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MLF Report
MLF Reaches Agreement to Buy FLW
Major League Fishing (MLF) announced this week that it has reached an agreement to acquire Fishing League Worldwide (FLW), the worldís largest tournament-fishing organization.
The Letter of Intent (LOI) sets in motion the most significant brand merger in competitive bass fishing history, linking a tour and original, programming featuring the top professional anglers in the world to an extensive grassroots organization that serves tens of thousands of competitive anglers from high school and college to weekenders and tour pros.
"We're thrilled about welcoming FLW to the MLF team," said Jim Wilburn, President and CEO of Major League Fishing. "FLW shares our commitment to creating tournaments and opportunities centered on the success of the angler. Through this acquisition, we are better positioned to support anglers and sponsors at all levels."
"Our business plan always included reaching all levels of grassroots fishing," said Boyd Duckett, MLF co-founder and President of the Professional Bass Tour Anglers' Association (PBTAA). "FLW does it best with the Tour and grassroots tournaments; their reputation in competitive bass fishing is remarkable and their culture has always been pro-angler, which makes this the perfect opportunity for both organizations. We couldn't be more excited about FLW: their team, anglers, and sponsors."
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Tackle Shack Report
Donald Miles and Terry Burgess 1st Place
Donald Miles and Terry Burgess get their second Tackle Shack Fall League win in a row with 8.04 pounds this week at Klinger Lake.
They had four largemouths and one smallmouth, caught on tubes they dragged in 8-12 feet of water.
Steve and Amy Martin 2nd Place
Steve and Amy Martin finished were second with a limit (3 largemouth, two smallmouth) weighing 7.97 pounds. They bounced tubes on the flats in 5-10 feet of water for all their bites.
Ryan Hershberger 3rd Place
Ryan Hershberger fished alone and got third place with 7.90 pounds with three largemouths and two smallmouth. All of his bites came on top water presentations in 5-8ft of water.
The next event is Tuesday on Diamond Lake from 4:30-7:15 p.m. Check the Michiana Outdoors News Events schedule for more details.
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Scott Canterbury of Odenville, Ala., was crowned the 2019 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year with 848 points. - Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
HARRISON TOWNSHIP, Mich. — As a child, Scott Canterbury always spent his Saturday mornings watching The Bassmasters television program.
To him, the stars of that show — people like Bob Cobb, Ray Scott and Denny Brauer — are the true legends of professional bass fishing.
Now, he has forever claimed his own spot alongside them in B.A.S.S. history.
With five bass that weighed 19 pounds, 12 ounces during Tuesday’s final round, Canterbury pushed his three-day total to 59-4 and finished in 14th place for the week at the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship on Lake St. Clair.
More importantly, he finished at the top of the season points standings with 848 points, earning one of the most coveted titles in professional fishing and the $100,000 check that goes with it.
“My first goal coming into the season was to qualify for the Bassmaster Classic next year,” Canterbury said. “Angler of the Year is always there on the radar. It’s just way out there.
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Scott Canterbury of Odenville, Ala., is leading the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings with 846 points after two days of competition. - Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
Scott Canterbury of Odenville, Ala., is leading the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings with 846 points after two days of competition. - Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
HARRISON TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Scott Canterbury began this week’s Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship on Lake St. Clair with a nine-point lead in the season standings.
He wobbled a bit during Sunday’s opening round due to technical problems and fell briefly into third place. But after a nice rebound Monday, the crown is once again his to lose.
Canterbury, a Bassmaster Elite Series newcomer from Odenville, Ala., caught five bass Monday that weighed 21 pounds, 13 ounces and pushed his two-day total to 39-8. That places him in 16th place for the week, but restores him to a slim lead in the AOY Championship season standings with a total of 846 points.
With one day left to fish, Texas pro Chris Zaldain (842) is in second, followed by Arkansas pro Stetson Blaylock (840), Canadian Cory Johnston (838) and Brandon Lester (814) of Tennessee.
“Yesterday was a real a struggle for me, but I rebounded today,” said Canterbury, who fished all day Sunday without the use of depthfinders on the front of his boat. “After yesterday, I felt like I needed to catch 20 pounds each of these last two days. I got 21 pounds today, and I’ll still like my chances if I can catch 20 more pounds tomorrow.
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Bassmaster Opens Schedule, Format Revealed For 2020
Next year's tournament schedule continues to take shape, as B.A.S.S. officials announced the 2020 Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens schedule on Thursday.
The schedule will once again feature four events in two divisions - Eastern and Central - with the winners of each event earning an automatic berth into the 2021 Bassmaster Classic, provided he or she has fished all four events in that division.
The Top 4 anglers from each division's final points standings will receive an invitation to fish the 2021 Bassmaster Elite Series. But as a new addition, Elite Series invitations will also be extended to the Top 4 anglers from the cumulative standings for both divisions.
That means 12 competitors can earn a chance to pursue their dreams as Elite anglers.
"The Opens have always been about opportunity, and there are more opportunities available this year," said B.A.S.S. CEO Bruce Akin. "Not only do we feel like we have a great lineup of lakes in each division, we're excited about the idea that 12 anglers could have their lives changed by finishing strongly in these events."
The schedule for the Eastern Division will begin in Kissimmee, Fla., at the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes on Jan. 15-17. Then the trail will wind its way North with trips to Cherokee Lake in Jefferson County, Tenn., on May 7-9 and Oneida Lake in Syracuse, N.Y., on Aug. 6-8.
The Eastern Division points race and the Elite Series berths that go with it will be decided at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, S.C. - site of three previous Bassmaster Classics and six major B.A.S.S. events - on Sept. 24-26.
"When you think about the Eastern Division side of the schedule - Florida in January, trips to awesome fisheries like Cherokee and Oneida where B.A.S.S. has had some great events and a finish at Hartwell, which is deeply entrenched in B.A.S.S. history - it's hard not to be excited," said Chris Bowes, tournament director for the Bassmaster Opens. "That's a slate that will give anglers a chance to prove themselves - and one that fans across the country will be able to appreciate, I'm sure."
To accommodate cooler geographic temperatures, the Central Division will begin its slate later in the year, with its season-opening event on Lewisville Lake in Lewisville, Texas, on April 9-11. Lewisville has been the site of major B.A.S.S. events only three times and hasn't hosted an Open since 2012.
After Lewisville, the Central Division will visit Neely Henry Lake in Gadsden, Ala., on May 21-23, the Arkansas River in Muskogee, Okla., on June 18-20 and the giant-bass haven that is Sam Rayburn Reservoir in Jasper, Texas, on Sept. 10-12. The City of Jasper will serve as the local host for the Sam Rayburn event.
"The Central slate offers a fantastic variety of fisheries," Bowes said. "Lewisville is an urban fishery that's located right outside of Dallas. Then you have Neely Henry, a classic Coosa River fishery known for big spotted bass, the Arkansas River, which offers about every kind of structure you can imagine, and a September finish at Sam Rayburn - a place we know is capable of producing 30-pound limits."
The payout per event will be $250,400 (based on a field of 150 anglers), giving the eight-event circuit a total payout of just over $2 million. Seven of the eight tournaments on this year's Opens schedule topped the 150-angler mark, with five easily topping 200.
As in the past, the full field will fish the first two days, with only the Top 12 pros and co-anglers advancing to the final round. All final-round weigh-ins will be held at the nearest Bass Pro Shops location, except for at the final Central Division event at Sam Rayburn.
For the first time since 2013, entry fees will increase on the Opens circuit. Pro anglers will pay $1,800 per event with an $800 deposit due up front, while co-anglers will pay $475 per event with a $200 deposit.
Entry for pro and co-angler linking will begin online Oct. 29 for B.A.S.S Nation and Life members and B.A.S.S. members Oct. 31. The Top 30 pros and co-anglers from each Opens' division standings in 2019 will receive early entry, as well as current Elite Series pros and B.A.S.S. Nation Championship qualifiers. Any former Elite anglers who are interested in fishing the 2020 Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens should contact Chris Bowes at cbowes@bassmaster.com
2020 Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Schedule
Eastern Division:
- Jan. 15-17, Kissimmee Chain of Lakes, Kissimmee, Fla.
- May 7-9, Cherokee Lake, Jefferson County, Tenn.
- Aug. 6-8, Oneida Lake, Syracuse, N.Y.
- Sept. 24-26, Lake Hartwell, Anderson, S.C.
Central Division:
- April 9-11, Lewisville Lake, Lewisville, Texas
- May 21-23, Neely Henry Lake, Gadsden, Ala.
- June 18-20, Arkansas River, Muskogee, Okla.
- Sept. 10-12, Sam Rayburn Reservoir, Jasper, Texas