Gordon Wins Bass Fishing League Regional Tournament on Dale Hollow

BYRDSTOWN, Tenn. (Oct. 27, 2025) – Boater Jeremy Gordon of Rutledge, Tennessee, caught a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 36 pounds, 15 ounces, to win the Bass Fishing League (BFL) Regional tournament on Dale Hollow Lake. The tournament concluded Saturday. For his win, Gordon earned a prize package valued at $57,100, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard.

The Dale Hollow Lake event served as the Regional championship for the BFL Volunteer and LBL divisions. The field included the top 60 boaters and co-anglers based on point standings, plus each division’s tournament winners. The top three boaters and co-anglers have also now qualified for the 2026 BFL All-American.

“My practice was really tough,” Gordon said. “But after a fog delay on the first morning, I got to my first area and they started biting fairly quickly. I had 18 pounds by noon. The rest of the day proved to be very hard to get bites.”

Gordon said the fish he targeted were in offshore groups of 10 to 20 fish in 30 to 40 feet of water. Gordon knew the fish were there; it was just like “pulling teeth” to get them to bite. Gordon said the key to his success was using a bigger bait – a 6-inch jighead minnow. At the end of the day, Gordon weighed the only five keepers that bit the first day of the tournament.

Gordon’s second day didn’t really take off for him until 10 a.m., and for the second day in a row, the 10 a.m. to noon window was the hot bite for him.

“I made a key adjustment to go to my secondary area, and I ran into some fish there,” Gordon said. “I hit a little flurry, and in an hour and a half I caught my fish. I only caught six keepers the second day, but they were the right fish.

“When I caught my fifth fish, I felt confident I was going to make the All-American,” Gordon added. “That was my goal. But I had a little 2-pound smallmouth I needed to cull. Then I caught a kicker 4-pounder, and I had a bigger bag than I had on Day 1, and I thought, “Ok. I have a shot now.’

“I’ve qualified for three-straight Toyota Series Championships, so I’ve had some shots at big events,” Gordon said. “This year I wanted to focus on BFLs. I wanted to fish closer to home and stay local. I love Major League Fishing, and my goal was to make the All-American. I had an absolutely unbelievable year in the Volunteer Division. Everything about this season exceeded my expectations.”

The top three boaters who qualified for the 2026 Phoenix BFL All-American finished:

1st:        Jeremy Gordon, Rutledge, Tenn., 10 bass, 36-15, $57,100 (includes $7,000 Phoenix Bonus)
2nd:       Isaac Peavyhouse, Jamestown, Tenn., 10 bass, 35-2, $6,264
3rd:       Corey Neece, Bristol, Tenn., 10 bass, 34-2, $3,224

Rounding out the top 10 boaters were:

4th:        Justin Botts, Bluff City, Tenn., 10 bass, 33-13, $2,055
5th:        Gavin Clevenger, Knoxville, Tenn., 10 bass, 32-5, $1,470
6th:        Harlan Thomas, Paducah, Ky., 10 bass, 31-14, $1,353
7th:        Gavin Cloutier, Johnson City, Tenn., 10 bass, 31-11, $1,236
8th:        Harbor Lovin, New Concord, Ky., 10 bass, 30-11, $1,120
9th:        Noah Morgan, Russellville, Ky., 10 bass, 30-8, $1,003
10th:     Owen Stamm, Morristown, Tenn., 10 bass, 29-11, $944

Travis Bowen of Duffield, Virginia, won the Big Bass Boater award and $1,000 for landing a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 12 ounces – the biggest of the tournament.

Darren Kelly of Wartburg, Tennessee, won the co-angler division Saturday after bringing a two-day total of five bass weighing 12 pounds even to the scale. Kelly earned the top co-angler award of $11,949 for his victory.

The top three co-anglers who qualified for the 2026 Phoenix BFL All-American finished:

1st:        Darren Kelly, Wartburg, Tenn., five bass, 12-0, $11,949
2nd:       Wayne Crouch, Jamestown, Tenn., five bass, 11-9, $3,045
3rd:       Mason Pike, Knoxville, Tenn., four bass, 9-5, $1,602

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:

4th:        Dawson Schultz, Russellville, Tenn., three bass, 8-5, $1,017
5th:        Austin Smith, Hazard, Ky., four bass, 8-0, $725
6th:        Brady Field, Gallatin, Tenn., three bass, 7-13, $666
7th:        Barry Gunter, Trafalger, Ind., three bass, 6-14, $608
8th:        Justin McGaha, Knoxville, Tenn., three bass, 6-13, $599
9th:        Andrew Farmer, Lancing, Tenn., two bass, 6-4, $491
10th:     Mike Westfall, Norris City, Ill., three bass, 6-1, $462

Christopher Davis of Huntsville, Alabama, caught a bass that weighed 5 pounds even to win the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award worth $500.