WHITTINGTON, Ill. (April 13, 2026) – Boater Brennon McCord of Thompsonville, Illinois, brought five bass to the scale weighing 18 pounds even to win the Bass Fishing League (BFL) tournament on Rend Lake. The tournament was the first of five events of the season for the BFL Illini Division. McCord earned $5,840, including a $2,500 Phoenix contingency bonus, for his victory.
“I caught three flipping and two on a ChatterBait,” McCord said. “I was pretty much targeting wood and fishing for spawners in the pockets.”
With low water levels positioning fish tighter to available cover, McCord said the conditions helped concentrate bass, but heavy fishing pressure made execution critical throughout the day.
“The water’s low, so there’s nowhere for them to really hide,” McCord said. “It’s kind of congregating them, but they’re getting a lot of pressure too, so it made it tough.”
McCord stayed committed to his pattern around isolated wood and was able to steadily upgrade his limit as the day progressed.
“I culled three times,” McCord went on to say.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Brennon McCord, Thompsonville, Ill., five bass, 18-0, $5,840 (includes $2,500 Phoenix bonus)
2nd: Jeremy Mull, Pawnee, Ill., five bass, 17-13, $1,680
3rd: Adam Eggertsen, Marion, Ill., five bass, 16-14, $850
4th: Matthew Warren, Benton, Ill., four bass, 15-12, $680
5th: Greg Mullins, Mount Vernon, Ill., five bass, 14-11, $700
6th: Jeffrey Farmer, Sesser, Ill., four bass, 14-10, $520
7th: Mario Rossi, Granite City, Ill., four bass, 12-8, $500
8th: Lonnie Bowlin, Benton, Ill., four bass, 11-9, $470
9th: Chad Diedrich, Nashville, Ill., four bass, 11-9, $470
10th: Dan Shoraga, West Frankfort, Ill., two bass, 11-3, $630
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Boater Dan Shoraga of West Frankfort, Illinois, also earned the Big Bass Boater award honors with an 8-pound, 7-ounce bass worth $200. Gage Smith of Shelbyville, Illinois, won the co-angler division and the top prize of $1,770 Saturday after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 12 pounds, 1 ounce.
The top 10 co-anglers finished:
1st: Gage Smith, Shelbyville, Ill., three bass, 12-1, $1,770
2nd: Jeff Anderson, St. Louis, Mo., two bass, 9-13, $840
3rd: Thomas Heintz, Marion, Ill., three bass, 9-11, $425
3rd: Hayden Landreth, Texico, Ill., three bass, 9-10, $340
5th: Gage Elder, Decatur, Ill., two bass, 8-13, $300
6th: Amanda Black, Toledo, Ill., three bass, 8-6, $260
6th: Ross Davis, St. Elmo, Ill., three bass, 6-9, $250
8th: Gary Huber II, St. Charles, Mo., three bass, 6-3, $240
9th: Joey Fritts, Red Bud, Ill., two bass, 5-11, $230
10th: Dennis Spell, Bonne Terre, Mo., two bass, 5-7, $215
Smith also earned the Big Bass co-angler award after landing a 5-pound, 13-ounce bass worth $100.
After one event, Brennon McCord now leads the 7 Brew Illini Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 250 points, while Gage Smith leads the Illini Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 250 points.
https://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_123/bfl-rend-41326.html
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