SCOTTSBORO– Henagar angler Shawn Morgan turned a lifetime of home-water knowledge into a Lake Guntersville victory Sunday. Morgan caught 10 bass weighing 45 pounds, 14 ounces over two days. The catch won the season’s final Major League Fishing Phoenix Bass Fishing League Choo Choo Division event.

The Major League Fishing tournament brought weekend competitors to one of Alabama’s best-known bass fisheries. Morgan finished 4 pounds, 5 ounces ahead of runner-up Zeke Gossett of Pell City and earned $6,000.

The win came from a simple plan backed by years of experience. Fishing had been difficult. Still, Morgan knew a group of quality bass had held in the same area for about a month.

“I just went fishing,” Morgan said.

Shawn Morgan Finds a Lake Guntersville Winning Pattern

Morgan spent most of the tournament in one upriver area above the B.B. Comer Bridge. There, he worked around baitfish and the bass feeding beneath them in 10 to 17 feet of water.

Smaller bass occasionally broke the surface while schooling on bait. However, Morgan said the larger fish remained below that surface activity.

He reached those deeper bass with a Z-Man ChatterBait. Instead of fishing it with one steady retrieve, he fluttered the lure through the feeding zone.

Morgan also used Garmin LiveScope to track where the fish positioned as they moved and fed. The electronics helped him make more precise casts, while his local knowledge told him the fish should remain in the area.

That combination produced throughout both competition days. It also gave Morgan’s co-angler opportunities late into the second afternoon.

An Early Limit Builds Confidence

Morgan’s tournament began quickly. On Day 1, he had about 20 pounds in the boat by 8:30 a.m.

That start confirmed the pattern and gave him confidence to return Sunday. Even so, a productive place on Lake Guntersville can draw heavy tournament traffic.

When Morgan reached the area on Day 2, he found it open. No other competitors were fishing the spot.

“I had gotten chills running up the river,” Morgan said. “I just had a feeling.”

The feeling soon became evidence. Morgan caught a keeper, followed it with another, and confirmed that the bass he left Saturday had not moved far.

By the final weigh-in, his two-day total stood at 45-14. Gossett finished second with 41-9, while Phillip Dutra of Arab placed third with 41-2.

A Return to Competitive Fishing

Morgan’s victory also marked a meaningful chapter in his return to tournament competition. He fished often in his 20s, but the sport later took a back seat while he raised two daughters.

Now, he has returned to competitive fishing with a clearer opportunity to pursue it. Morgan said he decided to make a run and see what he could accomplish.

His Lake Guntersville performance showed the value of that decision. Moreover, it demonstrated how deep familiarity with a fishery can matter when conditions become difficult.

Top 10 Boaters at Lake Guntersville

The top 10 boaters in the two-day event were:

1. Shawn Morgan, Henagar — 10 bass, 45 pounds, 14 ounces — $6,000
2. Zeke Gossett, Pell City — 10 bass, 41 pounds, 9 ounces — $3,300
3. Phillip Dutra, Arab — 10 bass, 41 pounds, 2 ounces — $1,500
4. Seth Davis, Dayton, Tennessee — 10 bass, 38 pounds, 6 ounces — $1,200
5. Logan Dyer, Cleveland — 10 bass, 37 pounds, 9 ounces — $1,500, including a $500 Phoenix bonus
6. Scott Towry, Lawrenceburg, Tennessee — 10 bass, 36 pounds, 13 ounces — $1,050
7. Sam Morgan, Coalmont, Tennessee — 10 bass, 35 pounds, 11 ounces — $900
8. Brian Carroll, Glencoe — nine bass, 35 pounds, 6 ounces — $850
9. Mark Chevrier, Grant — 10 bass, 35 pounds, 3 ounces — $800
10. Nick Cupps, Owens Cross Roads — 10 bass, 35 pounds, 3 ounces — $750

Gossett added the Berkley Big Bass Boater award. His 8-pound, 5-ounce bass earned an additional $300.

Complete Lake Guntersville results are available through Major League Fishing.

Randy Wiggins Wins Co-Angler Division

Meanwhile, Randy Wiggins of Birmingham claimed the co-angler title. Wiggins brought six bass to the scale for a two-day total of 24 pounds, 7 ounces and won $3,000.

He finished 4 pounds, 12 ounces ahead of runner-up Nick Inzio of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Dalynn Teeftaller of Waynesboro, Tennessee, placed third with 19 pounds, 2 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1. Randy Wiggins, Birmingham — six bass, 24 pounds, 7 ounces — $3,000
2. Nick Inzio, Murfreesboro, Tennessee — six bass, 19 pounds, 11 ounces — $1,500
3. Dalynn Teeftaller, Waynesboro, Tennessee — six bass, 19 pounds, 2 ounces — $750
4. Benton Peoples, Bardstown, Kentucky — six bass, 18 pounds, 4 ounces — $600
5. Jeff Fiely, Scottsboro — six bass, 18 pounds, 4 ounces — $500
6. Gary Meredith II, Decatur — six bass, 17 pounds, 12 ounces — $475
7. Shane Overly, Brentwood, Tennessee — five bass, 16 pounds, 12 ounces — $450
8. Kenneth Palmer, Lenoir City, Tennessee — six bass, 16 pounds, 9 ounces — $425
9. Jonathan Majors, Chelsea — five bass, 16 pounds, 5 ounces — $400
10. Willie Collins, Soddy Daisy, Tennessee — five bass, 15 pounds, 11 ounces — $375

In addition, Larry McNeil of Meridianville won the Berkley Big Bass award for co-anglers. His 5-pound, 9-ounce catch earned $150.

Cedar Bluff Angler Earns Season Honor

The Lake Guntersville tournament completed the Choo Choo Division’s five-event regular season. Logan Dyer of Cleveland finished first in the boater Angler of the Year race with 1,290 points and earned $1,000.

On the co-angler side, Shane Browder of Cedar Bluff won the division’s season title. Browder collected 1,241 points and a $500 payout.

Those honors rewarded consistency across the entire schedule. Meanwhile, the Lake Guntersville event gave anglers one final opportunity to secure points and postseason eligibility.

Regional Berths and Bigger Prizes Ahead

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the division standings advance to a BFL Regional. Winners from the division’s five qualifying tournaments also earn berths.

Lake Eufaula in Eufaula will host the regional Oct. 8-10. Boaters will compete for a Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard, a package valued at $50,000.

Co-anglers will fish for a Phoenix 518 Pro with a 115-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard. That package carries a reported value of $33,500.

From there, the top seven finishers at each of six regional tournaments qualify for the 2027 BFL All-American. Experience Kissimmee will host that championship June 5-7 on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes in Florida.

The Phoenix Bass Fishing League is a 24-division circuit designed for weekend anglers. Its 2026 schedule includes 128 events, with five qualifying tournaments in each division.

For Morgan, however, Sunday’s result carried a more immediate reward. He knew the lake’s forage and understood how its bass behave. That experience produced a hometown-area victory on one of the sport’s most demanding stages.

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