Special to IFN
Troutman resident Kaden Buchmann caught a total of five bass weighing 19 pounds and 8 ounces to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Norman. The tournament, hosted by Visit Lake Norman, was the first of five events of the season for the BFL North Carolina Division. Buchmann earned $3,150 for his victory.
Buchmann said he targeted “high-percentage” areas in the south end of Lake Norman, like an offshore brush pile in clear water he described as “not super deep.” As the day progressed, he made his way north and said he landed a total of 10 to 12 keepers.
“It all happened pretty quickly,” Buchmann said. “I pulled up to a place and pulled a couple of rods out of the rod locker, but the water was too clear and too shallow, so I kept moving. I pulled up on my second place and caught a couple of 2-pounders and lost a big one. My next place I caught a couple of 3½-pounders and lost another big one.
“At that point it was still early in the morning, about 10 or 10:30, so I settled down and caught one more big one on a Shane’s Baits 5th Element Umbrella Rig,” Buchmann went on to say. “After that I just tried to help my co-angler out the rest of the day.”
Buchmann felt pretty confident in his chances of securing a win due to tough conditions – no wind and clear skies. He also said what he had in his live well was better than any weight he had seen come across the scale in recent tournaments.
“This win was awesome,” Buchmann said. “I told my co-angler at one point in the morning, ‘Man, I may not even turn my LiveScope on today. I may as well win it without it. I’ve got a pretty good chance to do that.’ So I did.”
Mooresville resident Jake Monti took third place with five bass weighing a total of 16 pounds and 3 ounces.
In the co-anglers competition, Mooresville resident Jason Pulver took fifth place with three bass weighing in at 7 pounds and 4 ounces.
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the division based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the October 15-17 BFL Regional tournament on Clarks Hill Lake in Appling, Ga. Boaters will fish for a top award of a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard worth $50,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top prize of a new Phoenix 518 pro with a 115-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard, worth $33,500.