PADUCAH, Ky. (Aug. 14, 2023) – Boater Cole Jezek of Salem, Illinois, caught a five-bass limit weighing 12 pounds, 7 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) tournament on the Ohio River at Paducah. The tournament was the fourth event of the season for the BFL Illini Division. Jezek earned $10,296, including the lucrative $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus, for his victory.
“I had checked some stuff out the day before, so I headed up the Tennessee River,” said Jezek. “I had won this event there previously, in 2014, so I had a gut feeling with the amount of current that was running that I knew where I wanted to start.”
Jezek began his day with a bang, and his Ned rig produced a limit by 7:20.
“I had the weight just perfect to where I was just ticking the rock, and when it got by the right rock the smallmouth were just sitting there,” Jezek said. “We went to work on them pretty quick.”
Jezek said he relocated near the dam, but the crowded conditions didn’t produce any quality bass for him. He returned to his starting spot and culled two more times. Jezek said he caught a total of eight bass - all keepers - during the tournament.
“Every fish I caught … they just kept getting bigger,” Jezek said. “At one point I had a 3.54-pound fish sitting in the livewell, and that river is tough, so I knew I was sitting in a pretty good position to have a chance to win.
“This win feels really good,” Jezek added. “My dad was there at weigh-in to share the win with me. That was his first time to be there to experience the weigh-in ceremony, so this is really special to me.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Cole Jezek, Salem, Ill., five bass, 12-7, $10,296 (includes $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
2nd: Bryan Godwin, Marion, Ky., five bass, 11-11, $1,648
3rd: James Williams, Charleston, Ill., four bass, 10-10, $1,399
4th: Jerry Waters, Hampton, Ky., five bass, 10-6, $769
5th: Jeremy Mull, Pawnee, Ill., five bass, 9-10, $659
6th: Justin Berger, Murray, Ky., five bass, 9-1, $604
7th: Daniel Hodge, Fort Knox, Ky., five bass, 8-15, $549
8th: Riley Walk, Neoga, Ill., five bass, 8-14, $694
9th: Coty Fowler, Brookport, Ill., five bass, 8-7, $439
10th: James Jarvis, West Frankfort, Ill., four bass, 7-15, $385
Scott Neighbors of Makanda, Illinois, caught a bass that weighed 4 pounds, 12 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $405. Amanda Black of Toledo, Illinois, won the co-angler division and a total of $1,648 Saturday, after bringing four bass to the scale that totaled 11 pounds, 7 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers finished:
1st: Amanda Black, Toledo, Ill., four bass, 11-7, $1,648
2nd: Earl Ross, Jr., Soddy-Daisy, Tenn., five bass, 9-8, $824
3rd: Richard Skiff, Edwardsville, Ill., four bass, 7-15, $549
4th: Carlton Maddox, Seymour, Ill., three bass, 7-2, $385
5th: Hayden Swain, Tamaroa, Ill., five bass, 6-14, $330
6th: Kim Sapetti, Chatham, Ill., three bass, 6-13, $302
7th: Nate Stephens, Metropolis, Ill., three bass, 6-5, $275
8th: Lucas Tanner, West Frankfort, Ill., four bass, 5-12, $247
9th: Ryan Murphy, Paris, Ill., three bass, 5-10, $420
10th: Dale Renth, Mascoutah, Ill., four bass, 5-9, $192
Truman Ross of Whitwell, Tennessee, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $202, catching a bass that weighed in at 4 pounds, 1 ounce – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After four events, Garrett McDowell of Windsor, Illinois, leads the BFL Illini Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 973 points, while Aaron Arning of Walnut Hill, Illinois, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 936 points.
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