Mansfield native wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event

Boater Weston Parker of Mansfield, brought a five-bass limit to the scale weighing 15 pounds and five ounces to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Oconee Presented by Precision Sonar. The tournament was the third of five events of the season for the BFL Bulldog Division. Parker earned $4,000 for his victory.

Parker said that he won at Lake Oconee by adjusting as the conditions changed throughout the day. He started the morning targeting fish feeding on shad with a topwater presentation, but quickly recognized the bite was fading.

“We were in a shad spawn throwing a little topwater, and it got tough fast,” Parker said. “So, I made the decision that if I was going to have a chance in this tournament that I need to start flipping docks.”

Making the shift to dock fishing proved to be the turning point, as Parker focused on high-percentage targets that could produce quality bites. Rather than chasing numbers, he committed to areas where each bite had the potential to be a good one.

“I made a decision this morning to kind of fish stuff that I knew if I got bit on, it’d be a decent bite,” Parker said. “And that actually paid off for me. It feels great to know I made the right decision and got the win.”

Oxford native Frank Kitchens III won second place in the event and earned $2,500 for his efforts.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st: Weston Parker, Mansfield, Ga., five bass, 15-5, $4,000

2nd: Frank Kitchens III, Oxford, Ga., five bass, 15-2, $2,500 (includes $500 Phoenix Bonus)

3rd: Nolan Holloway, Madison, Ga., five bass, 14-8, $1,000

4th: Matt Henry, Milledgeville, Ga., five bass, 14-1, $800

5th: Brandon Martin, Lula, Ga., five bass, 13-15, $700

6th: Nicholas Tunney, Marietta, Ga., five bass, 13-14, $600

7th: Greg Rikard, Leesville, S.C., five bass, 12-12, $825

8th: John Duvall, Boca Raton, Fla., five bass, 12-8, $550

9th: Jae Evans, Boca Raton, Fla., four bass, 12-7, $525

10th: David Millsaps, Ranger, Ga., five bass, 11-7, $400