HENDERSON, N.C. – Boater Tyler Trent of Nathalie, Virginia, caught a five-bass limit weighing 17 pounds, 8 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Kerr Lake . The tournament, hosted by Vance County Tourism Development Authority, was the fourth event of the season for the BFL North Carolina Division. Trent earned $8,205, including the lucrative $5,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus, for his victory.

Tournament morning started out on a pretty sour note for Trent, when a mechanical issue left him unable to use the big motor just 10 minutes after takeoff. It could’ve been an insurmountable hurdle, but Trent didn’t let it stand in the way of getting his sixth career BFL win and his second this season. Trent also won the March 8 Piedmont Division event on Kerr Lake.

“Luckily, I didn’t make it too far, so I could fish on the trolling motor and still make it back to weigh-in on time,” he said. “That’s basically how my day went. I just fished everything that was in front of me.”

Trent used a shaky head and a jig. While there was no pattern, he found plenty of rocky areas and laydowns to target en route to an impressive showing given the circumstances.

“I probably caught 30-some keepers,” Trent said. “I mean, it’s basically my home lake, so I know every end of it.

“It feels great, honestly,” he added. “This is my sixth BFL now I’ve won, but the other five, I was pretty much on ’em and knew it was going to happen. This one, when I broke down I thought I had no chance, and it just turned out to be one of those days you hear about.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st: Tyler Trent, Nathalie, Va., five bass, 17-8, $8,205 (includes $5,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
2nd: Ryan Harrell, Roanoke Rapids, N.C., five bass, 17-5, $1,603
3rd: Lucas Murphy, West Columbia, S.C., five bass, 16-2, $1,168
4th: Winston Husband, Gilbert, S.C., five bass, 15-0, $748
5th: Kevin Chandler, New London, N.C., five bass, 14-12, $1,026
6th: A.J. Lester, Huddleston, Va., five bass, 14-10, $838
7th: John Wiese, Charlotte, N.C., five bass, 13-10, $534
8th: Chris Baumgardner, Gastonia, N.C., five bass, 13-1, $481
9th: Austin Wike, Salisbury, N.C., five bass, 13-0, $427
10th: Wesley Cashwell, Roanoke Rapids, N.C., five bass, 12-15, $374

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.