SCOTTSBORO, Ala. (April 15, 2024) – Boater Jason Atkins of Section, Alabama, caught a five-bass limit weighing 22 pounds, 13 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Bass Fishing League (BFL) tournament on Lake Guntersville . The tournament was the third event of the season for the BFL Choo Choo Division. Atkins earned $11,601, including the lucrative $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus, for his victory. A part-time Guntersville guide and a steel mill worker, Atkins knows the lake well. His experience paid off with him making the right moves to counter a somewhat tough bite.
“It was very slow,” he said. “They didn’t move any water. So it was a very tough bite. You could tell by the weights. This morning (Saturday) we started just fishing real slow, and it just turned out it worked out for us.”
Atkins said the bass are transitioning to spawn, and he located some quality fish on beds prior to the tournament. However, he wasn’t able to get there to sight-fish for them before other anglers. Instead, he caught his fish on four prespawn and spawning flats using a shad-colored swim jig fished on a steady retrieve. The deepest bass came out of about 6 feet. The rest were shallower.
“It was a very slow bite,” he added. “I just had to slow way down.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Jason Atkins, Section, Ala., five bass, 22-13, $11,601 (includes $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
2nd: Dillon Falardeau, Hixson, Tenn., five bass, 18-9, $2,023
3rd: Mel Kennedy, Hiawassee, Ga., five bass, 18-2, $1,348
4th: Steve Lopez, Oconomowoc, Wis., five bass, 17-9, $944
5th: Danny Hall, Ellijay, Ga., five bass, 17-8, $809
6th: Fisher Anaya, Eva, Ala., five bass, 17-6, $742
7th: Jeff Knight, Cleveland, Tenn., five bass, 16-14, $674
8th: Tanner Hadden, Appling, Ga., five bass, 16-6, $573
8th: Ben Yarbrough, Athens, Ala., five bass, 16-6, $573
10th: Tim Thornbury, Red Bank, Tenn., five bass, 15-12, $472
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Atkins caught a bass that weighed 7 pounds, 8 ounces, and earned the Big Bass Boater award of $555. James Ramsey of Boaz, Alabama, won the co-angler division and $2,023 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 17 pounds, 6 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers finished:
1st: James Ramsey, Boaz, Ala., five bass, 17-6, $2,023
2nd: Rodney Stewart, Decatur, Ala., five bass, 15-14, $1,011
3rd: Todd McBride, Huntsville, Ala., five bass, 14-10, $674
4th: Joshua Green, Cartersville, Ga., three bass, 14-4, $472
5th: Alex Roberts, Franklin, Tenn., four bass, 13-14, $405
6th: Logan Jones, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 13-7, $471
7th: Scott Sexton, Corryton, Tenn., five bass, 12-11, $337
8th: Shunsuke Miyashima, Chattanooga, Tenn., five bass, 12-10, $303
9th: Richard Bailey, Florence, Ala., four bass, 12-5, $270
10th: Cason Sanchez, Fayetteville, Tenn., five bass, 12-1, $236
Michael Matlock of Olivehill, Tennessee, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $277, catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 7 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After three events, Fisher Anaya of Eva, Alabama, leads the Fishing Clash Choo Choo Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 742 points, while Todd Mowery of Madison, Alabama, leads the Fishing Clash Choo Choo Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 715 points.
The next event for BFL Choo Choo Division anglers will be held July 13, at Neely Henry Lake in Gadsden, Alabama.
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