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ples when he did find productive water en route to 56-7 for the tournament and a 4-pound , 9-ounce margin of victory .
5 . PHOENIX BASS FISHING LEAGUE PRESENTED BY T-H MARINE REGION 4 Grand Lake Oct . 20 – 22
“ Fishing history ” can often be problematic for bass anglers , simply because conditions on a given fishery can change so drastically from year to year , week to week or even day to day . Phillip Lunceford has been fishing Grand Lake for more than 20 years , so his history with the Ozark foothills impoundment is such that he knows how temperamental the lake can be in the fall . He also knows that when all else fails , historically productive spots are better than nothing .
After a cold front moved through the area and spoiled much of what
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Lunceford found in practice , the now two-time MLF winner decided his best option was to scrap the topwater bite he was planning for and just run familiar water with familiar baits . His confidence in those areas and techniques panned out to the tune of 39-7 over three days to eek past Ozark hammer Jeremy Lawyer by just 12 ounces . For the win , Lunceford took home $ 61,000 ( including a Phoenix 819 bass boat with a Mercury outboard ).
6 . PHOENIX BASS FISHING LEAGUE PRESENTED BY T-H MARINE REGION 5 James River Oct . 20 – 22
It took Chester , Virginia ’ s Cody Casey just eight tournaments with MLF to notch his first win – and it was a big one . With his 39-10 over three days at the James River , Casey locked up a berth in the 2023
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Phoenix BFL All-American and a $ 60,000 check thanks to a couple key culls in the final 30 minutes of the tournament .
After catching about 30 keepers on Day 1 and 10 on Day 2 ( mostly with drop-shots and crankbaits ), Day 3 proved to be more of a grind . Casey knew he needed more than he had in his livewell as the clock ticked down on the final day , and a 5-pounder with a half hour to go eased those concerns slightly . Finally , he tacked on another cull at his last stop of the day , which proved to be more than enough to secure the win by 3 pounds .
7 . PHOENIX BASS FISHING LEAGUE PRESENTED BY T-H MARINE REGION 6 Lewis Smith Lake Oct . 20 – 22
Bass Pro Tour star Jesse Wiggins chose to fish the Mountain
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Division in 2022 knowing the Regional was to be hosted on his home lake for a chance at qualifying for the 2023 All-American . Wiggins did more than just qualify for the BFL championship event with 42-5 over three days to take home $ 60,000 ( including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a Mercury outboard ).
Wiggins had to overtake his brother and Day 1 leader Jordan ( who went on to finish 11th ) for the victory , aided by the second-largest bag of the event on Day 2 . With 12-14 on the final day , Wiggins eked out the victory by just 2 ounces over Emil Wagner .
While Wiggins called the event a “ grindfest ,” he managed to secure plenty of quality , despite the quantity not quite being there . One key area and a squarebill , swimbait and vibrating jig did almost all the damage for him . Wiggins ’ swimbaits of choice included Jackall Rhythm Waves and small Keitechs .
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