BYRDSTOWN, Tenn. (Oct. 16, 2023) – 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 MLF Bass Fishing League Regional Tournament 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 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 continued. “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 went on to say. “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
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 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.
Luke Shrader of Monticello, Kentucky, weighed in eight bass over three days totaling 17 pounds, 15 ounces to win the top co-angler prize package of $50,150, including a new 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.
The top six 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 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
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