IUKA — Boater Heath Gilmore of Meridian caught five bass Saturday, Feb. 19, weighing 21 pounds, 15 ounces to win the Major League Fishing (MLF) Phoenix Bass Fishing League on Pickwick Lake. The tournament, hosted by Tishomingo County Tourism, was the season opener for the Bass Fishing League Mississippi Division. Gilmore earned $5,395 for his victory.

“I made a cold, long ride, but it was worth it to find the transition fish in the ditches,” Gilmore said. “I pulled up on the right ditch and caught the right size fish.”

Gilmore said he caught his seven fish of the day, all keepers, on a Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap focusing on ditches that were around 6 feet deep.

“I had to change the retrieve up,” Gilmore said. “I started the morning out using a yo-yo action, and as the day got warmer I moved it a little faster. I just tried all types of retrieves.”

Gilmore said the water temperature was 48 degrees when the tournament began but warmed up to 53 degrees as the day progressed, which allowed him to experiment with the different retrieves.

“I had seven bites all day,” Gilmore said. “It was a long day. It wore me out, but this win feels good. I’ve been fishing Pickwick about 20 years, and I’ve been close to winning a few times, and I finally did it. I love fishing it.”

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Gilmore had a 7-pound, 7-ounce largemouth that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $700.

Blake Koenigsberger of Columbus won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,348 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 15 pounds, 10 ounces.

Joey Tanner, of Meridian, also finished in sixth place in the Co-Angler Division with four bass that weiged 11-0.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1.Heath Gilmore, Meridian, five bass, 21-15, $5,395

2. Aaron Harrelson, Glen, five bass, 20-07, $2,348

3. J.C. Coggins, Guntown, five bass, 19-7, $1,565

4. Garrett Riles, Potts Camp, five bass, 19-1, $1,096

5.Michael Wooley, Booneville, five bass, 16-12, $939

6. Shane Cox, Iuka, five bass, 16-7, $861

T-7. Max Moore, Fulton, five bass, 16-6, $743

T-7. Kyle Horne, Olive Branch, five bass, 16-6, $743

T-9. Luke Glasgow, Guin, Alabama, five bass, 16-5, $587

T-9. Mickey Beck, Lebanon, Tennessee, five bass, 16-5, $587

Corey Lindsey, of Southhaven, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 6 pounds, 11 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $350.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 22-24 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Smith Lake in Cullman, Alabama. Boaters will compete for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Call Mike Giles at 601-917-3898 or email mikegiles18@comcast.net.