TRENTON, Mich. (Aug. 14, 2023) – Boater Mike Trombly of Belleville, Michigan, caught a five-bass limit weighing 22 pounds, 3 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) on the Detroit River. The tournament was the third event of the season for the BFL Michigan Division. Trombly earned $3,963 for his victory.
“We had heavy winds throughout the day, and I made a long run in heavy waves to get where I needed to fish,” said Trombly, who notched his 10th career win, including eight BFL victories and two Toyota Series titles. “I caught a big fish right off the bat on a drop-shot. I fished around in that area in big waves and was able to finish off my limit with some 2-pounders.”
Trombly said he slowly began making his way toward the weigh-in site, stopping to hit points along the way. Around noon, he stopped at a spot that held a good number of bigger fish in 30 to 32 feet of water and finished off his final weigh bag.
“The last stop I made that had the big fish on it I told my co-angler, “I think I’m starting to become relevant in this tournament,’” Trombly said with a laugh. “I could tell just because of the quality I was catching. I knew there was a chance.”
Trombly said he used a (Berkley PowerBait MaxScent) Flat Worm with the drop-shot rig to catch his smallmouth, rigged on a 1/0 hook with a ½-ounce weight. The setup produced 12 bass for Trombly – all except one were keepers. He said he focused on the north shore, some areas of the river, and open water on Lake Erie.
“It’s awesome to win,” Trombly said. “It never gets old. It’s a blessing to be able to win in this division. We’ve got some tremendous smallmouth fishermen in this division.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Mike Trombly, Belleville, Mich., five bass, 22-3, $3,963
2nd: Nolan Mandel, Harrison Township, Mich., five bass, 21-15, $2,481 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
3rd: Noah Stauffer, Gowen, Mich., five bass, 20-14, $1,322
4th: Chris Hellebuyck, White Lake, Mich., five bass, 20-9, $1,595
5th: Evan Eldred, Gaines, Mich., five bass, 19-13, $793
6th: Patrick Goodman, Sturgis, Mich., five bass, 19-12, $727
7th: Cody Kelley, Plainwell, Mich., five bass, 19-6, $660
8th: Scott Dobson, Clarkston, Mich., five bass, 19-4, $594
9th: Pat Upthagrove, Monroe, Mich., five bass, 18-14, $495
9th: Matthew Kime, Holland, Ohio, five bass, 18-14, $495
Kyle Malone of Troy, Ohio, caught a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 13 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $535. Billy Crider, Jr., of Kettering, Ohio, won the Strike King co-angler division and a total of $1,981 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 19 pounds, 1 ounce.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: Billy Crider, Jr., Kettering, Ohio, five bass, 19-1, $1,981
2nd: Ashley Shirto, Novi, Mich., five bass, 18-8, $991
3rd: Tyler Land, Coatsville, Ind., five bass, 18-5, $662
4th: Edward Huddleston, Monroe, Mich., five bass, 18-2, $462
5th: Aaron Stahley, Batavia, Ohio, five bass, 17-13, $379
5th: Jeffrey Thomson, Birmingham, Mich., five bass, 17-13, $379
7th: Gavin Weted, Adrian, Mich., five bass, 17-4, $330
8th: Tom Bauer, Martinsville, Ind., five bass, 17-1, $297
9th: Robert Miller, Litchfield, Mich., five bass, 16-8, $264
10th: Ryan Kauffman, Ankeny, Iowa, five bass, 15-15, $231
Christopher Majerle of Trenton, Michigan, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $267, catching a bass that weighed in at 6 pounds, 3 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After three events, Mike Trombly of Belleville, Michigan, leads the BFL Michigan Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 744 points, while Hunter Ingle of Fort Wayne, Indiana, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 711 points.
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