RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. (May 23, 2022) – Boater Brandon Lee of Ratcliff, Arkansas, caught five bass Saturday weighing 17 pounds, 7 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League tournament on Lake Dardanelle. The tournament was the fourth event for the Bass Fishing League Arkie Division. Lee earned $4,584 for his victory.
“I started the morning fishing a shad spawn using a Dart Frog-colored BOOYAH Pad Crasher (Frog) in the mid-lake area near Piney Bay,” Lee said. “I was fishing shallow; I never even turned a graph on all day.”
Later in the day Lee, who notched a BFL win at Lake Dardanelle in 2014, said he employed the use of a white ½-ounce BOOYAH Mobster Swimjig with a white YUM Craw Chunk trailer around reeds in less than 2 feet of water. Lee’s efforts resulted in nine keepers during competition.
“I knew I had a shot at winning around noon when I made my last cull,” Lee said. “I had all 3-pounders at that point and one that was 4½, but I figured it would take 18 pounds to win it. I knew I was close.
“This win is awesome,” Lee added. “They are so hard to come by. I was in the first flight, so I had to sit there for two hours after I weighed in and watch everyone weigh in. My nerves were shot at the end of the day.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Brandon Lee, Ratcliff, Ark., five bass, 17-7, $4,584
2nd: Kirk Smith, Edmond, Okla., five bass, 15-9, $2,292
3rd: Shonn Goodwin, Moore, Okla., five bass, 15-0, $1,729
4th: James Boyett, Mountain Home, Ark., four bass, 14-14, $1,070
5th: Cody Ross, Livingston, Texas, five bass, 14-12, $1,592
6th: Chris Huselton, Conway, Ark., five bass, 13-2, $840
7th: Quincy Houchin, Mabelvale, Ark., five bass, 12-13, $1,464 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
8th: Aubrey Walker, Ola, Ark., four bass, 12-6, $688
9th: Mike Scoggins, Danville, Ark., five bass, 12-3, $573
9th: Doug Thompson, Mabelvale, Ark., five bass, 12-3, $573
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Ross caught a largemouth weighing 5 pounds, 1 ounce – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – to earn the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $675. Steven Logan of Hugo, Oklahoma, won the Co-angler Division and $2,592 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 12 pounds, 15 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Steven Logan, Hugo, Okla., five bass, 12-15, $2,592
2nd: Chuck Harney, Perryville, Ark., four bass, 12-11, $1,146
3rd: Dusty Rhoades, Gravelly, Ark., three bass, 11-4, $765
4th: Derrick Damon, Clarksville, Ark., five bass, 11-0, $535
5th: Kyle Huneycutt, Malvern, Ark., four bass, 9-11, $458
6th: Alvin Williams, Hartman, Ark., four bass, 8-14, $420
7th: Andrew Wooley, Little Rock, Ark., three bass, 8-11, $382
8th: Joshua James, Talihina, Okla., four bass, 8-4, $344
9th: Steve Boone, Mountain Pine, Ark., four bass, 7-12, $306
10th: Aaron Calvert, Russellville, Ark., four bass, 7-8, $267
Larry Carter of Little Rock, Arkansas, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 5 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $337.
After four events, Kevin Brown of Hot Springs, Arkansas, leads the Bass Fishing League Arkie Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 967 points, while Andrew Wooley of Little Rock, Arkansas, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 943 points.