TRENTON, Mich. (July 13, 2026) – Boater Brayden Federer of Adrian, Michigan, caught five bass weighing 23 pounds, 9 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) tournament on the Detroit River. The tournament was the first of five events of the season for the BFL Michigan Division. Federer earned $3,080 for his victory.
“I ended up running up to St. Clair, and the morning was really slow,” Federer said. “I started my (Garmin) Livescope period at 7 and only had three fish two hours into the ’scope period. I only had one good one.
“The fish are really scattered right now and few and far between, but it seemed like in practice if you came across one, it was a good one,” Federer went on to say. “I just kept grinding and picking one off here and there. I had five minutes left to go in my ’scope period and had around 20¼ pounds with a 2-6 in my bag, and then I caught the 5-8 that won big bass.”
Federer said he caught 10 to 15 keepers during his Livescope period on a drop-shot rig tipped with a Strike King 3X ElazTech Z Too Soft Jerkbait in 17 to 18 feet of Canadian water.
“I didn’t know if I had enough weight to win, but I thought I had enough to be in the Top 3 or Top 5,” Federer said. “This feels amazing. It’s felt like this win has been a long time coming. I’ve had numerous third- and fifth-place finishes, and I’ve been wanting one of these trophies for a long time.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Brayden Federer, Adrian, Mich., five bass, 23-9, $3,080
2nd: Cody Kelley, Plainwell, Mich., five bass, 22-7, $1,420
3rd: Aaron Limber, Northwood, Ohio, five bass, 21-13, $740
4th: Jacob Jones, Milford, Ohio, five bass, 19-13, $600
5th: Tanner Hampton, Bourbon, Ind., five bass, 19-11, $530
6th: Chris Hellebuyck, White Lake, Mich., five bass, 19-10, $1,110 (includes $500 Phoenix bonus)
7th: Scott Dobson, Clarkston, Mich., five bass, 19-9, $450
8th: Wilson Burton, Findlay, Ohio, five bass, 19-2, $430
9th: Cullan Parker, Lorain, Ohio, five bass, 19-0, $405
9th: Mark Flick, Delton, Mich., five bass, 19-0, $405
Tournament winner Federer also earned the Big Bass Boater award after landing a 5-pound, 8-ounce bass worth $200. Mike Mueller of Delaware, Ohio, won the co-angler division and the top prize of $1,490 Saturday after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 14 pounds, 7 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers finished:
1st: Mike Mueller, Delaware, Ohio, three bass, 14-7, $1,490
2nd: Jared Delong, Lucasville, Ohio, three bass, 13-12, $710
3rd: Chase Kraynack, Essex, Ontario, three bass, 12-1, $385
3rd: Spencer Phelps, Bangor, Mich., three bass, 12-1, $385
5th: Klaus Kuester, Forest Park, Ill., three bass, 12-0, $241
5th: Bill Gordon, Heath, Ohio, three bass, 12-0, $241
5th: Michael McClellan, Marion, Ohio, three bass, 12-0, $241
8th: Marco Luna-Gen, Berkley, Mich., three bass, 11-14, $215
9th: Ryan Legg, Parma, Ohio, three bass, 11-13, $210
10th: Rosario Murello, Greenwood, Ind., three bass, 11-8, $200
Mike Mueller of Delaware, Ohio, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award after landing a 5-pound, 7-ounce bass worth $100.
https://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_123/bfl-detroit-71326.html
Bass Fishing League (BFL) News