Feb. 1 BFL could be ‘best fishing we’ll see all year’ at Lake Hartwell
ANDERSON, S.C. (Jan. 28, 2025) – The South Carolina Division of the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine could be in for a treat at the second event of the season on Feb. 1 on Lake Hartwell. As good of a lake as Hartwell is nearly year-round, there’s just something about February that makes for some of the best fishing of the year.
Hartwell, Georgia’s, Max Heaton signed up for the event at Hartwell with one thing on his mind – a three-peat. Heaton won a BFL at Hartwell each of the last two years (both in the Savannah River Division), and each of those events took place later than this one (March 18 and Feb. 24, respectively). A local who lives 10 minutes from the ramp of his home pond, he’s especially excited about the timing of this event.
“February is really the start of some of the best fishing on Hartwell,” he said. “February 1 to the middle of March is the best fishing we’ll see [all year].”
The reasons for that are many: First, by the start of February, the water has usually turned over as colder temperatures settle in and stabilize the lake. Second, as that happens, largemouth tend to group up tighter and become a little more predictable. In addition, bass seem to feed a little more heartily – and in various locations throughout the sprawling 55,900-acre reservoir.
Given those factors, Heaton believes anglers are going to have a ton of options for catching the right five to put up big numbers.
“It’s a time where you can do whatever you like,” he said. “You can catch some big ones in a ditch. You can troll around on humps all day. You can fish shallow rock. You pick whatever your strong suit is and hope you get five big bites.”
As for techniques, it may be a dealer’s choice proposition. Targeting offshore bass with forward-facing sonar is always a player at Hartwell, but other more traditional tactics still yield big results at the right times and in the right spots.
“This is a time where some of the big largemouth start pulling up shallow, too,” he said. “And if the wind blows and somebody gets on the right few stretches with a crankbait, it can happen that way, too.”
Regardless of preferred methods, one thing is pretty certain – it’s going to take some big fish to win this time of year at Hartwell. Heaton, despite winning the last two years with 18-13 and 19-10, believes there’s a good chance the winning weight is going to start with a “two.”
“You’re always going to see a bunch of 16s and 17s, but 18 (pounds) could win a tournament or 22 could win a tournament. More than likely an 18- or 19-pound bag is going to take it home most of the time, but I see it every year. There’s always the potential for one person to pop off from the rest of the crowd. This tournament’s not one I’d feel super confident winning unless I have low 20s.”
Anglers will launch at 7:30 a.m. ET each morning from Green Pond Landing, located at 470 Green Pond Road in Anderson. Weigh-ins will also be held at the landing and will begin at 3:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend the event or follow the action online through the “MLF Live” weigh-in broadcasts at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
New for 2025, the BFLs will feature an expanded slate of Regional events, which will give anglers more chances to qualify for the All-American and further minimize travel costs. This expansion ensures that grassroots anglers can fish closer to home on lakes they know and love for a chance to win a $50,000 Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower outboard as a boater and a new $20,000 cash award as a co-angler, plus qualification into the BFL All-American.
The top 60 boaters and co-anglers in the division based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 3-4 BFL Regional tournament on Lake Norman in Huntersville, North Carolina. Boaters will fish for a top award of a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard worth $50,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $20,000.
The 2025 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 134 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 60 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying tournament winners, will advance to one of 12 BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top three, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2025 BFL All-American will take place May 29-31, 2025, at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by hosted by Visit Hot Springs and the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.
Proud sponsors of the 2025 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, Deep Dive App, E3 Sports Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Humminbird, Lew’s, Li Time Batteries, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Vosker, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 20 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
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