MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. (May 9, 2022) – Boater Matt Henry of Milledgeville, Georgia, caught five bass Sunday weighing 21 pounds, 6 ounces, to win the MLF Bass Fishing League tournament on Lake Sinclair . The tournament was the third event of the regular season for the Bass Fishing League Bulldog Division, and the second event in a two event Bass Fishing League double-header on Lake Sinclair over the weekend. Henry earned $6,434 for his victory Sunday.
“I had three of my weigh fish in the first hour,” Henry said. “Then it got brutally tough for the next three to four hours. I kept being stubborn doing what I was doing, knowing I needed two more good bites to probably win it.”
Henry said his bait of choice during competition was a Spro Dean Rojas Bronzeye Poppin’ Frog, fished over grass and around seawalls in the lower half of the lake. His approach resulted in 15 keepers and no short fish.
After targting the shad spawn early in the morning, Henry said the bite slowed down and then came back late in the day.
“I only had four keepers up until the last hour, then I caught quite a few at the end,” Henry said. “Both Saturday and Sunday it was that way.”
Henry said he lives and works on Lake Sinclair and is very comfortable fishing the body of water.
“This win feels good,” said Henry, who recorded BFL wins on Lake Oconee in 2010 and on Lake Eufaula in 2011. “It’s been 11 years since my last BFL win, so it’s been a while trying to get that third one.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Matt Henry, Milledgeville, Ga., five bass, 21-6, $6,434
2nd: James Barnett, Locust Grove, Ga., five bass, 18-8, $2,364
3rd: Kip Carter, Eatonton, Ga., five bass, 17-6, $1,576
4th: Shane Salisbury, Newnan, Ga., five bass, 14-12, $1,103
5th: Steven King, Cumming, Ga., five bass, 13-7, $946
6th: Andrew Allen, Waterloo, S.C., five bass, 13-1, $1,067
7th: Mitchell Grimsley, Hiawassee, Ga., five bass, 12-14, $788
8th: Steve Stanfill, Dawsonville, Ga., five bass, 12-8, $709
9th: Joshua Weaver, Monroe, Ga., five bass, 12-7, $1,131 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
10th: Brad Stalnaker, Eatonton, Ga., five bass, 12-6, $552
Henry had a largemouth that weighed 7 pounds, 3 ounces that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $705. Joe Morgan of Woodstock, Georgia, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,364 Sunday after catching five bass weighing 14 pounds, 2 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:
1st: Joe Morgan, Woodstock, Ga., five bass, 14-2, $2,364
2nd: Garrett Brown, Trion, Ga., five bass, 13-5, $1,182
3rd: Todd Collins, Sparta, Ga., five bass, 13-2, $788
4th: Noah Armstrong, Fayetteville, Ga., five bass, 10-15, $512
4th: Wes Wilson, Cornelia, Ga., five bass, 10-15, $864
6th: Jesse Hultberg, Marietta, Ga., five bass, 10-6, $433
7th: Devereaux Adams, Powder Springs, Ga., five bass, 10-2, $394
8th: Carlos Guzman, Fayetteville, Ga., four bass, 9-10, $355
9th: Joe Goodman, Winder, Ga., five bass, 9-4, $315
10th: Robert Enke, Columbus, Ga., five bass, 9-0, $276
Wilson caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 15 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $352.
After three events, Kip Carter of Eatonton, Georgia, leads the Bass Fishing League Bulldog Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 734 points, while Chris Pfrogner of Dawsonville, Georgia, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 710 points.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 6-8 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Lake Murray in Prosperity, South Carolina. Boaters will compete for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.
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