BROOKELAND, Texas (Jan. 6, 2026) – Boater Cole Moore of Anacoco, Louisiana, caught a total of five bass weighing 19 pounds, 15 ounces, to win the Bass Fishing League (BFL) on Sam Rayburn Reservoir. The tournament, as the first event of the season for the 2026 BFL, and was the first of five events for the BFL Cowboy Division. Moore earned $7,360 for his victory, including the $2,500 Phoenix MLF Bonus.
Boaters Evan Howe and Ethan Howe, both of Keatchie, Louisiana, were disqualified from the event. The disqualification stems from a protest alleging the anglers violated BFL Rule No. 10, which states, in part, that contestants may not use mobile communication devices to communicate with anyone about locating or catching fish on tournament waters during tournament hours.
Evan Howe admitted to the violation upon speaking with the tournament director as part of MLF’s investigation and turned over a text message exchange with Ethan Howe. The boaters are brothers, and Evan insists they were not familiar with the rule.
As a result of Evan’s disqualifications, boater Cole Moore moves up from second to first place in the tournament and will receive the first-place payout. Third through sixth place finishers in the tournament will each move up a spot with points and payouts adjusted accordingly.
As a result of Ethan’s disqualification, boater Colby Miller of Elmer, Louisiana moves up from eighth to sixth place and will receive $680. All places below eight will each move up two spots with points and payouts adjusted accordingly.
Rules governing the use of mobile communications devices during tournament hours are covered during the pretournament meeting at every BFL tournament.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Cole Moore, Anacoco, La., five bass, 19-15, $7,360 (includes $2,500 Phoenix bonus)
2nd: Wyatt Frankens, Corrigan, Texas, five bass, 19-8, $2,400
3rd: Ricky Guy, Humble, Texas, five bass, 19-6, $1,170
4th: William Easley, Pollok, Texas, five bass, 17-14, $920
5th: Jeffery Rice, Shreveport, La., five bass, 17-12, $800
6th: Colby Miller, Elmer, La., five bass, 17-1, $680
7th: Hut Reeves, Tyler, Texas, five bass, 16-14, $650
8th: Joshua Tepley, Harrah, Okla., five bass, 15-4, $610
9th: James Laramore, Vidor, Texas, five bass, 14-15, $580
10th: Doug Odom, Huntsville, Texas, five bass, 14-14, $550
Zachary McDaniel of Pitkin, Louisiana, won the co-angler division and the top prize of $2,530 Saturday after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 11 pounds, 10 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers finished:
1st: Zachary McDaniel, Pitkin, La., three bass, 11-10, $2,530
2nd: Jeremy Edwards, Lufkin, Texas, three bass, 9-6, $1,200
3rd: Larry Stewart Jr., Brandon, Miss., three bass, 9-5, $585
4th: Shane Landry, Winnie, Texas, three bass, 8-11, $460
5th: Rick Habarka, North Little Rock, Ark., three bass, 8-10, $370
5th: J.J. Matzke, League City, Texas, three bass, 8-10, $370
7th: David Gandaria, Hemphill, Texas, three bass, 8-4, $330
8th: James Grizzle, Many, La., three bass, 7-14, $305
9th: Jacob Smith, Frisco, Texas, three bass, 7-13, $290
10th: Sean Johnson, Chalmette, La., three bass, 7-10, $275
Tournament winner McDaniel also earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $100 after landing a 7-pound, 12-ounce bass.
https://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_123/bfl-rayburn-1626.html
Bass Fishing League (BFL) News