GREERS FERRY, Ark. (April 28, 2025) – Boater Cody Burke of Greenbrier, Arkansas, caught a five-bass limit weighing 13 pounds, 2 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Bass Fishing League (BFL) tournament on Greers Ferry. The tournament was the third event of the season for the BFL Arkie Division. Burke earned $3,766 for his victory.
High water opened up a new playing field at Greers Ferry, and Burke took full advantage. He tossed a Zoom Horny Toad and a SPRO Bronzeye Frog to catch more than 40 keepers on the day, with his weigh fish coming primarily on the frog.
“I had a great day,” he said. “I was catching quite a bit of fish shallow, so I just kind of continued to roll with it. It’s way above normal pool, so I was trying to get to places where you could get to the bank and be able to cast at different stuff.”
Burke targeted areas around spawning pockets, though most of his fish were postspawn. He fished entirely within one area that was a few miles long, slinging his topwater around in less than 2 feet of water and covering ground until he got a bite. Then he slowed down to work those areas over more thoroughly and, between he and his co-angler, would often experience flurries of five to 10 bites in a spot.
“It’s my strength – shallow-water fishing,” Burke added. “When I figured out I could do that over having to turn on my LiveScope, I never turned it on today.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Cody Burke, Greenbrier, Ark., five bass, 13-2, $3,766
2nd: James Stricklin Jr., Fort Smith, Ark., five bass, 13-1, $1,883
3rd: Chris Huselton, Conway, Ark., five bass, 12-5, $1,256
4th: Austin Rose, Mena, Ark., five bass, 11-15, $879
5th: Paul Combs, Russellville, Ark., five bass, 11-12, $1,253 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
6th: Kevin Brown, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 11-11, $690
7th: C.J. Brustrom, Locust Grove, Ark., five bass, 11-6, $596
7th: Travis Mosley, Benton, Ark., five bass, 11-6, $596
9th: Brian Bean, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 11-1, $502
10th: Remington Lawrence, Melbourne, Ark., five bass, 10-14, $939
Remington Lawrence of Melbourne, Arkansas, caught a bass that weighed 3 pounds, 15 ounces, and earned the Big Bass Boater award of $500. Gene Mitchell of Stuart, Oklahoma, won the co-angler division and $1,883 Saturday, after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 8 pounds, 1 ounce.
The top 11 co-anglers finished:
1st: Gene Mitchell, Stuart, Okla., three bass, 8-1, $1,883
2nd: Stephen Simms, Hot Springs, Ark., Ark., five bass, 7-0, $942
3rd: Steve Lee, Benton, Ark., Ark., five bass, 6-15, $627
4th: Eli Garrison, Ward, Ark., five bass, 6-11, $439
5th: Jody Jones, Harvey, Ark., five bass, 6-7, $361
5th: James Jewell, Broken Bow, Okla., three bass, 6-7, $361
7th: Aaron Calvert, Russellville, Ark., five bass, 6-5, $314
8th: Larry Carter, Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 6-4, $282
9th: Kelvin Trotter, North Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 6-1, $223
9th: Reagan Brown, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 6-1, $223
9th: William Goodhue, Barling, Ark., five bass, 6-1, $223
Eli Garrison of Ward, Arkansas, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $250, catching a bass that weighed in at 3 pounds, 2 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After three events, boater Brian Bean of Hot Springs, Arkansas, now leads the Fishing Clash Arkie Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 717 points, while Jody Jones of Harvey, Arkansas, leads the Fishing Clash Arkie Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 730 points.
The next event for BFL Arkie Division anglers will be held June 14, at Lake Dardanelle out of Russellville, Arkansas.
https://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_123/bfl-greers-ferry-42925.html
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