Morrison Wins Bass Fishing League Tournament on Dale Hollow

April 11, 2022
BFL News Archive

BYRDSTOWN, Tenn. (April 11, 2022) – Boater Michael Morrison of Stamping Ground, Kentucky, caught five bass Saturday weighing 19 pounds, 14 ounces, to win the MLF Bass Fishing League tournament on Dale Hollow Lake . The tournament was the second event for the Bass Fishing League Mountain Division. Morrison earned $5,475 for his victory.

“We started out on a spot I had found during the Toyota Series Central Division event two weeks ago,” Morrison said. “The fish were still there, and I made the first drop and caught one about 4 pounds, then I caught a 14-inch keeper smallmouth.

“I had some Carolina-rig spots that I had caught some fish on, and I thought I could get a quick limit doing that, but I hit those places and didn’t do any good,” Morrison added.

Morrison said he decided to relocate and made a run toward the dam and filled out his limit in 30 minutes. A 4-pound, 14-ounce bass replaced the 14-inch smallmouth, and his weigh bag was set at 2:15 p.m.

“We started back up the lake about 2:45, and I got about midway, and it started sinking in a little bit,” Morrison said. “I told myself, ‘I think I just won this thing.’

“To beat these guys here on Dale Hollow is an accomplishment I can’t describe,” Morrison added.

Morrison said his baits of choice were a Damiki Armor Shad Soft Jerkbait and a Venom Lures Dream Craw on a wobble-head jighead. He also caught fish on a Carolina rig tipped with a Zoom Brush Hog.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:


1st:          Michael Morrison, Stamping Ground, Ky., five bass, 19-14, $5,475
2nd:        Tristan Abbott, Somerset, Ky., five bass, 18-13, $2,937
3rd:        Brian Wilson, Somerset, Ky., five bass, 18-10, $1,827
4th:         Tim McDonald, Paintsville, Ky., five bass, 18-8, $1,277
5th:         Bailey Gay, Union, Ky., five bass, 18-7, $1,595, (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
6th:         Tony Eckler, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 18-3, $1,004
7th:         Branden Grubb, Lily, Ky., five bass, 18-2, $1,112
8th:         Brett Graham, Cold Spring, Ky., five bass, 17-11, $821
9th:         Nathan Adams, High Ridge, Mo., five bass, 17-8, $730
10th:      Matthew Mullins, Russellville, Ky., five bass, 17-6, $639


Jim Dean of Huntington, West Virginia, had a largemouth that weighed 5 pounds, 8 ounces that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $870. John Fitzpatrick of Baxter, Tennessee, won the Co-angler Division and $2,631 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 16 pounds, 14 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:


1st:          John Fitzpatrick, Baxter, Tenn., five bass, 16-14, $2,631
2nd:        Lee Sinclair, Albany, Ky., five bass, 15-11, $1,315
3rd:        Timothy Jolley, Monroe, Tenn., five bass, 14-14, $877
4th:         Will Bandy, Edmonton, Ky., five bass, 14-11, $614
5th:         Bill Haunert, Byrdstown, Tenn., five bass, 14-6, $526
6th:         Curt Fannin, Prestonsburg, Ky., five bass, 13-10, $582
7th:         Brent Clark, Bowling Green, Ky., five bass, 13-7, $438
8th:         Mike Morrison, Staffordsville, Ky., five bass, 13-4, $395
9th:         Jake Mattingly, Stanford, Ky., five bass, 12-11, $551
10th:      Todd Stopher, London, Ky., four bass, 10-10, $307


Travis Parrott of Byrdstown, Tennessee, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 3 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $410.

After two events, Tristan Abbott of Somerset, Kentucky, leads the Bass Fishing League Mountain Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 499 points, while Timothy Jolley of Monroe, Tennessee, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 497 points.