Major League Fishing comes to Seneca and Lake Hartwell
The annual Phoenix BFL Championship will take place in Oconee County on May 31 – June 2, 2023.
This is the 40th annual Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American Championship Presented by T-H Marine.  The three-day tournament, hosted by Visit Oconee SC , will showcase the nation’s best weekend grassroots anglers as they fish the waters on Lake Hartwell.
The winning boater will be awarded a top prize of up to $120,000, and will automatically qualify for the REDCREST 2024–the MLF’s most prestigious event.
In addition to the automatic REDCREST qualification, the highest-finishing boaters and co-anglers from each of the seven regionals at the All-American will advance to the 2023 Toyota Series Championship.
A First for Seneca
The BFL All-American championship was held on Lake Hartwell in 2020, but the event launched out of Anderson. This time they’ll launch out of Seneca at the recently upgraded Seneca Creek Boat Ramp.
The All-American is considered a steppingstone for anglers who hope to advance to the Toyota Series, Tackle Warehouse Invitationals and ultimately onto the Bass Pro Tour.
Anglers will launch each day at 6:30am from the Seneca Creek Boat Ramp. Weigh-in will occur at the boat ramp each day beginning at 2:30pm. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and weigh-in events and encouraged to follow the live coverage online at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
What to expect
The full field of 49 boaters and 49 Strike King co-anglers will compete on Wednesday, May 31 and Thursday, June 1. After the second day of competition, the field will narrow down to just the top 10 boaters and co-anglers, based on the highest two-day cumulative weight. The final 10 anglers will compete in the Championship on Friday, June 2.
The boater and co-angler that catch the heaviest three-day total weight will be crowned the champions of the 40th Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.
The event will be recorded. The 2023 MFL Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American is scheduled to premier on November 11, 2023. It will be televised on CBS Sports and the Sportsman Channel. Go to MajorLeagueFishing.com to find the television schedule.
March 22, 2023
BFL Tournament on Lake Hartwell
Visit Oconee SC hosted a Phoenix Bass Fishing League tournament on March 18th. This was the inaugural event at the new and improved Seneca Creek Boat Landing. There were 110 boats with 220 participants! Max Heaton was the angler winner with 5 bass weighing 18 pounds, 13 ounces; Damon Phillips was the co-angler winner with 5 bass weighing 15 pounds, 14 ounces.
BFL Savannah River Division
The tournament on Lake Hartwell was the BFL Savannah River Division’s 3rd event of the season.
Paul Marks, of Cumming, GA, leads as the Boater Angler of the Year race with 742 points.
Michael Miller, of Greenville, SC was in the lead as Strike King Co-Angler Division Angler of the Year race with 733 points.
3/18/23 Top 10 Boater Finishers
1st: Max Heaton of Hartwell, GA caught 5 bass, 18 lbs. 13 oz, $4,037
2nd: Bo Price of Seneca, SC caught 5 bass, 18 lbs. 1 oz., $2,564
3rd: Paul Marks of Cumming, GA caught 5 bass, 17 lbs. 13 oz., $1,845 (includes $500 Phoenix MFL Contingency Bonus)
4th: Tab Anderson of Pendleton, SC caught 5 bass, 17-2, $1,192
5th: Jaxson Pace of Canton, NC caught 5 bass, 16-15, $807
6th: Joe Anders of Easley, SC caught 5 bass, 16-8, $740
7th: Aspen Martin of White, GA caught 5 bass, 16-6, $673
8th: Bradley Day of Anderson, SC caught 5 bass, 16-3, $606
9th: Andrew Allen of Waterloo, SC caught 5 bass, 15-15, $538
10th: Grayson Cook of Canton, NC caught 5 bass, 15-13, $471
3/18/23 Top 10 Strike King Co-angler Winners
1st: Damon Phillips of Anderson, SC caught 5 bass, 15-14, $2,019
2nd:Â Benjie Winkler of Cleveland, GA caught 5 bass, 14-5, $1,009
3rd: Gavin Ballew of Travelers Rest, SC caught 5 bass, 12-6, $675
4th: Corey Veal of Royston, GA caught 5 bass, 12-4, $471
5th: Chris Wilson of Easley, SC caught 5 bass, 12-2, $604
6th: Scott Williams of Canton, GA caught 5 bass, 12-1, $570
7th: Dwayne Parton of Anderson, SC caught 5 bass, 11-10, $336
8th: Kevin Henderson of Honea Path, SC caught 5 bass, 11-9, $303
9th: Johnny Hancox of West Union, SC caught 5 bass, 11-7, $269
10th: Michael Miller of Greenville, SC caught 5 bass, 11-6, $223
10th: Brian Egan of Atlanta, GA caught 5 bass, 11-6, $223
Casey English, of Demorest, GA caught the largest co-angler catch of the day with a 5 pound bass, earning him the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $272.
A complete list of results can be found at majorleaguefishing.com.
About Phoenix BFL
T-H Marine presents the 2023 Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL), which is a 24-division circuit where weekend anglers have the opportunity to participate in 128 events scheduled this season.
There are five qualifying tournaments in each division. For the BFL All-American, there will be a full-field of 98 participants competing. This includes the top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with five qualifying event winners. On the final day of the tournament, the field will go down to six teams fishing the waters of Lake Hartwell.
2023 BFL All-American
May 31 – June 2
Lake Hartwell
Visit Oconee SC will host the event at Seneca Creek Boat Landing.
About Seneca Creek
The Seneca Creek Boat Landing is operated by the Oconee County Parks Recreation and Tourism Department. The boat landing was functional for the Phoenix BFL March tournament, but it has not yet officially opened. Crews are working to finish electrical and bathroom construction at the site. But rest assured, everything will be ready in time for the championship BFL All-American this summer!
Once upgrades are complete, Seneca Creek will have two boat docks, gang planks, a floating fishing pier, an ADA approved roller kayak launch, restrooms, picnic tables and 49 parking spaces.
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Post Author: Ken Sloan
