Lake Norman Readies to Host Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Tournament

he Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine’s Bulldog, Mountain, Shenandoah and South Carolina divisions will wrap up their 2023 season in Huntersville, N.C. next week, Oct. 19-21, with the Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine Regional Event at Lake Norman.

Hosted by Visit Lake Norman, Visit Charlotte and Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation, the three-day regional tournament will feature the top 45 boaters and co-anglers plus tournament winners from all four divisions, battling it out for a top prize of $60,000, including a Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury 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 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 Phoenix Bass Fishing League 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.

“Lake Norman is always good, but this time of year the tournament is really going to be dependent on the weather,” said pro Bryan Thrift of Shelby, North Carolina, who won REDCREST 2023 – the Bass Pro Tour Championship – on Lake Norman earlier this year. “On a calm, slick day, I’d expect finesse presentations, more use of forward-facing sonar and obviously topwater baits will play a big part.

“We’re also in that transition period where some wind could stir up a really good reaction bait bite, so a jerkbait, Chatterbait or some kind of moving bait could also come into play,” Thrift continued. “This is really going to be an event where you can pick your poison, which is pretty typical for Lake Norman.”

In addition to being able to play the weather to their advantage this time of year, Thrift said with some decent wind, anglers can run a wind pattern that typically results in bigger weights.

“If they hit it when there’s a little bit of wind, or rainy, cloudy weather, I’d expect the weights to be a little higher than if it’s slick and sunny,” said Thrift. “I think anglers that can consistently pull in 14 to 15 pounds every day will have a chance at winning the event.

“The lake has typically turned over by now, so there should be bass scattered from 2 feet of water up to 50 feet of water,” Thrift continued. “I’d expect to see guys throwing drop-shot rigs and spoons in 40 to 50 feet of water, but you’ll also have anglers burning the bank, throwing topwater baits right up on the bank.

“I do think bigger weights will be caught up shallow. Historically on Lake Norman, the bigger fish typically live in 10 feet of water or less this time of year.”

Anglers will launch at 7:30 a.m. ET each morning from Blythe Landing, located at 15901 Highway 73, in Huntersville. Weigh-ins will also be held at the landing and will begin at 3:30 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 2023 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine consisted of 24-divisions devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season and 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, advance to one of six Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regionals. The 2024 BFL All-American will be held May 29-31 at Cherokee Lake in Jefferson County, Tennessee.

The top boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will 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 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.