DAYTON, Tenn. (Feb. 13, 2023) – Boater Rusty White of Soddy Daisy, Tennessee, caught a five-bass limit weighing 24 pounds, 1 ounce, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) tournament on Lake Chickamauga. The tournament, hosted by Fish Dayton/Rhea Economic & Tourism, was the first event of the season for the BFL Volunteer Division. White earned $5,921 for his victory.
“It was a grind. Despite my big limit, it was tough,” said White. “I only caught five fish all day. Thankfully it started with one that weighed 9-4. My next fish was over 5 pounds and was my second biggest fish.”
White said his first bass was landed around 9 a.m., and his second fish wasn’t netted until 11 a.m. Two more keepers followed, and he said he then had to scramble just to fill his limit.
White scoured the lower end of the lake, focusing on grass flats in less than three feet of water and employing a red ½-ounce BOOYAH One Knocker to entice the few strikes he had. White said he used 25-pound monofilament line to keep the bait higher in the water column and out of the grass. He said the heavy line also gave him confidence while landing big fish.
“I didn’t know how much weight I had at the end of the day,” White said. “I thought I might have had 17 or 18 pounds. Fishing against the best guys in Tennessee and the best on Chickamauga … I’m pretty happy with this win.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Rusty White, Soddy Daisy, Tenn., five bass, 24-1, $5,921
2nd: Dillon Falardeau, Hixson, Tenn., five bass, 22-11, $2,960
3rd: Travis Akers, Berea, Ky., four bass, 18-9, $2,954
4th: Justin Freeman, Dayton, Tenn., five bass, 17-9, $1,283
4th: Casey Majni, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 17-9, $1,283
6th: Jason Pierce, Cookeville, Tenn., five bass, 16-14, $1,085
7th: Derrick Stafford, Kingston, Tenn., four bass, 16-9, $987
8th: Daniel Keyes, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 16-7, $888
9th: Cody Mackie, McMinnville, Tenn., five bass, 16-6, $789
10th: Chase Henley, Kingston, Tenn., five bass, 16-2, $1,391 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
Akers caught a largemouth that weighed 10 pounds, 12 ounces, and earned the Big Bass Boater award of $980. Caleb Edgerton of Dayton, Ohio, won the co-angler division and a total of $3,710 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 13 pounds, 8 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers finished:
1st: Caleb Edgerton, Dayton, Ohio, five bass, 13-8, $3,710
2nd: Luke Shrader, Maple Shade, N.J., four bass, 13-6, $1,480
3rd: Travis Sneed, Decatur, Tenn., four bass, 13-3, $988
4th: Joshua Paul, Oliver Springs, Tenn., four bass, 11-13, $691
5th: Scott Peters, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 11-0, $592
6th: Lenny Bays, Dayton, Ky., five bass, 10-10, $543
7th: Luke Fraley, South Pittsburgh, Tenn., four bass, 9-11, $493
8th: Kevin Hughes, Bristol, Va., three bass, 9-10, $419
8th: Stephen Vick, Dandridge, Tenn., three bass, 9-10, $419
10th: Darryl Brown, Lebanon, Va., three bass, 9-8, $345
Jeremey Barnes of Hartsville, Tennessee, earned the Big Bass co-angler award of $490, catching a largemouth that weighed in at 6 pounds, 12 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.