2018 FLW Tour Roster
187 pros ready to kick off the 23rd FLW Tour season.
Fishing League Worldwide (FLW) announced today the complete professional angler roster for the upcoming 2018 FLW Tour season, the 23rd season of the FLW Tour. The 2018 FLW Tour features seven regular-season tournaments around the country with competition kicking off when FLW returns to Lake Okeechobee, Jan. 25-28 in Clewiston, Florida, and is headlined by the world championship of bass fishing, the Forrest Wood Cup at Lake Ouachita, Aug. 10-12 in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
Demand for entry into the 2018 FLW Tour was unprecedented, with well over 200 pros registering last week. Per the FLW Tour qualifying process, 160 pros gained priority entry based on finishing the 2017 FLW Tour ranked in the top 100 pros or in the top 10 co-anglers, finishing a 2017 Costa FLW Series division ranked in the top 10 pros, or winning the TBF National Championship or the T-H Marine BFL All-American as a boater.
Additionally, there was record demand for sponsor entries, which do not count toward the maximum field size. To accommodate qualified anglers and sponsor entries, including those from loyal Ranger boat owners, the 2018 FLW Tour will feature 187 pros.
Due to the increased field size, 10 additional spots will be added to the pro payout at $10,000 each. In addition to the $125,000 paycheck that is awarded to FLW Tour winners, FLW will now pay out at least $10,000 to pros down to 60th place. The co-angler payout will be $700 for each additional co-angler entry over 160, so the co-angler payout for 51st to 76th place will be $700.
The 2018 FLW Tour pro roster is headlined by two-time reigning Angler of the Year (AOY) Bryan Thrift of Shelby, North Carolina, and 2017 Forrest Wood Cup champion Justin Atkins of Florence, Alabama. They’ll be joined by seven former FLW Tour AOY winners, seven former Forrest Wood Cup champions, and 25 Tour rookies in 2018.
“We couldn’t be more excited to kick off another fantastic FLW Tour season next month at Lake Okeechobee,” said Bill Taylor, Senior FLW Tournament Director. “The professional anglers on the FLW Tour are among the best in the world, and we look forward to showcasing them across eight of the finest fisheries in the United States. With our record-breaking demand for participation, we expect the 2018 season to be the most challenging, competitive season in the history of the FLW Tour.”
In FLW Tour competition anglers are vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2018 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing. The 2018 Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Ouachita and is hosted by Visit Hot Springs and the State of Arkansas.
FLW Tour Pro Roster
| Name | City, State | |
| 1 | Jason Abram | Piney Flats, Tenn. |
| 2 | Dean Alexander | Georgetown, Tex. |
| 3 | Matt Arey | Shelby, N.C. |
| 4 | Taylor Ashley | Warrior, Ala. |
| 5 | Scott Ashmore | Broken Arrow, Okla. |
| 6 | Justin Atkins | Florence, Ala. |
| 7 | Todd Auten | Lake Wylie, S.C. |
| 8 | Evan Barnes | Hot Springs , Ark. |
| 9 | Clayton Batts | Macon, Ga. |
| 10 | Matt Becker | Finleyville, Pa. |
| 11 | Robert Behrle | Hoover, Ala. |
| 12 | Zack Birge | Blanchard, Okla. |
| 13 | Daryl Biron | South Windsor, Conn. |
| 14 | Derrick Blake | Rockwood, Tenn. |
| 15 | Randy Blaukat | Joplin, Mo. |
| 16 | Greg Bohannan | Bentonville, Ark. |
| 17 | Terry Bolton | Paducah, Ky. |
| 18 | Allen Boyd | Salem, Ind. |
| 19 | Christopher Brasher | Longview, Tex. |
| 20 | Jimmy Brewer | Marshall, Tex. |
| 21 | Aaron Britt | Yuba City, Calif. |
| 22 | Chase Brooks | Iraan, Tex. |
| 23 | Clint Brown | Bainbridge, Ga. |
| 24 | Glenn Browne | Ocala, Fla. |
| 25 | Keith Bryan | Novato, Calif. |
| 26 | Grae Buck | Harleysville, Pa. |
| 27 | Tim Cales | Sandstone, W. Va. |
| 28 | William Campbell | Middlesboro, Ky. |
| 29 | Scott Canterbury | Odenville, Ala. |
| 30 | Todd Castledine | Nacogdoches, Tex. |
| 31 | Russell Cecil | Willis, Tex. |
| 32 | Ryan Chandler | Hebron, Ind. |
| 33 | Glenn Chappelear | Acworth, Ga. |
| 34 | Joey Cifuentes | Clinton, Ark. |
| 35 | Brandon Cobb | Greenwood, S.C. |
| 36 | Sheldon Collings | Grove, Okla. |
| 37 | Ramie Colson Jr. | Cadiz, Ky. |
| 38 | Kyle Cortiana | Broken Arrow, Okla. |
| 39 | John Cox | Debary, Fla. |
| 40 | Shirley Crain | Fort Smith, Ark. |
| 41 | Wade Curtiss | Meadow Vista, Calif. |
| 42 | Alex Davis | Albertville, Ala. |
| 43 | Clent Davis | Montevallo, Ala. |
| 44 | Darrel Davis | Dover, Fla. |
| 45 | Bill Day | Frankfort, Ky. |
| 46 | John Devere | Berea, Ky. |
| 47 | Jim Dillard | West Monroe, La. |
| 48 | Jeff Dobson | Bartlesville, Okla. |
| 49 | Scott Dobson | Clarkston, Mich. |
| 50 | Bradley Dortch | Atmore, Ala. |
| 51 | Josh Douglas | Isle, Minn. |
| 52 | Kurt Dove | Del Rio, Tex. |
| 53 | David Dudley | Lynchburg, Va. |
| 54 | Tony Dumitras | Winston, Ga. |
| 55 | Luke Dunkin | Lawrenceburg, Tenn. |
| 56 | Richie Eaves | Nauvoo, Ill. |
| 57 | Charlie Evans | Berea, Ky. |
| 58 | Austin Felix | Eden Prairie, Minn. |
| 59 | Mark Fisher | Wauconda, Ill. |
| 60 | Tim Frederick | Leesburg, Fla. |
| 61 | Anthony Gagliardi | Prosperity, S.C. |
| 62 | Nick Gainey | Charleston, S.C. |
| 63 | Matt Garner | Seminole, Okla. |
| 64 | Cameron Gautney | Muscle Shoals, Ala. |
| 65 | Chris Gosselaar | Fresno, Calif. |
| 66 | Matt Greenblatt | Port St Lucie, Fla. |
| 67 | Chad Grigsby | Maple Grove, Minn. |
| 68 | Buddy Gross | Chickamauga, Ga. |
| 69 | Jeff Gustafson | Keewatin, Ont. |
| 70 | Cody Hahner | Wausau, Wis. |
| 71 | Bradley Hallman | Norman, Okla. |
| 72 | Steven Hatala | St. Clair Shores, Mich. |
| 73 | Randy Haynes | Counce, Tenn. |
| 74 | Dylan Hays | Sheridan, Ark. |
| 75 | Billy Hines | Vacaville, Calif. |
| 76 | Todd Hollowell | Fishers, Ind. |
| 77 | Jamie Horton | Centerville, Ala. |
| 78 | Jimmy Houston | Cookson, Okla. |
| 79 | Miles Howe | San Juan Capistrano, Calif. |
| 80 | Rex Huff | Corbin, Ky. |
| 81 | John Hunter | Shelbyville, Ky. |
| 82 | Freddy Hurley | Somerset, Ky. |
| 83 | Bill Hutchison | Bessemer, Ala. |
| 84 | Eric Jackson | Walling, Tenn. |
| 85 | Carl Jocumsen | Frisco, Tex. |
| 86 | Jason Johnson | Dawsonville, Ga. |
| 87 | Chris Johnston | Peterborough, Ont. |
| 88 | Cory Johnston | Cavan, Ont. |
| 89 | Jim Jones | Big Bend, Wis. |
| 90 | Rob Jordan | Flowery Branch, Ga. |
| 91 | Cody Kelley | Conway, Ark. |
| 92 | Jay Kendrick | Grant, Ala. |
| 93 | JT Kenney | Palm Bay, Fla. |
| 94 | Rob Kilby | Hot Springs, Ark. |
| 95 | Brad Knight | Lancing, Tenn. |
| 96 | Koby Kreiger | Bokeelia, Fla. |
| 97 | Jason Lambert | Michie, Tenn. |
| 98 | David Larson | Mound, Minn. |
| 99 | Brian Latimer | Belton, S.C. |
| 100 | Jeremy Lawyer | Sarcoxie, Mo. |
| 101 | Shane LeHew | Catawba, N.C. |
| 102 | Shane Lineberger | Lincolnton, N.C. |
| 103 | Wes Logan | Springville, Ala. |
| 104 | Richard Lowitzki | Hampshire, Ill. |
| 105 | Greg Mansfield | Olathe, Kans. |
| 106 | Scott Martin | Clewiston, Fla. |
| 107 | Lendell Martin Jr. | Nacogdoches, Tex. |
| 108 | Billy McCaghren | Mayflower, Ark. |
| 109 | Chris McCall | Palmer, Tex. |
| 110 | Johnny McCombs | Morris, Ala. |
| 111 | Bill McDonald | Greenwood, Ind. |
| 112 | Tim McDonald | Prestonsburg, Ky. |
| 113 | Brandon McMillan | Clewiston, Fla. |
| 114 | Jared McMillan | Belle Glade, Fla. |
| 115 | Jason Meninger | Saint Augustine, Fla. |
| 116 | Cody Meyer | Auburn, Calif. |
| 117 | Kerry Milner | Bono, Ark. |
| 118 | Kurt Mitchell | Milford, Del. |
| 119 | Yusuke Miyazaki | Forney, Tex. |
| 120 | Tom Monsoor | La Crosse, Wis. |
| 121 | Harry Moore | Valley, Ala. |
| 122 | Andy Morgan | Dayton, Tenn. |
| 123 | Chad Morgenthaler | Reeds Spring, Mo. |
| 124 | Bob Morin | Seymour, Tenn. |
| 125 | Troy Morrow | Eastanollee, Ga. |
| 126 | Brandon Mosley | Choctaw, Okla. |
| 127 | Jim Moulton | Merced, Calif. |
| 128 | Jim Moynagh | Carver, Minn. |
| 129 | Shawn Murphy | Nicholasville, Ky. |
| 130 | Britt Myers | Clover, S.C. |
| 131 | Michael Neal | Dayton, Tenn. |
| 132 | Chris Neau | New Orleans, La. |
| 133 | David Nichol | Gainesville, Ga. |
| 134 | James Niggemeyer | Van, Tex. |
| 135 | Larry Nixon | Bee Branch, Ark. |
| 136 | Jordan Osborne | Longview, Tex. |
| 137 | Robert Pearson | Herndon, Va. |
| 138 | Pete Ponds | Madison, Miss. |
| 139 | Brett Preuett | Monroe, La. |
| 140 | Chad Randles | Elkhorn, Nebr. |
| 141 | Tom Redington | Royse City, Tex. |
| 142 | Matt Reed | Madisonville, Tex. |
| 143 | Clark Reehm | Elm Grove, La. |
| 144 | Jimmy Reese | Witter Springs, Calif. |
| 145 | Jason Reyes | Huffman, Tex. |
| 146 | Curtis Richardson | Belleville, Ont. |
| 147 | Darrel Robertson | Jay, Okla. |
| 148 | Mark Rose | West Memphis, Ark. |
| 149 | Zell Rowland | Montgomery, Tex. |
| 150 | Craig Rozema | Simpsonville, S.C. |
| 151 | Casey Scanlon | Lake Ozark, Mo. |
| 152 | Bryan Schmitt | Deale, Md. |
| 153 | Braxton Setzer | Montgomery, Ala. |
| 154 | William Shelton III | La Crosse, Va. |
| 155 | Capt. Blake Smith | Lakeland, Fla. |
| 156 | David Smith | Edmond, Okla. |
| 157 | Jeff Sprague | Point, Tex. |
| 158 | Matthew Stefan | Junction City, Wis. |
| 159 | Tyler Stewart | West Monroe, La. |
| 160 | Scott Suggs | Alexander, Ark. |
| 161 | Mike Surman | Boca Raton, Fla. |
| 162 | Peter Thliveros | Saint Augustine, Fla. |
| 163 | Timmy Thompkins | Myrtle Beach, S.C. |
| 164 | Furman (Joe) Thompson | Clayton, Ga. |
| 165 | Bryan Thrift | Shelby, N.C. |
| 166 | Dennis Tietje | Roanoke, La. |
| 167 | Rusty Trancygier | Hahira, Ga. |
| 168 | J Todd Tucker | Moultrie, Ga. |
| 169 | Jim Tutt | Longview, Tex. |
| 170 | Andrew Upshaw | Tulsa, Okla. |
| 171 | John Voyles | Petersburg, Ind. |
| 172 | James Watson | Lampe, Mo. |
| 173 | Joshua Weaver | Macon, Ga. |
| 174 | Joseph Webster | Winfield, Ala. |
| 175 | Kyle Weisenburger | Ottawa, Ohio |
| 176 | Clark Wendlandt | Leander, Tex. |
| 177 | Andy Wicker | Pomaria, S.C. |
| 178 | Scott Wiley | Bay Minette, Ala. |
| 179 | David Williams | Maiden, N.C. |
| 180 | Barry Wilson | Birmingham, Ala. |
| 181 | Matt Wittekiend | Angleton, Tex. |
| 182 | Kenneth Woods | London, Ky. |
| 183 | Michael Wooley | Collierville, Tenn. |
| 184 | David Wootton | Collierville, Tenn. |
| 185 | Gary Yamamoto | Palestine, Tex. |
| 186 | Jay Yelas | Lincoln City, Ore. |
| 187 | Andy Young | Mound, Minn. |
| 188 | Ronald Young | Lake Wales, Fla. |
Tour Rookies (updated 12/14/17)
Taylor Ashley
Matt Becker
Clint Brown
Tim Cales
William Campbell
Todd Castledine
Russell Cecil
Sheldon Collings
Matt Garner
Cameron Gautney
Cody Hahner
Steven Hatala
Miles Howe
Freddy Hurley
Rob Jordan
David Larson
Wes Logan
Greg Mansfield
David Nichol
Craig Rozema
Tyler Stewart
Furman (Joe) Thompson
Andy Wicker
David Wootton
Ronald Young