GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. (May 12, 2025) – Boater Levi Kohl of Edinburg, Illinois, caught a five-bass limit weighing 22 pounds, 13 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) tournament on Kentucky-Barkley Lakes out of Gilbertsville, Kentucky. The tournament was the second event of the season for the BFL LBL Division. Kohl earned $3,804 for his victory. While Kohl weighed in a limit that included four smallmouth bass, his winning strategy felt like old-school Kentucky Lake largemouth ledge fishing.
“We ran down around the middle of the lake around the Kenlake area,” he said. “I had a school down there on a ledge, and we caught ’em on a crankbait, a Carolina rig and a few on a jighead minnow.”
The crankbait was a Strike King 6XD. Kohl, who’s originally from Illinois, is now a junior business major at Murray State University and a member of the Racer bass club. He plans to move full time to the Murray, Kentucky, area after graduating to pursue a career in the fishing industry.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Levi Kohl, Edinburg, Ill., five bass, 22-13, $3,804
2nd: Grant Meisenhelter, Decatur, Ill., five bass, 21-14, $1,902
3rd: Clint Knight, Russellville, Ky., five bass, 21-0, $1,267
4th: Harlan Thomas, Paducah, Ky., five bass, 19-11, $888
5th: Isaac Peavyhouse, Jamestown, Tenn., five bass, 19-8, $761
6th: Jeff DeFew, Benton, Ky., five bass, 18-4, $697
7th: Toby Corn, Paducah, Ky., five bass, 17-5, $634
8th: Josh Dowdy, Mayfield, Ky., five bass, 17-0, $571
9th: Sam Boss, Paducah, Ky., five bass, 16-13, $507
10th: Justin Berger, Murray, Ky., five bass, 16-12, $444
Lonnie Bowlin of Benton, Illinois, caught a bass that weighed 6 pounds, 3 ounces, and earned the Big Bass Boater award of $505. Daniel Nolen of Lexington, Tennessee, won the co-angler division and $2,154 Saturday, after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 12 pounds, 1 ounce.
The top 10 co-anglers finished:
1st: Daniel Nolen, Lexington, Tenn., three bass, 12-1, $2,154
2nd: Marcus Mann, Benton, Ky., three bass, 10-5, $1,051
3rd: Josh Mileur, Murphysboro, Ill., three bass, 9-11, $634
4th: Adam Lucas, Cape Girardeau, Mo., three bass, 9-3, $444
5th: Damon Brown, Mayfield, Ky., three bass, 9-0, $380
6th: Sam Mann, Gillbersville, Ky., three bass, 8-10, $349
7th: Zach Falder, Sedalia, Ky., three bass, 8-3, $317
8th: Jack Ryan, Salem, Ill., three bass, 8-1, $285
9th: Scott Gill, Greenwood, Ind., three bass, 7-6, $254
10th: Peyton Nolen, Lexington, Tenn., two bass, 7-3, $222
Nolen also earned the Big Bass co-angler award of $252, catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 7 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After two events, Levi Kohl of Edinburg, Illinois, now leads the Fishing Clash LBL Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 498 points, while Daniel Nolen of Lexington, Tennessee, leads the Fishing Clash LBL Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 494 points.
The next event for BFL LBL Division anglers will be held June 14, at Kentucky-Barkley Lakes out of Gilbertsville, Kentucky.
https://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_123/bfl-kentucky-51225.html
BFL News Archive