MASSENA, N.Y. (Sept. 11, 2023) – Boater Joseph Thompson of Coatesville, Pennsylvania, caught 10 bass weighing 44 pounds, 5 ounces, to win the two-day MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League tournament on the St. Lawrence River in Massena, New York. The tournament was the fifth and final regular-season event for the Bass Fishing League Northeast Division. Thompson earned $12,806 for his victory, including the lucrative $7,000 Phoenix MLF contingency bonus.
“The conditions on the days of competition for the tournament were unlike any of the practice days,” Thompson said. “Practice was sunny, with good wind direction, and then the tournament was overcast with a northeast wind. It really backed the current up. It had fish positioned a little differently, and the first couple of hours each morning it took me a bit to figure it out and see how they had repositioned.”
Thompson said he didn’t land his first bass Sunday until 10 a.m., and caught most of his weigh fish between 10 and 1 p.m. He fished the Brockville area and relied primarily on a Carolina rig and a drop-shot rig for his bass around steep ledges off points in 30 feet of water.
Thompson entered the Super Tournament needing the win to secure his second-consecutive Northeast Division Angler of the Year title.
“I thought I was going to be a little short when it was all said and done, to be honest with you,” Thompson said. “I was surprised when I won.
“The win feels so good,” Thompson added. “The caliber of fishermen in the BFLs is unbelievable. Everywhere you go it’s the best of the local guys fishing in them. It’s an unbelievable talent pool.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Joseph Thompson, Coatesville, Pa., 10 bass, 44-5, $12,806 (includes $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
2nd: Ethan Carr, Massena, N.Y., 10 bass, 41-0, $2,403
3rd: Kent Compo, Brasherfalls, N.Y., 10 bass, 40-15, $1,603
4th: Lane Olson, Forest Grove, Ore., 10 bass, 40-10, $1,121
5th: Christopher Sperling, Cato, N.Y., 10 bass, 40-2, $961
6th: Clay Reece, Lexington, Ky., 10 bass, 39-12, $881
7th: Brett Carnright, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 10 bass, 38-10, $1,378
8th: Douglas Reed, Bridgeton, N.J., 10 bass, 38-8, $721
9th: Ethan McMahon, Swanton, Vt., nine bass, 38-4, $641
10th: Jonathan Robla, Lisbon, N.Y., 10 bass, 37-11, $561
Brett Carnright of Plattsburgh, New York, had a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 10 ounces that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the Big Bass Boater award of $577. Christopher Dam of Staatsburg, New York, won the Co-angler Division and $2,972 Sunday after catching a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 40 pounds, 1 ounce.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Christopher Dam, Staatsburg, N.Y., 10 bass, 40-1, $2,972
2nd: Eric Baba, Plainville, Ct., 10 bass, 35-10, $1,186
3rd: Justin Harant, Havertown, Pa., 10 bass, 35-9, $792
4th: Matt Hummel, Dillsburg, Pa., 10 bass, 35-4, $838
5th: Cory Germano, Staatsburg, N.Y., 10 bass, 32-5, $624
6th: Michael Bahnweg, Union Dale, Pa., nine bass, 29-9, $435
7th: John Alexander, Mt. Airy, Md., nine bass, 29-8, $395
8th: Jimmy Papineau, Staatsburg, N.Y., 10 bass, 29-1, $356
9th: Alexandre Jelev, Petawawa, Ont., 10 bass, 27-14, $316
10th: Avery Shoemaker, Oakwood, Ga., 10 bass, 27-0, $277
Matt Hummel of Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, caught the largest bass in the Strike King Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 14 ounces. The catch earned him the Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $285.
With the regular season now complete, boater Joseph Thompson of Coatesville, Pennsylvania, won the 2023 Bass Fishing League Northeast Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with a five-event total of 1,274 points to earn the $1,000 boater AOY award. Michael Bahnweg of Union Dale, Pennsylvania, won the 2023 Strike King Co-Angler Northeast Division AOY race with 1,281 points and earned the $500 Strike King Co-angler of the Year award.