March 5, 2020 (Tulsa, Okla.) Major League Fishing released standings for Heavy Hitters presented by Venmo following the first two Stages of the Bass Pro Tour. Jordan Lee leads the field with a two-stage weight of 14 pounds, seven ounces. Dave Lefebre leapt to third place after a nine-pound catch on Lake Okeechobee during the Favorite Fishing Stage Two presented by Bass Cat. Brent Chapman, who led the field at the end of B&W Hitches Stage One presented by Power Pole on Lake Eufaula with his eight-pound-15-ounce catch, fell to number four after only scoring a four-pound-two-ounce largemouth on Lake Okeechobee.
Click here for complete standings.
As previously announced, MLF will track each angler’s heaviest fish from each of the first five Stages of the Bass Pro Tour. The 30 Pros with the heaviest “virtual bag” after the first five Stages of the Bass Pro Tour will compete on the Kissimmee Chain, May 16-20, 2020 for $745,000 in winnings, including $100,000 top prize and a second $100,000 for the heaviest fish on the last day. Heavy Hitters presented by Venmo is hosted by Experience Kissimmee.
To qualify for Heavy Hitters Presented by Venmo, 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.
The five-day tournament format will parallel REDCREST, featuring a 30-angler Qualifying Round on Days One and 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).
Scoreable bass vary each round. Shotgun and Elimination Rounds will score one pound or higher. For the Knockout Round, Major League Fishing will test a two-pound minimum for scoreable bass. In the Championship Round, MLF will test a three-pound minimum on scoreable bass on the Kissimmee Chain.
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.
The Bass Pro Tour continues next week, March 13-18, 2020, with the General Tire Stage Three presented by TrueTimber on Lake Fork (Texas). Each day begins with launch 7:15 a.m. local time before lines-in at 8:00 a.m. Period 1 ends at 10:30 a.m. Period 2 spans 10:45 a.m. until 1:15 p.m. Period 3 begins at 1:30 p.m. and lasts until day’s end at 4:00 p.m. The General Tire Takeout show airs approximately 4:15 – 5:15 p.m. as anglers return to the ramp and interact with fans.
Fans can catch all the action every day of competition on MLFNOW! livestream on MajorLeagueFishing.com or download the MLF App for your Apple or GooglePlay device or on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV).
About the Bass Pro Tour:
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 a variable minimum weight, which is two pounds on Lake Eufaula for Stage One, toward a cumulative weight total for the day. Variable minimum weights are determined by fishery akin to a golf course handicap. 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.
Each of Eight Stages of the Bass Pro Tour have the following payout schedule: 1st $100,000; 2nd $42,000; 3rd $30,000; 4th$24,000; 5th $18,000; 6th $16,800; 7th $15,600; 8th $14,400; 9th $13,200; 10th $12,000; 11th – 40th $6,000; Big Bass Daily $1,000; Big Bass Overall $1,000.
In addition to the economic impact on a host community, Major League Fishing showcases the region through their award-winning, live and linear programming. 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.
“MLF offers the strongest broadcast presence in the industry to fans and sponsors,” said Jim Wilburn, President and CEO of Major League Fishing. “And with these lakes planned for this coming Bass Pro Tour, we know 2020 will be our best year yet as we continue to capture a broad audience of both longtime fishing fans and those new to the sport, thanks to our fast-paced, fan-friendly format,”
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.
In late 2019 MLF acquired FLW, which expands their portfolio to include the world’s largest grassroots fishing organization, including the strongest five-fish format professional bass fishing tour, the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit, as well as the Toyota Series, Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine, and Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI, and High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing.
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