KISSIMMEE, Fla. (March 10, 2025) – Boater Christopher Maxwell of Auburndale, Florida, caught a five-bass limit weighing 23 pounds, 15 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) tournament on Lake Toho. The tournament was the second event of the season for the BFL Gator Division. Maxwell earned $4,541 for his victory.
A Toho local, Maxwell has been on the water a lot lately, including for another tournament last weekend, when he weighed in about 17 pounds.
“I didn’t get a big bite (in that tournament),” he said, “but I just did pretty much the same thing today. I had a little bit of a crowd today. I just fished around them and did the same thing. I got the lucky bites today. That’s all I can say.”
Maxwell spent the tournament fishing in Toho’s southern end. He fished pads and grass, intercepting postspawn fish as they left the beds before transitioning to deeper water. He caught his limit pitching a black and blue Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver.
“I didn’t catch many fish. I caught seven today,” Maxwell said. “They were just the right ones. I just stuck with what I was doing and moved slow because all the boats were coming around, and I just didn’t let myself get aggravated with it.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Christopher Maxwell, Auburndale, Fla., five bass, 23-15, $4,541
2nd: George Kapiton, Inverness, Fla., five bass, 20-11, $2,270
3rd: Connor Macdougall, Cape Coral, Fla., five bass, 20-6, $1,514
4th: Chris Crow, Lake Placid, Fla., five bass, 18-10, $1,560 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
5th: Fred Chivington Jr., San Mateo, Fla., five bass, 18-9, $1,530
5th: Austin Chism, Auburndale, Fla., five bass, 18-9, $870
7th: Dylan Quilatan Windermere, Fla., five bass, 18-5, $757
8th: John Kremer, Orange City, Fla., five bass, 17-9, $681
9th: Cedric Perry, Trenton, Fla., five bass, 16-11, $605
10th: Anthony Cilladi, Oviedo, Fla., five bass, 15-14, $530
Fred Chivington Jr. of San Mateo, Florida, caught a bass that weighed 8 pounds, 11 ounces, and earned the Big Bass Boater award of $660. Chris Westhelle of Sanford, Florida, won the co-angler division and $2,580 Saturday, after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 13 pounds, 7 ounces.
The top 11 co-anglers finished:
1st: Chris Westhelle, Sanford, Fla., three bass, 13-7, $2,580
2nd: Zachary Bach, Bartow, Fla., three bass, 11-11, $1,127
3rd: Leandro Saratt, Winter Garden, Fla., three bass, 11-1, $751
4th: Brian Yusavage, Tamarac, Fla., three bass, 10-1, $488
4th: Preston Williams, Tallahassee, Fla. three bass, 10-1, $488
6th: Larry Austin, The Villages, Fla., three bass, 9-5, $413
7th: Andrew Wiedmann, Titusville, Fla., three bass, 9-1, $376
8th: Taylor Harris, Haines City, Fla., three bass, 8-13, $338
9th: Robert Linthout, Cape Coral, Fla., three bass, 8-9, $300
10th: Justin Hampton, Orlando, Fl., three bass, 8-6, $250
10th: Kenneth Bivins, Orlando, Fla., three bass, 8-6, $250
Westhelle also earned the Big Bass co-angler award of $327, catching a bass that weighed in at 9 pounds, 9 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After two events, Dylan Quilatan of Windermere, Florida, now leads the Fishing Clash Gator Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 493 points, while James Sponaugle of Auburndale, Florida, leads the Fishing Clash Gator Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 473 points.
The next event for BFL Gator Division anglers will be held March 22, at the Harris Chain of Lakes in Leesburg, Florida.
https://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_123/bfl-toho-31025.html
Bass Fishing League (BFL) News