THE LATEST NEWS
Major League Fishing Adds “Heavy Hitters” to the 2020 Bass Pro Tour Schedule
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 3, 2019 (Tulsa, Okla.) Major League Fishing announces an original tournament, “Heavy Hitters,” on the Kissimmee Chain Lakes in Kissimmee, Florida, May 16-20, 2020 featuring nearly three- quarters of a million dollars in event payouts. This special event, the first of its kind, extends the Bass Pro Tour to nine events. The Bass Pro Tour began in 2019 and features 80 of the best professional anglers in the world, including Kevin VanDam, Edwin Evers, Aaron Martens, Mike Iaconelli, Jordan Lee, and Skeet Reese.
To qualify for Heavy Hitters, the weight of an angler’s single largest bass from each of the first five Stages of the Bass Pro Tour will be recorded. For example, if an angler’s heaviest fish in Stage One is 7 pounds; in Stage Two, 5 pounds; in Stage Three, 9 pounds; in Stage Four 8 pounds; and in Stage Five 6 pounds, that angler’s qualifying weight will be 35 pounds. The 30 anglers from the 80-angler field of the Bass Pro Tour with the highest cumulative weight across five stages earn a spot to compete in MLF’s Heavy Hitters.
“We’re always looking for opportunities to experiment with formats so we can discover new ways to present the sport of competitive bass fishing,” remarked Jim Wilburn, President and CEO of Major League Fishing. “As a young, angler-centric league, MLF strives to take notice of what’s happening in our industry and invent entertaining events that both teach trusted techniques from the best anglers in the world and invite new fans to the sport.”
The five-day tournament format will parallel REDCREST, featuring a 30-angler Shotgun Round (day one) and a 30-angler Elimination Round (day two). The top 20 anglers at the end of the two-day total qualify into a Knockout Round (days three and four). The top five anglers from each of days three and four will qualify into the 10-angler Championship Round (day five). Scorable bass vary each round. Shotgun and Elimination Rounds will score 1 pound or higher. For the Knockout Round, Major League Fishing will test a 2-pound minimum for scorable bass. In the Championship Round, MLF will test a t3-pound minimum on scorable bass on the Kissimmee Chain Lakes.
The full field of 30 anglers will receive a minimum payout of $6,000 and the tournament winner will earn $100,000. In addition to the championship purse, anglers will have the opportunity to earn a daily bonus for their biggest bass of the day based on the following graduating scale: Day One $25,000; Day Two $25,000; Day Three $50,000; Day Four $50,000; Day Five (Championship Day) $100,000. The five-day payout totals $745,000 for MLF Heavy Hitters.
Major League Fishing will live stream Heavy Hitters from Kissimmee, Fla. and produce original programming for Discovery as a part of the Bass Pro Tour television lineup.
Stage Five moves to Grand Lake
With the addition of MLF Heavy Hitters, Stage Five of the Bass Pro Tour will move to Grand Lake o’ the Cherokees, April 24-29, 2019, launching from the Wolf Creek Boat Ramp in Grove, Okla. Each stage of the Bass Pro Tour includes six days of competition using the Major League Fishing, catch-weigh-and-immediately-release format, where every bass over 1 pound counts toward a cumulative weight total for the day. The field of 80 anglers is divided into two groups of 40 to compete on days one and two respectively for the Shotgun Round. On days three and four, the Elimination Round culls the field based on a combined two-day total weight from each angler’s Shotgun and Elimination Round. The top 20 anglers from each group in the Elimination Round (40 total) advance to the Knockout Round on day five, which determines who will compete on that final day, the Championship Round, for the Stage title and $100,000.
The 2020 Bass Pro Tour begins on Lake Eufaula (Ala.) on February 7th and ends on Lake Champlain (Vt.) in late July. Each Stage of the Bass Pro Tour is broadcast live on the Major League Fishing app, MyOutdoorTV (MOTV), and majorleaguefishing.com, totaling more than 325 hours of original programming. Fans can follow the fast-paced nature of the MLF format as it unfolds on the live leaderboard through “SCORETRACKER® updates.” Highlights from each Stage of the 2020 Bass Pro Tour will air on Discovery Network beginning in July 2020 and Sportsman Channel in early 2021.
About Major League Fishing
Founded in 2011, Major League Fishing (MLF) brings the high-intensity sport of competitive bass fishing into America’s living rooms on Outdoor Channel, Discovery, CBS, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network, Sportsman Channel, and on-demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). The Bass Pro Tour consists of eight events and a championship streamed live on www.MajorLeagueFishing.com and MOTV.
MLF recently announced an agreement to acquire Fishing League Worldwide (FLW), which expands their portfolio to include the largest grassroots fishing organization, including the strongest five-fish format professional bass fishing tour, the FLW Pro Circuit (formerly FLW Tour), as well as the FLW Series, FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL), and high school and college tournament circuits.
For more information on the league and anglers, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com and follow Major League Fishing on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Which Way Will I Go!!! BASS vs FLW
I have been fishing professionally for 25 years and have come to a stump in the road! Which circuit will I choose to take the next chapter of my fishing career? I am in a toss-up with Bassmaster and FLW!
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Major League Fishing Announces the 2020 Bass Pro Tour Field
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, November 27, 2019 (Tulsa, Okla.) Major League Fishing (MLF) announced today the 2020 Bass Pro Tour field. The roster includes 78 returning anglers, including 2019 Points and REDCREST Champion Edwin Evers and General Tire World Champion Jacob Wheeler, as well as Kevin VanDam, Mike Iaconelli, Jordan Lee, and Skeet Reese. 2020 welcomes two new additions: 2019 FLW Tour Angler of the Year David Dudley and 2019 Forrest Wood Cup Winner Bryan Thrift. 2019 Bass Pro Tour competitors Gerald Swindle and Brandon Palaniuk will not return in 2020.
“We’re tremendously excited to begin the 2020 Bass Pro Tour,” said Jim Wilburn, MLF President and CEO. “Our initial goals of growing the sport of competitive bass fishing through an angler-centric league and tour continue to manifest itself with these exceptional pros.”
The following professional anglers will compete on the 2020 Bass Pro Tour: Casey Ashley, Justin Akins, Adrian Avena, Josh Bertrand, Tommy Biffle, Zach Birge, Stephen Browning, Brent Chapman, Jason Christie, Luke Clausen, Dustin Connell, Brandon Coulter, Cliff Crochet, Mark Daniels Jr., Mark Davis, Ott DeFoe, Boyd Duckett, David Dudley, Brent Ehrler, James Elam, Paul Elias, Edwin Evers, Todd Faircloth, Shin Fukae, Anthony Gagliardi, Shaw Grigsby, Greg Hackney, Roy Hawk, Brett Hite, Timmy Horton, Randy Howell, Mike Iaconelli, Alton Jones, Alton Jones Jr., Kelly Jordon, Gary Klein, Jeff Kriet, Jason Lambert, Bobby Lane, Chris Lane, Russ Lane, Jordan Lee, Matt Lee, Dave Lefebre, Jared Lintner, Justin Lucas, Aaron Martens, Mike McClelland, Cody Meyer, Ish Monroe, Andy Montgomery, Andy Morgan, John Murray, Britt Myers, Michael Neal, Takahiro Omori, Cliff Pace, Keith Poche, Jacob Powroznik, Skeet Reese, Marty Robinson, Dean Rojas, Mark Rose, Fred Roumbanis, Bradley Roy, Terry Scoggins, Fletcher Shryock, Gerald Spohrer, Jeff Sprague, Wesley Strader, Scott Suggs, Randall Tharp, Bryan Thrift, Kevin VanDam, Jonathan VanDam, Greg Vinson, David Walker, James Watson, Jacob Wheeler, Jesse Wiggins
David Dudley joins the MLF Bass Pro Tour following an exceptional 2019 as the FLW Tour Angler of the Year. Dudley who has earned just over $4 million in his 25-year professional career ($3.8 million at FLW, which makes him the league’s all-time highest earner) – became the only angler in FLW history to win four AOY trophies when he finished the 2019 season with 1,250 points.
Dudley has accumulated 53 career Top 10s and nine tour-level wins. Two of those wins came on fisheries on which he will compete in the 2020 Bass Pro Tour: Lake Champlain and Lake Okeechobee.
2020 will mark his 26th year as a professional angler and he said the opportunity to push himself to new levels drove his decision to make the move. “I’m motivated to start a new chapter and set new goals for myself on the Bass Pro Tour,” reflected Dudley. “This format will present some new challenges and opportunities for me to grow as an angler; I will have to practice hard this winter to compete, which makes me both nervous and excited – feelings on which I thrive as a competitor.”
Bryan Thrift enters the Bass Pro Tour after what some consider to be the five most successful years for a professional bass angler. In 2019 he filled out his already impressive trophy case with one piece of hardware he was missing: the 2019 Forrest Wood Cup. That August win brought Thrift’s tour-level career win total to 12, boosted his list of Top 10s to 68 (the most in FLW history), and pushed him over the $3 million in career winnings.
Thrift has put together 25 Top 10s since 2013, including 18 Top 5s. He owns four wins on fisheries where he will compete on the 2020 Bass Pro Tour (Lake Champlain, Lake Okeechobee and Lake Eufaula x 2).
“Moving to the Bass Pro Tour is an exciting opportunity that I feel grateful to have earned,” said Thrift. “Featuring the top pros in the world and no entry fee, this is THE professional league, akin to other pro sports leagues like NFL and Major League Baseball; those athletes don’t pay entry fees. I’m excited and nervous to see what I can accomplish on the (MLF) Bass Pro Tour.”
Gerald Swindle resigned his position on the Bass Pro Tour in an effort to take a different direction and focus his time on his family. “I’m looking forward to finding personal happiness as I compete with my nephew at the beginning of his career,” commented Swindle. “It’s a promise that I made to my brother and I’m grateful to have the opportunity to spend this last quarter of my career fulfilling that promise.”
Swindle finished 42nd in the points standings in the 2019 Bass ProTour with 333 points, missing a REDQUEST qualification by 28 points. He advanced to the Knockout Round three times during the season in Stages One, Five, and Six, and qualified for the MLF Patriot Cup.
Brandon Palaniuk resigned from the Bass ProTour in hopes of pursuing lifelong career goals. “These types of decisions are never easy,” reflected Palaniuk. “I want to thank the entire MLF staff, boat officials, and especially the anglers for 2019. I have learned a ton about many things, mostly myself, and the reality is that I have some goals outside of the Bass Pro Tour.”
Palaniuk finished the 2019 Bass Pro Tour season 27th in Points Championship standings with 371 points, qualifying for REDCREST. Palaniuk finished ninth in that event on the Mississippi River, marking his third Top 10 of the season, after he finishing second at Stage Seven on Table Rock Lake and ninth at Stage Four on Lake Chickamauga.
“On behalf of all the anglers on the Bass Pro Tour, we wish Gerald and Brandon great success in their careers,” commented Boyd Duckett, Board Chair of the MLF Anglers Association, the non-profit players association for Bass Pro Tour anglers. “Roster changes are commonplace in professional sports and bass fishing is no exception. We’re thrilled to welcome Bryan and David to our ranks and look forward to a competitive and exciting 2020 Bass Pro Tour.”
The 2020 Bass Pro Tour begins on Lake Eufaula (Ala.) on February 7th and ends on Lake Champlain (Vt.) in late July. Each Stage of the Bass Pro Tour is broadcast live on the Major League Fishing app, MyOutdoorTV (MOTV), and majorleaguefishing.com, totaling more than 325 hours of original programming. Fans can follow the fast-paced nature of the MLF format as it unfolds on the live leaderboard through “SCORETRACKER® updates.” Highlights from each Stage of the 2020 Bass Pro Tour will air on Discovery Network beginning in July 2020 and Sportsman Channel in early 2021.
“2020 is the second year of this new beginning of professional bass fishing,” exclaimed MLF Pro Greg Hackney. “Stage one of the Bass Pro Tour kicks off at Lake Eufaula in southern Alabama with both lots of giant bass and the best fisherman on the planet. Giddy-up!”
The Bass Pro Tour began in 2019 and features 80 of the best professional anglers in the world, including Kevin VanDam, Edwin Evers, Aaron Martens, Mike Iaconelli, Jordan Lee, and Skeet Reese. Each stage includes six days of competition using the Major League Fishing, catch-weigh-and-immediately-release format, where every bass over one-pound counts toward a cumulative weight total for the day. The field of 80 anglers is divided into two groups of 40 to compete on days one and two respectively for the Shotgun Round. On days three and four, the Elimination Round culls the field based on a combined 2-day total weight from each angler’s Shotgun and Elimination Round. The top 20 anglers from each group in the Elimination Round (40 total) advance to the Knockout Round on day five, which determines who will compete on that final day, the Championship Round, for the Stage title and $100,000.
About Major League Fishing
Founded in 2011, Major League Fishing (MLF) brings the high-intensity sport of competitive bass fishing into America’s living rooms on Outdoor Channel, Discovery, CBS, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network, Sportsman Channel, and on-demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). The Bass Pro Tour consists of eight events and a championship streamed live on www.MajorLeagueFishing.com and MOTV.
MLF recently announced an agreement to acquire Fishing League Worldwide (FLW), which expands their portfolio to include the largest grassroots fishing organization, including the strongest five-fish format professional bass fishing tour, the FLW Pro Circuit (formerly FLW Tour), as well as the FLW Series, FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL), and high school and college tournament circuits.
Gill Adds B.A.S.S. Elite Anglers to Growing Pro Staff
GILL announces new and exciting pro staff relationships for 2020, including addition of B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year, Scott Canterbury
Burford, GA (November 25, 2019) – GILL announced several key changes to its already aggressive and growing pro staff campaign. Looking ahead to 2020, GILL will now be the title sponsor for Bassmaster Elite Series pro Luke Palmer, and the company has also added B.A.S.S. 2019 Angler of the Year, Scott Canterbury, to its pro staff, along with fellow Elite Series pros Jason Williamson, Skylar Hamilton, Chris Groh and Quentin Cappo.
Gill Pro and 2019 B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year, Scott Canterbury. Photo courtesy of B.A.S.S.
Oklahoma-based Palmer is looking forward to the upcoming title sponsorship appointment with GILL for the 2020 Bassmaster Elite season. “It’s a major deal for me. As a newcomer to the tour, to partner with a company of Gill’s magnitude means a lot. They are a company I can trust and they’re great people to work with. As far as the GILL performance wear is concerned, I really like it. I wear it pretty much every day. Not only does it protect me on the boat, they have a line of clothing that fits my lifestyle both on and off the water. They have clothing for pretty much every application. I’ve tried several rain suits and the GILL rain gear is the first that’s really stood up to all conditions. It keeps me dry and comfortable, which is number one for when I’m fishing under pressure,” says Palmer.
Gill Pro Jason Williamson. Photo courtesy of B.A.S.S.
Following an awesome 2019 season, including points lead for B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year, Canterbury is still riding a wave of surprise and excitement, now culminating in Gill sponsorship for 2020.
“It’s a real honor to be working with a manufacturer of what is truly the best rain gear and skin protection out there. They not only design and manufacture top-notch apparel, they are incredibly easy to work with and are interested in our product feedback to keep improving their designs for comfort and efficiency,” says Canterbury. “There are a lot of rain suits on the market, but GILL gear really does what it promises and has become a must-have for me on the water. Staying dry and comfortable is a big deal in my business.”
US National Fishing Sales Manager Tim Golden is excited about the B.A.S.S. Elite team Gill has assembled: “These are definitely some of the top tournament guys, and ones to watch in the future as well. Even more importantly, they’re class-acts and great ambassadors for fishing and the Gill brand.”
Gill Pro Skylar Hamilton. Photo courtesy of B.A.S.S.
Gill Pro Chris Groh. Photo courtesy of B.A.S.S.
Gill Pro Quentin Cappo. Photo courtesy of B.A.S.S.
To learn more about Gill rainwear and fishing apparel, visit www.gillfishing.com.
About Gill
Gill was an idea first born on British waters in 1975 by founder Nick Gill, a keen sailor who wanted to create a range of sailing product without compromise; the best fabrics, the best features, the best quality.
Now trusted for over 40 years, Gill has grown into an established technical marine apparel brand meeting consumer needs both on and off the water and continues to combine innovative design with the latest fabric technology to increase the performance of its range.
Distributed around the world to 37 countries and more recently through a global Ecommerce platform Gill remains the number one marine glove brand and its comprehensive product range driven by the well-known Race Ocean jacket (0C1) as well as global best seller the Offshore jacket (0S2) continue to set it apart. More recently Gill introduced the highly successful FG21 Tournament Suit with vortex hood to the North American Fishing market.
The LUNKERHUNT FLUTTER JIG
Here is one you need to check out as the water temps drop! Vertical jigging can be a fun and effective way to catch them for sure, The Lunkerhunt Flutter Jigs are designed for offshore, near shore, and inshore fishing but work great for fresh water applications. The Flutter Jig can be fished in a wide range of water conditions.
Lunkerhunt Flutter Jigs have a unique non-symmetrical tapered shape that cause them to flutter and tumble on the fall. Double dressed assist hooks flail seductively through the water mimicking a dying or battered baitfish in the water.
Two retrieves…. are all you need ! A lift and fall retrieve and traditional jigging techniques in cold water conditions. They have been designed for saltwater fishing but preform great for freshwater applications.
See the full Lunkerhunt line up here.
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