timberville, Va., five bass, 16-0, $893
• 5th:        Roy Dixon, Welcome, Md., five bass, 16-0, $893
• 8th:        Brad Melton, Manassas, Va., five bass, 15-15, $731
• 9th:        John Duarte, Middle River, Md., five bass, 15-11, $1,670 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
• 10th:     Trevor Holman, Durham, N.C., five bass, 15-10, $768

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Pirowski also caught the largest bass of the day that weighed 5 pounds, 1 ounce, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $735.

Thomas Driscoll of Annandale, Virginia, won the Strike King co-angler division and a total of $2,436 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 15 pounds, 6 ounces.

The Top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:

• 1st:        Thomas Driscoll, Annandale, Va., five bass, 15-6, $2,436
• 2nd:       David Williams, Fredericksburg, Va., five bass, 15-2, $1,568
• 3rd:       Brandon Miskell, Vienna, Va., five bass, 14-12, $814
• 4th:        Curtis Vick, Boydton, Va., five bass, 13-14, $768
• 5th:        Tyrone Adams, Jr., Fredericksburg, Va., five bass, 13-11, $487
• 6th:        David Deciucis, Chester, Va., five bass, 13-10, $447
• 7th:        Safulla Rana, Warrenton, Va., five bass, 13-8, $406
• 8th:        Tim Sunderman, Chesapeake, Va., five bass, 13-7, $365
• 9th:        Matt Stoupa, Prince George, Va., five bass, 13-5, $325
• 10th:     Justin Faison, South Prince George, Va., five bass, 12-13, $284

Danny Crickenberger, Jr., of Charlottesville, Va., earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $367, catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 2 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.

After three events, Zachary Stoupa of Prince George, Virginia, leads the BFL Shenandoah Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 727 points, while David Deciucis of Chester, Virginia, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 728 points.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 19-21 BFL Regional tournament on Lake Norman in Huntersville, North Carolina. Boaters will fish 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 compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

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, will advance to one of six BFL Regional tournaments 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 BFL All-American. The 2023 All-American event will take place May 31-June 2, on Lake Hartwell in Seneca, South Carolina. The event is hosted by Visit Oconee SC.

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.