Schroeder Wins Bass Fishing League Tournament on Sam Rayburn

BROOKELAND, Texas (April 4, 2022) – Boater Blake Schroeder of Whitehouse, Texas, caught five bass Saturday weighing 23 pounds, 4 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League tournament on Sam Rayburn Reservoir . The tournament, hosted by the Jasper County Development District, was the third event for the Bass Fishing League Cowboy Division. Schroeder earned $5,475 for his victory.

“It wasn’t fast and furious by any means,” Schroeder said. “I caught one big one on a 6th Sense Cloud 9 C15 crankbait that was about 7½ pounds. I caught a few other ones on a Carolina rig with a Big Bite Baits Pro Lizard in 8 to 12 feet of water. I also caught some of my better ones on beds around hay grass and buck brush on a 3-inch Big Bite Baits soft plastic.”

Schroeder said he caught 15 bass during the course of the day, 11 of which were keepers, fishing north of the Highway 147 bridge.

“This is my third BFL win, and it feels good,” Schroeder said. “I know it’s an accomplishment to win one, and there aren’t a ton of people who get the opportunity to win several, so I’m certainly blessed to have the chance to win in back-to-back years. And winning against the field of anglers that fish Sam Rayburn is an accomplishment in itself.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

                1st:        Blake Schroeder, Whitehouse, Texas, five bass, 23-4, $5,475
                2nd:       Tater Reynolds, Florien, La., five bass, 22-9, $2,737
                3rd:       Chris Diberardino, Zavalla, Texas, five bass, 21-8, $2,327 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
                4th:        Cameron Mattison, Benton, La., five bass, 20-8, $2,056
                4th:        Shaine Campbell, Brookeland, Texas, five bass, 20-8, $1,186
                6th:        Wyatt Frankens, Corrigan, Texas, five bass, 19-9, $1,004
                7th:        Dicky Newberry, Houston, Texas, five bass, 18-6, $912
                8th:        Logan Sherrer, Karnack, Texas, five bass, 18-5, $821
                9th:        Jason Bonds, Lufkin, Texas, five bass, 18-1, $730
                10th:     Dillon Harrell, New Caney, Texas, five bass, 17-11, $639

Mattison had a 9-pound, 10-ounce largemouth that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $870. Rondell Joseph of Manvel, Texas, won the Co-angler Division and $2,737 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 15 pounds, 9 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

                1st:        Rondell Joseph, Manvel, Texas, five bass, 15-9, $2,737
                2nd:       Bryan Myers, Ragley, La., five bass, 14-11, $1,369
                3rd:       Tim Sink, Kemah, Texas, five bass, 14-8, $913
                4th:        John Pilinski, Haughton, La., two bass, 13-4, $1,074
                5th:        Ron Dickens, North Richland Hills, Texas, four bass, 13-0, $547
                6th:        Darren Bland, Orange, Texas, four bass, 12-14, $502
                7th:        Albert Ignacio, Dallas, Texas, five bass, 12-13, $456
                8th:        Mitchel Martin, Washington, La., five bass, 12-7, $388
                8th:        Byron Green, Humble, Texas, four bass, 12-7, $388
                10th:     Eric Pearce, Roanoke, Texas, five bass, 11-11, $319

Pilinski caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 9 pounds, 7 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $435.

After three events, Tater Reynolds of Florien, Louisiana, leads the Bass Fishing League Cowboy Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 744 points, while Albert Ignacio of Dallas, Texas, leads the Co-Angler Division AOY race with 708 points.