TRENTON, Mich. (July 15, 2024) – Boater Michael Sitko of Pinckney, Michigan, caught a five-bass limit weighing 24 pounds, 13 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) tournament on the Detroit River. The tournament was the second event of the season for the BFL Michigan Division. Sitko earned $10,917, including the lucrative $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus, for his victory.
From the Detroit River, anglers had three options: stay in the river, run to St. Clair or head out to Lake Erie. Sitko chose the latter, making a long run out to Erie.
“I was just fishing isolated things – rocks, rises, irregular features on the bottom – which there’s a ton of them out there, and they’re not all created equal,” he said. “So you just have to run a gamut of spots and try to get a game plan.”
Sitko said he struggled to piece together a really strong pattern. He made up for it by running a couple dozen spots.
“It was patience,” he said. “It was literally, I couldn’t freak out if I pulled up to a spot that I knew I’d caught fish off of (in the past) and not catch them (during the tournament).
“If you hit enough of them, maybe you hit enough of the right fish, and that’s kind of what happened today (Saturday).”
Sitko fished spots as tiny as a single boulder and areas as big as 20-by-20. Most of his fish came out of about 18 feet of water.
“All my fish came on drop-shots and tubes,” said Sitko. “Literally, when I’m fishing Erie, I fish with four rods: two drop-shot rods and two tube rods. For me, I’ve got four rods on the deck, and it’s the same thing for St. Clair for me except I use different weights.”
Sitko’s baits all mimicked gobies or smelt. They included a Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Flat Worm and Flatnose Minnow plus a green pumpkin tube. For Sitko, this makes MLF win No. 6 on the Detroit River and its connected waters, which is quite the accomplishment among a stacked field of anglers. When asked to sum up how he got it done, Sitko was honest and humble.
“Luck,” he said. “I really didn’t think I was going to catch what I caught today. It had nothing to do with my practice. It was just my time. It was my day. You need a bunch of that (luck), especially with this division and with these guys, ’cause they are just insane.
“I remember the very first FLW event I won was a Costa Series. And that was pretty special. And then the first BFL I ever won was pretty amazing. And, I’m not going to lie, this was equally as amazing as all of them, and it’s my sixth one. I really cherish the fact I have done this well and won these because it’s so hard. It’s just an amazing feeling..”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Michael Sitko, Pinckney, Mich., five bass, 24-13, $10,917 (includes $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
2nd: Noah Stauffer, Gowen, Mich., five bass, 24-1, $1,958
3rd: Nolan Mandel, Harrison Township, Mich., five bass, 22-12, $1,307
4th: Matthew Davis, Morenci, Mich., five bass, 22-11, $914
5th: Jonathon Dewey, Fort Gratiot, Mich., five bass, 22-3, $783
6th: Gary Greenwood, Taylors, S.C., five bass, 21-7, $718
7th: Dan Mittlestat, Woodhaven, Mich., five bass, 20-11, $953
8th: Eric Sanders, Lexington, Ky., five bass, 20-1, $555
8th: Tony Hansen, Vermontville, Mich., five bass, 20-1, $555
10th: Buddy Benson, Dahlonega, Ga., five bass, 19-15, $457
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Scott Delpha of Noblesville, Indiana, caught a bass that weighed 6 pounds and earned the Big Bass Boater award of $520. Mason Bohland of Noblesville, Indiana, won the co-angler division and $1,958 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 21 pounds, 4 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers finished:
1st: Mason Bohland, Noblesville, Ind., five bass, 21-4, $1,958
2nd: Kendra Mueller, Fowlerville, Mich., five bass, 21-0, $979
3rd: Brian Townley, Wyoming, Mich., five bass, 20-9, $653
4th: Scott Davis, Morenci, Mich., five bass, 20-1, $457
5th: Trent Wilt, Manitou Beach, Mich., five bass, 19-4, $392
6th: Spencer Phelps, Bangor, Mich., five bass, 19-3, $359
7th: Ben Schenck, Huber Heights, Ohio, five bass, 19-1, $326
8th: Rich Richardson, Lufkin, Texas, five bass, 18-7, $294
9th: Brady Metzger, Zionsville, Ind., five bass, 17-12, $244
9th: Ashley Shirto, Novi, Mich., five bass, 17-12, $504
Ashley Shirto of Novi, Michigan, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $260, catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 12 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After two events, Nolan Mandel of Harrison Township, Michigan, leads the Fishing Clash Michigan Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 498 points, while Scott Davis of Morenci, Michigan, leads the Fishing Clash Michigan Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 491 points.
The next event for BFL Michigan Division anglers will be held Aug. 10, at Detroit River in Trenton, Michigan.