The Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine’s Great Lakes, Hoosier, Illini and Michigan divisions will close out the 2024 season next week, Oct. 10-12, in the Quad Cities with the Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine Regional Tournament on the Mississippi River.
Hosted by Visit Quad Cities, the three-day regional tournament will feature the top 45 boaters and co-anglers plus tournament winners from all four divisions, battling it out on Pools 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 for a top prize of $60,000, including a Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard and $10,000, along with lucrative contingency awards, including up to an additional $7,000 Phoenix MLF Bonus. Strike King co-anglers will compete for a top prize of $50,000, including a Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard. Winners will be determined by the heaviest three-day catch.
The top six finishers in each regional will qualify for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the 42nd annual BFL All-American. The highest finishing boater from each division will also receive a $1,000 bonus and the highest finishing co-angler from each division will receive a $500 bonus.
“This is going to be an interesting tournament,” said Great Lakes boater division Angler of the Year (AOY) Jeff Ritter of Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. “Pool 13 fishes very similar to up north – lots of grass and lily pads and stuff, but the rest of the pools are basically, from what I can see, hard-cover, current-based rock voids and wing dams. And I think the sandbars will come into play. It’s a lot different than what we’re used to fishing on the upper pools.”
Ritter said that he thinks the key to finishing well in this tournament will be moving around to find the ‘off-the-wall’ areas.
“I think being able to cover a lot of water and finding something that isn’t super obvious – the sneaky little spots,” Ritter said. “Maybe some underwater rock, or some way out of the way timber up in a slough where nobody else is fishing – finding those fish is going to be the key. And having enough areas to find fresh fish each day.”
Ritter doesn’t expect forward-facing sonar to play much of a role in this tournament, as he says that he thinks most of the fish will be caught shallow in this event.
“On this part of the Mississippi, everything is going to fish relatively shallow,” Ritter said. “I’m thinking we’ll see a (Z-Man) ChatterBaits, spinnerbaits and some good old-fashioned flipping jigs tied on a lot of rods next week.
“If a guy can have three days of 14 to 15 pounds a day for three days, they’ll be right there at the end,” Ritter went on to say. “That might even be a little bit on the high side, from what I’ve seen. But I think if you can bring 45 pounds to the scale, you’ll definitely be taking home that trophy.”
Anglers will launch at 7 a.m. CT each morning from the Sunset Park Public Boat Ramp, located at 10 31st Ave. in Rock Island, Illinois. Weigh-ins will also be held at the boat ramp and will begin at 3 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend the event or follow the action online through the “MLF Live” weigh-in broadcasts at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The 2024 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 2025 BFL All-American will take place May 29-31, 2025, at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by hosted by Visit Hot Springs and the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.
The top boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division also earn priority entry into the Toyota Series, the pathway to the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals and ultimately the Bass Pro Tour. For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, PowerStop Brakes, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters 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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