DANDRIDGE, Tenn. (May 23, 2022) – Boater Travis Lilly of Bluff City, Tennessee, caught five bass Saturday weighing 16 pounds, 5 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League tournament on Douglas Lake Presented by Lithium Pros . The tournament, hosted by the Economic Development Alliance Jefferson County, was the third event for the Bass Fishing League Volunteer Division. Lilly earned $5,874 for his victory. Lilly said he targeted the lower end of Douglas Lake near Flat Creek, fishing a shad spawn pattern and “whatever looked good.”
“The key was just junk fishing and being in the right place at the right time,” Lilly said. “I used a white homemade jig, a Lake Fork Flutter Spoon and an Azuma Timmy Horton Z Boss crankbait.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Travis Lilly, Bluff City, Tenn., five bass, 16-5, $5,874
2nd: Corey Neece, Bristol, Tenn., five bass, 16-2, $3,045 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
3rd: Eddie Ball, Newport, Tenn., five bass, 15-4, $1,898
4th: Greg McDavid, Blountville, Tenn., five bass, 14-11, $1,487
5th: Derek Turner, Jacksboro, Tenn., five bass, 14-4, $1,018
6th: Mark Pappas, Dandridge, Tenn., five bass, 14-2, $933
7th: Jeremy Shuman, Louisville, Tenn., five bass, 13-13, $848
8th: Matthew Rock, Bristol, Va., five bass, 13-9, $721
8th: Brant Grimm, Church Hill, Tenn., five bass, 13-9, $721
10th: Corey Brooks, Louisville, Tenn., five bass, 13-8, $594
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Lilly had a largemouth that weighed 5 pounds, 7 ounces that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $785. Brad Barton of Middlesboro, Kentucky, won the Co-angler Division and $2,607 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 12 pounds, 2 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Brad Barton, Middlesboro, Ky., five bass, 12-2, $2,607
2nd: Keith Gunsauls, Dandridge, Tenn., four bass, 12-1, $1,635
3rd: Don Raines, five bass, 11-12, $837
4th: Hunter Cseledy, Waynesville, N.C., five bass, 11-11, $585
5th: Peyton Kent, McDonald, Tenn., five bass, 11-7, $501
6th: Jeremy Haney, Crossville, Tenn., five bass, 11-3, $460
7th: Kiel Guin, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 11-0, $418
8th: Nick Coker, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 10-14, $576
9th: Dennis Putthoff, Old Hickory, Tenn., five bass, 10-13, $334
10th: Thai Tatum, Lebanon, Va., five bass, 10-9, $277
10th: Pop Catalin, Cookeville, Tenn., five bass, 10-9, $277
Gunsauls caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 4 pounds, 12 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $382.
After three events, Jacob Woods of Loudon, Tennessee, leads the Bass Fishing League Volunteer Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 694 points, while Brad Barton of Middlesboro, Kentucky, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 730 points.