YORK, S.C. (March 23, 2025) – Boater Chad Sims of Lancaster, South Carolina, caught a five-bass limit weighing 18 pounds Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) tournament on Lake Wylie. The tournament was the second event of the season for the BFL North Carolina Division. Sims earned $10,641, including the lucrative $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus, for his victory. According to Sims, this was a long overdue win.
“I’ve been knocking on the door of these things for so long, and it seemed like every time something bad would happen,” he said. “I’d lose a fish here or there. Man, you have no idea … I mean, this is not my first win, but this is my first win in the BFLs. Being known around where we’re from as being a pretty good fisherman and you can’t win one of them? It couldn’t come at a better time.”
In practice on Wednesday, Sims caught a big bag “doing something that most locals to Wylie know about,” though he didn’t provide any more details than that. Then on Thursday, a cold front came through and changed the conditions. By Friday, he wasn’t able to repeat his performance and got just one bite.
“But I still knew it was going to warm up, so I knew it still might work,” he said. “Fast forward to today, I started closer to the ramp. There was a big tournament there about a month ago, and there were a lot of release fish. I started there and caught a 5-pounder. I left there and went straight upriver and kind of just did the rest with a jig.”
The 5-pounder came fishing shallow. Once he went upriver, Sims figured out a key depth range – not too deep and not too shallow. And regarding that Lake Wylie “local pattern,” he was able to catch his two biggest bass using that technique. Yet the real turning point in his victory came on a particular piece of cover where he experienced both heartbreak and elation.
“Man, I lost a 6-pounder toward about 12 o’clock or so,” he said. “I lost a 6-pounder at the boat, and it was on kind of like a pole sitting out in the middle of nowhere. I went back to that pole three or four times throughout the day, and there was a bunch of fish on it. And finally at the end of the day I was able to coax another one into biting. That was what gave me the win right there because I culled like a pound.”
Reflecting on his win, Sims offered a big thank you to Tournament Director Steve Sizemore and the rest of the crew.
“You can’t ask for a better tournament director,” he added.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Chad Sims, Lancaster, S.C., five bass, 18-00, $10,641 (includes $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
2nd: Britt Myers Jr., Lake Wylie, S.C., five bass, 17-13, $1,820
3rd: Travis Donaldson, Cleveland, N.C., five bass, 16-13, $1,032
3rd: William Bond, Moncks Corner, S.C., five bass, 16-13, $1,032
5th: Michael Webster, Gastonia, N.C., five bass, 16-9, $728
6th: Michael Stephens, Gastonia, N.C., five bass, 16-7, $668
7th: Cole Huskins, Gastonia, N.C., five bass, 15-12, $607
8th: Kevin Chandler, New London, N.C., five bass, 14-13, $546
9th: Tanner Schultz, Lexington, S.C., five bass, 14-10, $485
10th: Aaron Digh, Maiden, N.C., five bass, 14-4, $425
Jason Damico of Cramerton, North Carolina caught a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 13 ounces, and earned the Big Bass Boater award of $475. Mekye Barnes of Knightdale, North Carolina, won the co-angler division and $1,816 Saturday, after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 9 pounds, 7 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers finished:
1st: Mekye Barnes, Knightdale, N.C., three bass, 9-7, $1,816
2nd: Travis Ruff, Connelly Springs, N.C., three bass, 9-6, $908
3rd: Kevin Farley, Landrum, S.C., three bass, 8-11, $515
3rd: Tommy Swicegood, Salisbury, N.C., three bass, 8-11, $747
5th: Dale Surrett, Midland, N.C., three bass, 8-3, $448
5th: Phillip Ragland Jr., Rustburg, Va., three bass, 8-3, $448
7th: Jim Freeland, Youngsville, N.C., three bass, 7-14, $303
8th: Jared Jones, Denver, N.C., three bass, 7-0, $257
8th: Victor Cuevas, Supply, N.C., three bass, 7-0, $257
10th: Scott McKay, New London, N.C., three bass, 6-15, $212
Tommy Swicegood of Salisbury, North Carolina, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $232, catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After two events, Chad Sims of Lancaster, South Carolina, leads the Fishing Clash North Carolina Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 493 points, while Kevin Farley of Landrum, South Carolina, leads the Fishing Clash North Carolina Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 498 points.
The next event for BFL North Carolina Division anglers will be held April 12, at High Rock Lake in Lexington, North Carolina.
https://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_123/bfl-wylie-32425.html
Bass Fishing League (BFL) News