Ratcliff’s Lee Tops Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Lake Dardanelle

RUSSELVILLE, Ark. – Boater Brandon Lee of Ratcliff, Arkansas, caught five bass Saturday weighing 17 pounds, 7 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Dardanelle. The tournament, hosted by Russellville Advertising and Promotion, was the fourth event for the Bass Fishing League Arkie Division. Lee earned $4,584 for his victory.

“I started the morning fishing a shad spawn using a Dart Frog-colored BOOYAH Pad Crasher (Frog) in the mid-lake area near Piney Bay,” Lee said. “I was fishing shallow; I never even turned a graph on all day.”

Later in the day Lee, who notched a BFL win at Lake Dardanelle in 2014, said he employed the use of a white ½-ounce BOOYAH Mobster Swimjig with a white YUM Craw Chunk trailer around reeds in less than 2 feet of water. Lee’s efforts resulted in nine keepers during competition.

“I knew I had a shot at winning around noon when I made my last cull,” Lee said. “I had all 3-pounders at that point and one that was 4½, but I figured it would take 18 pounds to win it. I knew I was close.

“This win is awesome,” Lee added. “They are so hard to come by. I was in the first flight, so I had to sit there for two hours after I weighed in and watch everyone weigh in. My nerves were shot at the end of the day.”

The Top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

• 1st: Brandon Lee, Ratcliff, Ark., five bass, 17-7, $4,584
• 2nd: Kirk Smith, Edmond, Okla., five bass, 15-9, $2,292
• 3rd: Shonn Goodwin, Moore, Okla., five bass, 15-0, $1,729
• 4th: James Boyett, Mountain Home, Ark., four bass, 14-14, $1,070
• 5th: Cody Ross, Livingston, Texas, five bass, 14-12, $1,592
• 6th: Chris Huselton, Conway, Ark., five bass, 13-2, $840
• 7th: Quincy Houchin, Mabelvale, Ark., five bass, 12-13, $1,464 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
• 8th: Aubrey Walker, Ola, Ark., four bass, 12-6, $688
• 9th: Mike Scoggins, Danville, Ark., five bass, 12-3, $573
• 9th: Doug Thompson, Mabelvale, Ark., five bass, 12-3, $573

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Ross had a largemouth that weighed 5 pounds, 1 ounce that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $675.

Steven Logan of Hugo, Oklahoma, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,592 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 12 pounds, 15 ounces.

The Top 10 Strike King Co-anglers were:

• 1st: Steven Logan, Hugo, Okla., five bass, 12-15, $2,592
• 2nd: Chuck Harney, Perryville, Ark., four bass, 12-11, $1,146
• 3rd: Dusty Rhoades, Gravelly, Ark., three bass, 11-4, $765
• 4th: Derrick Damon, Clarksville, Ark., five bass, 11-0, $535
• 5th: Kyle Huneycutt, Malvern, Ark., four bass, 9-11, $458
• 6th: Alvin Williams, Hartman, Ark., four bass, 8-14, $420
• 7th: Andrew Wooley, Little Rock, Ark., three bass, 8-11, $382
• 8th: Joshua James, Talihina, Okla., four bass, 8-4, $344
• 9th: Steve Boone, Mountain Pine, Ark., four bass, 7-12, $306
• 10th: Aaron Calvert, Russellville, Ark., four bass, 7-8, $267

Larry Carter of Little Rock, Arkansas, caught the largest bass in the co-angler division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 5 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $337.

After four events, Kevin Brown of Hot Springs, Arkansas, leads the Bass Fishing League Arkie Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 967 points, while Andrew Wooley of Little Rock, Arkansas, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 943 points.

The Top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 20-22 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma. Boaters will compete 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 fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

The 2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The Top 45 boaters and Strike King Co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six Regional Championships 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 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American. The 2022 All-American will be held June 2-4 at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.

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 MLF Toyota Series, the pathway to the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.

Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, AFTCO, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Revital Outdoors, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X, YETI and Yo-Zuri.

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.