Hall Leads MLF Tournament at Lake Eufaula

EUFAULA, Okla. (April 14, 2023) – Pro Blake Hall of Rogersville, Alabama, brought a five-bass limit to the stage weighing 22 pounds, 2 ounces, Friday to take the lead after Day 1 of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 3 tournament at Lake Eufaula. Hall will bring an 8-ounce lead into Day 2 of the competition, Saturday. Hollister, Missouri’s Cody Spetz caught five bass weighing 21-10 to end the day in second place, while Ron Nelson of Berrien Springs, Michigan, rounds out the top three with five bass weighing 20-4.

The three-day tournament, hosted by the Eufaula Area Chamber of Commerce, features a roster of 150 anglers competing for a top prize of up to $115,000 and an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2024. The full field of 150 anglers will conclude the two-day opening round on Saturday, with only the top 50 pros based on their two-day cumulative weight advancing to Championship Sunday.

Hall started his morning with a 7-pound, 2-ounce, kicker bass and then ground out his limit on a trio of baits to put together his 22-pound, 2-ounce limit.

“I thought I could catch 15 to 18 pounds today if everything went good, but then I caught that big one on my tenth cast, and that obviously helped a lot,” Hall said. “I had caught some fish in my areas during practice – a couple of 3- and 3½-pounders – but I really didn’t know what I had. Of the five that I weighed in, they came off of four different spots.

“It’s little stretches – little rocky points,” Hall continued. “Everything was on rock. And they were shallow – four of them came in less than 2 feet, and one was about 5 feet (deep).”

Hall said that he caught his fish on three different baits – a Bill Lewis MR-6 crankbait, a Bill Lewis SB-57 squarebill crankbait, and a Buckeye Lures jig.

“I’ve still got a few other areas that I never went to – I’m not sure if they’re getting fished or not,” Hall said. “Ron (Nelson) was on one place I wanted to fish, but other than that I got to fish pretty much what I wanted to, today.

“I’ve never been here before, so I really don’t know what to expect for tomorrow. I could have 8 pounds, or I could have 18. I’m just looking forward to getting back out there.”

The top 20 pros after Day 1 on Lake Eufaula are:

1st:          Blake Hall, Rogersville, Ala., five bass, 22-2
2nd:         Cody Spetz, Hollister, Mo., five bass, 21-10
3rd:         Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich., five bass, 20-4
4th:         Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., five bass, 19-12
5th:         Michael Harlin, Sunrise Beach, Mo., five bass, 19-7
6th:         Blake Felix, Warsaw, Mo., five bass, 19-5
7th:         Brock Reinkemeyer, Warsaw, Mo., five bass, 19-3
8th:         Jeff Reynolds, Calera, Okla., five bass, 19-1
9th:         Braxton Setzer, Wetumpka, Ala., five bass, 18-14
10th:       Cody Pike, Powhatan, Va., five bass, 18-13
11th:       Joe Grafeman, Camdenton, Mo., five bass, 18-11
11th:       John-Dalton Miller, Albertville, Ala., five bass, 18-7
11th:       Terry Bolton, Benton, Ky., five bass, 18-5
14th:       John Voyles, Petersburg, Ind., five bass, 18-4
15th:       Connor Cunningham, Springfield, Mo., five bass, 18-3
16th:       Danny Shanz, Summerton, S.C., five bass, 18-3
17th:       Grae Buck, Green Lane, Pa., five bass, 17-11
18th:       Scotty Villines, Ponca, Ark., five bass, 17-7
19th:       Kyle Palmer, Winchester, Tenn., five bass, 17-2
20th:       Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., five bass, 17-0


Pro Andrew Nordbye of Guntersville, Alabama, earned Friday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass award with a bass that weighed 7 pounds, 3 ounces.

Overall, there were 651 bass weighing 1,821 pounds, 11 ounces caught by 145 pros Friday. The catch included 102 five-bass limits.

In MLF Invitational competition, the full field of 150 anglers compete in the two-day opening round on Friday and Saturday in a traditional five-fish, weigh-in format. Only the top 50 pros based on their two-day cumulative weight will advance to the final round on Championship Sunday, where they will compete for the grand prize of up to $115,000, including the lucrative $35,000 Phoenix MLF Bonus for qualified anglers. The winner of the MLF Invitational Stop 3 at Lake Eufaula will be determined by the heaviest three-day cumulative weight and will receive an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2024.

Anglers will take off at 7 a.m. CT, Friday through Sunday, from the Peter’s Point South Point Dock Boat Ramp, located on Dabbs Road in Eufaula. Weigh-ins will also be held at the boat ramp daily beginning at 3 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend the event or follow the live on-the-water action all three days of competition online on MLF NOW! beginning at 7:30 a.m. CT at MajorLeagueFishing.com.