Ohio’s Malas claims victory at 2-day Phoenix Bass Fishing League Super Tournament on the Ohio River at Tanners Creek

Major League Fishing, Press Release, https://majorleaguefishing.com

LAWRENCEBURG, Ind. – Boater Chris Malas of Cincinnati, Ohio, caught nine bass weighing 14 pounds, 8 ounces, to win the two-day Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on the Ohio River at Tanner’s Creek in Lawrenceburg, Ind.

The tournament was the fifth and final regular-season event for the Bass Fishing League Hoosier Division. Malas earned $5,997 for his victory.

“On Day 1, I made a long run to fish the main river,” Malas said. “I was on some smallmouth, and I hammered them. I caught 14 keepers and culled a bunch of times. I caught them mainly on topwaters and dragging finesse stuff around – a Ned rig.”

Malas said the second day of competition was a little bit different than the first, because when he made his run to his spot, he approached a swimming competition that was being held and authorities had the waters blocked for the safety of the swimming event. Malas said he fished around Cincinnati until 9:15 a.m., and managed to catch a nice spotted bass, before the sheriff allowed boats to proceed.

Malas said the river had risen a foot and his smallmouth were nowhere to be found when he finally arrived at his Day 1 spot, but he did manage to figure out a spotted bass pattern to add three more keepers. Malas said he has a habit of underestimating his total weight and didn’t even think he had a chance at posting a win.

“I was in the weigh-in line and looking at (Chris) Martinkovic in front of me thinking, ‘Well, he’s got me,’” Malas said. “I weighed in and looked at the scale and was surprised. One of my spots was way bigger than I thought it was. It was like a 3-pounder. I walked off the stage and the last guy to weigh in said, ‘Good job, dude. You just won it.’ And I was like, ‘Holy crap!’ So, that was pretty cool.

“It feels insane to win,” Malas continued. “The money and the trophy are cool, but to beat that caliber of guys who fish there is better than anything because those guys are good.”

The Top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st: Chris Malas, Cincinnati, Ohio, nine bass, 14-8, $5,997
2nd: Mike Quinlin, Mooresville, Ind., 10 bass, 14-5, $4,379 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF contingency bonus)
3rd: David Spivey, Hamilton, Ohio, nine bass, 13-13, $1,997
4th: Chris Martinkovic, Hamilton, Ohio, 10 bass, 13-9, $1,599
5th: Tony Collins, Dayton, Ohio, 10 bass, 12-13, $1,199
6th: Dale Teaney, Williamsburg, Ohio, 10 bass, 12-11, $1,100
7th: Jamie Cunnagin, New Lebanon, Ohio, seven bass, 12-6, $1,000
8th: John Viox, Hebron, Ky., nine bass, 12-6, $900
9th: John Melton, Corydon, Ind., eight bass, 11-13, $800
10th: Travis Spivey, Union, Ky., nine bass, 11-10, $700

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Jason Wood of Connersville, Ind., had a bass that weighed 4 pounds, 14 ounces that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $810.

Derek Jackson of New Albany, Ind., won the Strike King co-angler division and $2,999 Sunday after catching a two-day total of eight bass weighing 10 pounds, 5 ounces.

The Top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st: Derek Jackson, New Albany, Ind., eight bass, 10-5, $2,999
2nd: Ryan Sykes, Fairfield, Ohio, six bass, 8-11, $1,899
3rd: John Thomas, Quincy, Ind., seven bass, 8-0, $996
4th: Joe Gorham, Indianapolis, Ind., six bass, 7-15, $700
5th: Greg Roberts, Columbus, Ind., four bass, 7-12, $600
6th: Branden Hardesty, Nineveh, Ind., six bass, 7-8, $550
7th: Rod Yoder, West Lafayette, Ind., five bass, 7-7, $500
8th: Brian Liming, Dillsboro, Ind., five bass, 6-14, $450
9th: Fred Fox, Batavia, Ohio, five bass, 6-10, $400
10th: Mark Bouchie, Evansville, Ind., five bass, 6-9, $350.

Jeremy Aslinger of Richmond, Ind., caught the largest bass in the Strike King co-angler division, a fish weighing in at 3 pounds, 9 ounces. The catch earned him the Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $405.

With the regular season now complete, boater Travis Spivey of Union, Ky., won the 2023 Bass Fishing League Hoosier Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with a five-event total of 1,325 points to earn the $1,000 boater AOY award. Joe Gorham of Indianapolis, Ind., won the 2023 Strike King Co-Angler Hoosier Division AOY race with 1,301 points and earned the $500 Strike King Co-angler of the Year award.

Now, the top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the division based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will advance to compete in the Oct. 19-21 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Lake of the Ozarks in Osage Beach, Mo. Boaters will fish 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 compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

The 2023 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American.

The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the Toyota Series, the pathway to the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the Bass Pro Tour.

Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, General Tire, Grundéns, Gill, Lew’s, Lowrance, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X and YETI.

For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

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Pinckney’s Sitko posts 5th career win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League event at Detroit River

TRENTON, Mich. – Boater Michael Sitko of Pinckney, Michigan, caught a five-bass limit weighing 24 pounds, 15 ounces, Saturday to win the Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on the Detroit River. The tournament was the fourth event of the season for the BFL Michigan Division. Sitko earned $12,146, including the lucrative $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus, for his victory.

Sitko now has five career Major League Fishing wins on the Detroit River, including four BFL victories and one Toyota Series title.

“I can’t explain how good it feels to get this win, because the guys competing in this are so good,” said Sitko, who made a run to fish Lake Erie’s isolated rock humps in 18 to 22 feet of water. “You have guys that guide out here daily, and they’re just so good. This never gets old, and I can’t wait to win the next one.”

Sitko said he caught around 10 keepers during the course of the day on a drop-shot rig tipped with a tube. The majority of his fish came late in the morning, and he didn’t cull a fish after that.

“I did have one that jumped off later in the day that I thought would have helped, but I ended up not needing it,” Sitko said. “I truly thought that fish was going to cost me.

“There’s never a point in this division when you think you’re going to win,” Sitko said. “I’ve had tournaments where I’ve had really big bags and not won because you get 26-pound bags from Erie a lot. This group of anglers is just so good.”

The Top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st: Michael Sitko, Pinckney, Mich., five bass, 24-15, $12,146 (includes $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
2nd: Pat Upthagrove, Monroe, Mich., five bass, 23-3, $2,793
3rd: Nolan Mandel, Harrison Township, Mich., five bass, 22-7, $1,309
4th: Scott Cooke, Marengo, Ohio, five bass, 21-6, $916
5th: Aaron Jagdfeld, Rochester, Mich., five bass, 21-4, $785
6th: Jared Rhode, Port Clinton, Ohio, five bass, 21-0, $720
7th: Jeremy Reese, Powell, Ohio, five bass, 20-13, $654
8th: Wilson Burton, Findlay, Ohio, five bass, 20-9, $589
9th: Noah Stauffer, Gowen, Mich., five bass, 20-8, $523
10th: Angel Rosario, Kalamazoo, Mich., five bass, 19-12, $458.

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Pat Upthagrove of Monroe, Michigan, caught a bass that weighed 6 pounds, 4 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $530.

Terry Bucciarelli of Ypsilanti, Michigan, won the Strike King co-angler division and $2,778 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 21 pounds, 6 ounces.

The Top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:

1st: Terry Bucciarelli, Ypsilanti, Mich., five bass, 21-6, $2,778
2nd: Joe Nega, Chicago, Ill., five bass, 19-15, $1,181
3rd: Bill Lass, Caledonia, Mich., five bass, 19-13, $655
4th: Tyler Land, Coatsville, Ind., five bass, 19-0, $458
5th: Cory Yoder, Goshen, Ind., five bass, 18-9, $393
6th: Mike Eldridge, Blairsville, Penn., five bass, 18-2, $360
7th: Keishaun Clemons, Richmond, Ind., five bass, 17-13, $310
7th: Joe Westphal, Lapeer, Mich., five bass, 17-13, $310
9th: Emmanuel Schwartz, Colon, Mich., five bass, 17-12, $245
9th: Ahsten Lynch, Waynesville, Ohio, five bass, 17-12, $245.

Bucciarelli also earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $265, catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 6 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.

After four events, Patrick Goodman of Sturgis, Mich., leads the BFL Michigan Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 972 points, while Gavin Weted of Adrian, Mich., leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 937 points.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 12-14 BFL Regional tournament on Dale Hollow Lake in Byrdstown, Tennessee. Boaters will fish 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 compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.