THE LATEST NEWS
How Brett Hite Caught them at Stage 1 of the BPT
VanDam Picks SweeTARTS and a Thunder Cricket
Editors note: This is the first installment of a new series themed “Two from the Tundra” – in which the author asks a Toyota Tundra driving pro angler to pick one special possession, and one special piece of tackle to share with fans.
While driving alone in his Toyota Tundra to tournaments and sponsor events, the tall slender man many consider to be the greatest bass angler of all time admits he’s often had a habit of keeping sweet or sour packs of candy within arm’s reach.
Hence, when asked to share one item from his Tundra that’s close to his heart, he chose a pack of SweeTARTS that his best friend and bride of 27 years, Sherry gave him before he made the first big drive of the year to the Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour event at Lake Eufaula, AL.
Not only did the sweet and sour candies that hit the market in 1962 satisfy a craving and remind VanDam of home along the 14 hour drive, but they also served as a bit of a Valentine’s Day gift from Sherry.
Now, when it comes to a piece of fishing tackle he’s treasuring these days – VanDam chose a Strike King Thunder Cricket.
“Over the next few months, most anglers across America will face cold, off colored water in the their spring fishing. Bass are forced to rely on their lateral lines to sense vibrations from prey in those conditions – so the huge vibration produced by a 3/8 or ½ ounce Thunder Cricket is a great choice,” says VanDam.
He says the presence of submerged vegetation is optimal, but certainly not critical, and the Thunder Cricket is also awesome around boat docks.
VanDam ties the high-vibration lure to 20 pound line spooled on a 7.5:1 Lew’s HyperMag reel, and uses a 7-foot medium heavy rod with enough flex in the tip to make accurate casts.
Of course, never to be outdone, VanDam made sure he volleyed back a Valentine’s gift of his own to Sherry. “I got her favorite Junior Mints and some chocolate covered marshmallow hearts, along with a card, but I told her she couldn’t open it until Friday,” he winked.
How Jacob Wheeler Won On Lake Eufaula
The hottest angler on the planet solidified his status as one of the greats by winning the first Bass Pro event of 2020. Here’s how he won on Lake Eufaula when many of the pros struggled to find a bite.
Big Bass Fill the Knockout Round: The Top 8 Advance to the Championship Round
February 11, 2020 (Eufaula, Ala.) With nearly 600 pounds of fish averaging three pounds, six ounces each, B&W Hitches Stage One presented by Power-Pole Knockout Round turned into a thrilling day for anglers and fans alike. Dustin Connell steadily secured his first-place position by the end of the day with three scorable catches each period, including three over six pounds and a total of 40 pounds, six ounces. Ott DeFoe led the field with eleven total scorable catches but went scoreless in Period 3 to drop to third overall with 35 pounds, 13 ounces. With six catches ranging from three pounds to eight pounds, Jordan Lee secured second place with 36 pounds even. The top eight anglers advance to the Championship Round and a chance to win $100,000.
The top eight of the Knockout Round, who will join Qualifying Round Group A winner Bryan Thrift and Qualifying Round Group B winner Jacob Wheeler in Wednesday’s Championship are as follows:
| Place | Angler | Total Weight | Total Fish | Largest Fish |
| 1 | Dustin Connell | 40-06 | 9 | 6-12 |
| 2 | Jordan Lee | 36-00 | 6 | 8-00 |
| 3 | Ott DeFoe | 35-13 | 11 | 4-14 |
| 4 | Takahiro Omori | 32-04 | 9 | 5-07 |
| 5 | Brent Chapman | 29-01 | 8 | 8-15 |
| 6 | Adrian Avena | 28-07 | 7 | 6-03 |
| 7 | Alton Jones Jr. | 25-02 | 7 | 5-04 |
| 8 | Brett Hite | 23-07 | 8 | 5-06 |
Favorite Fishing Pro Connell figured out Lake Eufaula in late Period 3 with three of his catches coming in the last 40 minutes of the day, including his third bass over six pounds.
“I started off slow, but I completely abandoned what I was doing and switched to anew bait,” Connell said. “Then I started dialing into the right depth and cover and got a pattern going.”
Lee leveraged a spot on the northern side of Lake Eufaula that he remembered fishing early in his tournament days as a co-angler. His gamble earned him six big bass, including one eight-pounder.
“This is the best day I’ve ever had for big fish – in a tournament or fun fishing; it was my best day ever for big ones,” Lee said. “It was a magical day, and I can’t explain it.”
Ott DeFoe took a commanding lead early in the day and then held on to finish in third place.
“The morning was excellent, and it was the same place that was good to me yesterday,” DeFoe said of his morning.”
SCORETRACKER® fluidly moved anglers across the entire field all day as big bass catapulted some into the top eight, while others fell below the elimination line. Mike McClelland, who was fishing in his first Knockout Round in Bass Pro Tour history, caught a two-pound-10-ounce bass 13 minutes before the end of Period 3. One minute later, Alton Jones, Jr. landed a five-pound-four-ounce largemouth to knock McClelland out of the Championship.
Brent Chapman landed the Berkley Big Bass of the Day with an eight-pound-15-ounce largemouth within two hours of lines in. He currently takes the lead on the field’s race to Heavy Hitters presented by Venmo on the Kissimmee Chain, May 16-20. Each angler earns points for his biggest bass at each of the first five Stages. The 30 anglers with the heaviest “bag” earn the chance to compete for a share of the nearly $750,000 purse.
For complete results, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com, Bass Pro Tour, Results.
The competition concludes Wednesday with the Championship Round where ten anglers compete for the B&W Hitches Stage One presented by Power-Pole Title. The weather forecast indicates an overcast day with a temperature ranging from 63 degrees at launch to 77 degrees at return and a 20% chance of rain.
The day begins with launch 7:15 a.m. 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.
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.
For more information on the league and anglers, visit www.MajorLeagueFishing.com and follow MLF on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
World Champion Wheeler Retains Lead, Advances Directly to the Championship: 38-Angler Knockout Round Set for Tuesday
February 10, 2020 (Eufaula, Ala.) Jacob Wheeler, 2019 General Tire World Champion, held onto his lead over Group B despite a valiant run by Randall Tharp who rose into second place by day’s end. Wheeler began day two nearly ten pounds ahead of Wesley Strader and with a 14-pound, eight-ounce lead over Tharp but today was a tougher day for the Academy Sports Pro who only caught nine pounds, one ounce in three periods. As the winner of Group B, Wheeler advances directly to Wednesday’s Championship Round and receives a minimum payout of $12,000 as one of the top ten.
“I’m going to have to change up a couple things going into the Championship Round,” said Wheeler. “Today was a tough day; I just could not get those fish to bite; I could literally see them and not get them to bite.”
The drama of B&W Hitches Stage One presented by Power-Pole unfolded live on MLFNOW! as the field changed with each catch. Mike Iaconelli kicked off the day with a six-pound-13-ounce largemouth only six minutes after lines in. He went on to catch two more over five pounds (23-03 total), rising from 40th place and zero pounds on Saturday to 18th place today, thus securing a spot in the Knockout Round on Tuesday.
“Just goes to show you, never give up,” reflected Iaconelli during his interview on the General Tire Takeout as he returned to the ramp. “To be able to salvage the points to fish another day, that is a good thing.”
Randall Tharp contributed to today’s storyline as he narrowed the gap to within eight ounces. In the final minutes, Tharp caught what turned out to be an un-scorable bass just shy of the two-pound minimum required per MLF rules preventing him from taking the lead.
“I wasn’t planning on exerting myself much today but ended up fishing pretty hard in Period 3,” Tharp said. “For about an hour, I was one bite away from winning the round.”
Instead of getting a day off and an automatic berth to the Championship Round, Tharp will head back to Lake Eufaula for Tuesday’s Knockout Round.
“I have enough history here that I would rather have the day off, but that day of fishing tomorrow could be an asset to stay on top of what the fish are doing,” Tharp believes. “I’m just thankful I put a little heat on Wheeler, that last hour had to be nerve-wracking for him.”
2019 Bass Pro Tour Points Champion Edwin Evers snuck over the elimination line toward the end of Period 3 into 19th place after catching a six-pound-10-ounce largemouth with less than 20 minutes to go. He finished the Qualifying Round in 18th place with 22 pounds, 12 ounces after ending Saturday (day one) with only one, two-pound catch.
The Top Ten of the Qualifying Round, Group B finished day two as follows:
| Place | Angler | Total 2-Day Weight | Day Two Weight Total | Largest Fish of Day Two |
| 1 | Jacob Wheeler | 51-06 | 9-01 | 3-08 |
| 2 | Randall Tharp | 50-14 | 23-01 | 5-08 |
| 3 | Mike McClelland | 42-01 | 24-11 | 6-10 |
| 4 | Ott DeFoe | 39-01 | 25-07 | 6-06 |
| 5 | Bobby Lane | 38-13 | 13-02 | 4-02 |
| 6 | Wesley Strader | 38-09 | 6-03 | 3-13 |
| 7 | James Watson | 31-09 | 9-13 | 3-14 |
| 8 | David Dudley | 31-08 | 8-09 | 3-01 |
| 9 | Michael Neal | 31-07 | 13-07 | 4-11 |
| 10 | Adrian Avena | 20-02 | 16-10 | 4-07 |
For complete results, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com, Bass Pro Tour, Results.
Daiwa Pro Ish Monroe landed today’s Berkley Big Bass weighing in at seven pounds, two ounces. Monroe finished 34th overall and will not advance into the Knockout Round but will favor well this Stage toward his Heavy Hitters qualifying weight. MLF Heavy Hitters presented by Venmo brings together the 30 anglers with the heaviest “virtual bags” after five Stages of the Bass Pro Tour. Anglers will compete for over $750,000 in prizes including a Berkley Big Bass payout ranging from $25,000 to $100,000 per day. Heavy Hitters takes place on the Kissimmee Chain (Fla.) May 16-20, 2020.
Today’s event concluded the Qualifying Round of the B&W Hitches Stage One presented by Power-Pole. Two anglers advanced directly into the Championship Round on Wednesday: Bryan Thrift, winner of Group A and Jacob Wheeler, winner of Group B. The remaining eight spots in the Championship Round will be determined in Tuesday’s Knockout Round, in which the anglers who finished in places 2-20 will compete in a field of 38 for the top eight spots.
The 38 anglers competing in the Knockout Round include:
Andy Morgan
Todd Faircloth
Chris Lane
Brent Ehrler
Mark Rose
Josh Bertrand
Jacob Powroznik
Jeff Sprague
Brent Chapman
Greg Hackney
Alton Jones, Jr.
Anthony Gagliardi
Scott Suggs
Brandon Coulter
Britt Myers
Andy Montgomery
Jordan Lee
Aaron Martens
Randall Tharp
Mike McClelland
Ott DeFoe
Bobby Lane
Wesley Strader
James Watson
David Dudley
Michael Neal
Adrian Avena
Dustin Connell
Fletcher Shyrock
Luke Claussen
Kevin VanDam
Justin Atkins
Takahiro Omori
Brett Hite
Mike Iaconelli
Edwin Evers
Jesse Wiggins
Tuesday’s Knockout Round begins with launch 7-7:30 a.m. 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.
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 (A and B) of 40 to compete in the Qualifying Round for a two-day total. The winners of Group A and B advance directly to the Championship Round while places 2-20 join together and advance to the Knockout Round on day five, which determines the final eight who will compete in the field of 10 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.
“I’m going to have to change up a couple things going into the Championship Round,” said Wheeler. “Today was a tough day; I just could not get those fish to bite; I could literally see them and not get them to bite.”
The drama of B&W Hitches Stage One presented by Power-Pole unfolded live on MLFNOW! as the field changed with each catch. Mike Iaconelli kicked off the day with a six-pound-13-ounce largemouth only six minutes after lines in. He went on to catch two more over five pounds (23-03 total), rising from 40th place and zero pounds on Saturday to 18th place today, thus securing a spot in the Knockout Round on Tuesday.
“Just goes to show you, never give up,” reflected Iaconelli during his interview on the General Tire Takeout as he returned to the ramp. “To be able to salvage the points to fish another day, that is a good thing.”
Randall Tharp contributed to today’s storyline as he narrowed the gap to within eight ounces. In the final minutes, Tharp caught what turned out to be an un-scorable bass just shy of the two-pound minimum required per MLF rules preventing him from taking the lead.
“I wasn’t planning on exerting myself much today but ended up fishing pretty hard in Period 3,” Tharp said. “For about an hour, I was one bite away from winning the round.”
Instead of getting a day off and an automatic berth to the Championship Round, Tharp will head back to Lake Eufaula for Tuesday’s Knockout Round.
“I have enough history here that I would rather have the day off, but that day of fishing tomorrow could be an asset to stay on top of what the fish are doing,” Tharp believes. “I’m just thankful I put a little heat on Wheeler, that last hour had to be nerve-wracking for him.”
2019 Bass Pro Tour Points Champion Edwin Evers snuck over the elimination line toward the end of Period 3 into 19th place after catching a six-pound-10-ounce largemouth with less than 20 minutes to go. He finished the Qualifying Round in 18th place with 22 pounds, 12 ounces after ending Saturday (day one) with only one, two-pound catch.
The Top Ten of the Qualifying Round, Group B finished day two as follows:
| Place | Angler | Total 2-Day Weight | Day Two Weight Total | Largest Fish of Day Two |
| 1 | Jacob Wheeler | 51-06 | 9-01 | 3-08 |
| 2 | Randall Tharp | 50-14 | 23-01 | 5-08 |
| 3 | Mike McClelland | 42-01 | 24-11 | 6-10 |
| 4 | Ott DeFoe | 39-01 | 25-07 | 6-06 |
| 5 | Bobby Lane | 38-13 | 13-02 | 4-02 |
| 6 | Wesley Strader | 38-09 | 6-03 | 3-13 |
| 7 | James Watson | 31-09 | 9-13 | 3-14 |
| 8 | David Dudley | 31-08 | 8-09 | 3-01 |
| 9 | Michael Neal | 31-07 | 13-07 | 4-11 |
| 10 | Adrian Avena | 20-02 | 16-10 | 4-07 |
For complete results, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com, Bass Pro Tour, Results.
Daiwa Pro Ish Monroe landed today’s Berkley Big Bass weighing in at seven pounds, two ounces. Monroe finished 34th overall and will not advance into the Knockout Round but will favor well this Stage toward his Heavy Hitters qualifying weight. MLF Heavy Hitters presented by Venmo brings together the 30 anglers with the heaviest “virtual bags” after five Stages of the Bass Pro Tour. Anglers will compete for over $750,000 in prizes including a Berkley Big Bass payout ranging from $25,000 to $100,000 per day. Heavy Hitters takes place on the Kissimmee Chain (Fla.) May 16-20, 2020.
Today’s event concluded the Qualifying Round of the B&W Hitches Stage One presented by Power-Pole. Two anglers advanced directly into the Championship Round on Wednesday: Bryan Thrift, winner of Group A and Jacob Wheeler, winner of Group B. The remaining eight spots in the Championship Round will be determined in Tuesday’s Knockout Round, in which the anglers who finished in places 2-20 will compete in a field of 38 for the top eight spots.
The 38 anglers competing in the Knockout Round include:
Andy Morgan
Todd Faircloth
Chris Lane
Brent Ehrler
Mark Rose
Josh Bertrand
Jacob Powroznik
Jeff Sprague
Brent Chapman
Greg Hackney
Alton Jones, Jr.
Anthony Gagliardi
Scott Suggs
Brandon Coulter
Britt Myers
Andy Montgomery
Jordan Lee
Aaron Martens
Randall Tharp
Mike McClelland
Ott DeFoe
Bobby Lane
Wesley Strader
James Watson
David Dudley
Michael Neal
Adrian Avena
Dustin Connell
Fletcher Shyrock
Luke Claussen
Kevin VanDam
Justin Atkins
Takahiro Omori
Brett Hite
Mike Iaconelli
Edwin Evers
Jesse Wiggins
Tuesday’s Knockout Round begins with launch 7-7:30 a.m. 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.
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 (A and B) of 40 to compete in the Qualifying Round for a two-day total. The winners of Group A and B advance directly to the Championship Round while places 2-20 join together and advance to the Knockout Round on day five, which determines the final eight who will compete in the field of 10 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.