JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. (Oct. 2, 2023) – Boater Chase Henley of Kingston, Tennessee, caught 10 bass weighing 25 pounds, 4 ounces, to win the two-day MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League tournament on Cherokee Lake in Jefferson City, Tennessee. The tournament was the fifth and final regular-season event for the Bass Fishing League Volunteer Division. Henley earned $13,517 for his victory, including the lucrative $7,000 Phoenix MLF contingency bonus.
Henley said he approached the tournament looking to fish what he was most comfortable with - shallow water that would produce quality bass, including pockets with bait and trees he could flip into.
“I just went fishing,” said Henley. “I fished what was in front of me and had a good time. Basically, I just flew down the banks and covered as much water as I could with a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver. I keep it simple.”
Henley said he adjusted the weight used with the Sweet Beaver to adjust the fall rate depending on water clarity. He said he didn’t focus on a certain area of Cherokee; he fished from the low end of the lake all the way to the river on the north end.
“I’d catch a fish on the lower end and then wouldn’t get another until I got to Highway 25E, then I’d catch one in the river, then I’d be all the way back down to the dam and catch another one,” said Henley. “It was as scattered as scattered gets.”
Henley said he stopped fishing at 1 p.m. Saturday because he was confident in his weight, and he spent the rest of the day planning for Sunday’s round of fishing. Sunday morning started off well for Henley with three good keepers, and his confidence was high for the rest of the day against a tough field of competitors.
“East Tennessee has some of the best fishermen around,” Henley continued. “They’re versatile. They’re not good at just one thing, they’re good at all of it. So, this win means a lot.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Chase Henley, Kingston, Tenn., 10 bass, 25-4, $13,517 (includes $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
2nd: Isaac Peavyhouse, Jamestown, Tenn., 10 bass, 24-7, $3,239
3rd: Jacob Woods, Loudon, Tenn., 10 bass, 23-10, $1,939
4th: Jimbo Harris, Soddy Daisy, Tenn., 10 bass, 23-7, $1,357
5th: Nick Huff, Bean Station, Tenn., 10 bass, 23-1, $1,163
6th: Dale Pelfrey, Rockwood, Tenn., eight bass, 20-15, $1,066
7th: Bill Humbard, New Market, Tenn., nine bass, 20-9, $970
8th: Casey Majni, Knoxville, Tenn., 10 bass, 20-3, $873
9th: Corey Neece, Bristol, Tenn., 10 bass, 19-8, $776
10th: Christian Nash, Allons, Tenn., eight bass, 19-0, $679
Dylan Wright of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 1 ounce that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division to earn the Big Bass Boater award of $772. Joseph Yocum of Strawberry Plains, Tennessee, won the Co-angler Division and $2,664 Sunday after catching a two-day total of seven bass weighing 16 pounds, 9 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Joseph Yocum, Strawberry Plains, Tenn., seven bass, 16-9, $2,664
2nd: Ryan Lee, Pound, Va., five bass, 10-1, $1,332
3rd: Robert Ford, Boones Mill, Va., four bass, 9-0, $1,089
4th: Brandon Hartgrove, Hiltons, Va., two bass, 8-10, $963
5th: Dewayne Drummonds, Gray, Ky., three bass, 7-9, $533
6th: Todd Adkins, Knoxville, Tenn., three bass, 6-14, $488
7th: John Nickerson, Mooresburg, Tenn., two bass, 6-13, $444
8th: Kevin Powers, Unicoi, Tenn., three bass, 6-12, $600
9th: Ronaldo Garcia, Louisville, Ky., two bass, 6-4, $355
10th: Billy Hughes, Eubank, Ky., four bass, 6-3, $311
Brandon Hartgrove of Hiltons, Virginia, caught the largest bass in the Strike King Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 4 pounds, 15 ounces. The catch earned him the Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $341.