Onalaska’s Cade Laufenberg wins Mississippi River BFL finale with 34-4

Cade Laufenberg of Onalaska, Wisconsin, won the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on the Mississippi River at Prairie du Chien. The two-day total, reported Sept. 28, 2026, was 10 bass for 34 pounds, 4 ounces. The paycheck was $5,580, including a $2,500 Phoenix bonus. It was the fifth and final event of the season for the Great Lakes Division.

Heavy rain the week before, up to six inches locally, blew mud out of a tributary and turned Pool 9 dirty. Laufenberg stayed in Pool 9 both days, alternating two spots as each one rested. He threw a Summer Sexy Shad Strike King KVD 1.0 HC squarebill and a 3/4-ounce chartreuse-baitfish Strike King Red Eye Shad for reaction bites in the stained water, and a 5-inch pearl Strike King 3X ElazTech Z Too for his biggest fish and several 3-pound largemouth. Jason Eastman of Waterloo, Iowa, was second at 30-15. Casey Goode of La Crosse took Berkley Big Bass boater with a 4-pound, 11-ounce bass worth $300.

Shaun Hansen of Spring Grove, Minnesota, won the co-angler division with six bass for 17 pounds, 6 ounces and $1,690. He also took Berkley Big Bass co-angler with a 5-13 worth $150. With all five division events done, boater Mike Brueggen of La Crosse won 7 Brew Great Lakes Angler of the Year with 1,342 points and $1,000. Jason Swanson of Waterloo, Iowa, won co-angler Angler of the Year with 1,345 points and $500. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers, plus the five event winners, qualify for the Oct. 22–24 BFL Regional on Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: Major League Fishing — Onalaska’s Laufenberg uses home-water knowledge to win Phoenix BFL at Mississippi River-Prairie du Chien (Sept. 28, 2026).