PRESS RELEASE: Inaugural Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour Event News and Notes
Event: Bass Pro Tour B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One Presented by Power-Pole
Date: January 29 through February 3
Media Credentials: https://bit.ly/2T7kK9z
Takeoff: Approximately 6 a.m. daily
Key Times: 7:30 a.m. Lines In; 10:00 a.m. Lines Out. 10:15 a.m. Lines In; 12:45 p.m. Lines Out 1:00 p.m. Lines In; 3:30 p.m. Lines Out and End of Competition
Postgame Show: Approximately 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. daily
Boat Launch: Lake Toho Marina – 69 Lakeview Drive, Kissimmee, FL 34741
Midway: Lake Toho Marina – 69 Lakeview Drive, Kissimmee, FL 34741
Midway Hours: Jan. 29 – Feb. 3, 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. daily
Broadcast: Live Stream on MajorLeagueFishing.com
Event Hashtags: #MLFkissimmee #BassProTour
Come on Down
Fans attending the inaugural Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour event will have a Midway experience that will feature interactive activations featuring numerous Bass Pro Tour partners, one-on-one interactions with Major League Fishing anglers and more. The Midway, located at Lake Toho Marina (69 Lakeview Drive, Kissimmee, FL 34741) will be open Tuesday, Jan. 29 through Sunday, Feb. 3 from 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Admission to the Midway is free of charge.
Events scheduled for Jan. 29 – Feb. 3 include Pure Fishing bait & tackle demos, knot-tying demos/contests, giveaways, angler interactions and more.Beginning Feb. 1, events including Bass Pro Shops catch and release pond and displays; Evinrude engine displays; TH Marine equipment displays; Phoenix boat displays; Favorite Fishing casting contest and giveaway products such as hats, shirts and decals as well as a retail section of rods and baits; Lowrance electronic display; Yo-Zuri bait display; Power-Pole display, General Tire display, True Timber display and more.
Daily Wrap-up
After each day of competition, the Bass Pro Tour Post-Game Show presented by Berkley will be held at the Bass Pro Tour set, located in the Midway, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
Food Truck Rodeo
The following food trucks provided by Food Trucks in the City will be at the MLF Midway from Tuesday, Jan. 29th – Sunday, Feb. 3rd for lunchtime and early dinner options.
- January 29 – Bahama Bucks
- January 30 – Bahama Bucks, Uncle Eddie’s BBQ (will be serving Gator Tail)
- January 31 – Taco Mazatlan, Bahama Bucks
- February 1 – Topclass Jamaican Grill, Bahama Bucks
- February 2 – Topclass Jamaican Grill, Bahama Bucks
- February 3 – Chikiz Empanaditas, Bahama Bucks
Up-To-The-Minute Results
Unable to make it to Kissimmee for the event? Log on to the all-newMajorLeagueFishing.com and click SCORETRACKER LIVE™ for up-to-the-minute results. A web-based mobile technology used to score Major League Fishing pros in real time, SCORETRACKER™ is configured to work with your desktop computer, smartphones and other mobile devices.
Catch the Action
MLF NOW!’s live streaming broadcast of the Bass Pro Tour will feature 10 cameras/cameramen shooting on board competitor’s boats throughout all six rounds of each event. Each day’s on-the-water live stream will run five to five-and-a-half hours in a network “gameday”- like broadcast. Tune in by logging onto MajorLeagueFishing.com or by downloading the Major League Fishing app on your smart device.
How We Got Here
Major League Fishing invited 80 of the world’s best anglers to compete in the inaugural season of the Bass Pro Tour. The roster is comprised of Bassmaster Classic champions, FLW Forrest Wood Cup winners, Anglers of the Year and top tour performers from throughout the world of competitive bass fishing.
How it Works
The format for Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour events will be similar to the General Tire World Championship events that aired on CBS in 2017 and 2018. The 80 anglers will be separated into two groups, 40 anglers in each. Tuesday, Jan. 29 and Wednesday, Jan. 30 are Shotgun Rounds one and two, where 40 anglers (divided into Group A and Group B) compete to catch the highest weight each day. From there, all anglers move on to Elimination Rounds where their total weight caught will carry over. Thursday, Jan. 31 and Friday, Feb. 1 are Elimination Rounds where 40 anglers (Group A and Group B) compete to catch the highest weight. Anglers’ Shotgun Round weight is combined with the weight they catch in the Elimination Round. The top 20 anglers from each group advance to the Sudden Death Round. Saturday, Feb. 2 is the Knockout Round where 40 anglers (top 20 from each Elimination Round) compete. All anglers will begin the Knockout Round with zero weight. The Top-10 finishers advance to the Championship Round on Sunday, Feb. 3 when they will compete to catch the highest weight. A camera in every boat will livestream the action onMajorLeagueFishing.com.
Homecoming
Five of the 80 Major League Fishing pros hail from the Sunshine State.
- Bobby Lane, Hometown: Lakeland
- Chris Lane, Hometown: Lakeland
- Shaw Grigsby, Hometown: Gainesville
- Terry Scroggins, Hometown: San Mateo
- Randall Tharp, Hometown: Port St. Joe
Who to Watch From veterans to young anglers ready to make their mark, here’s a list to keep an eye on at Kissimmee.
- Bobby Lane – The Lakeland native has one tour-level victory and nine career top-10 finishes on the Kissimmee Chain of lakes.
- Terry Scroggins – The “Big Show” has six career top-10 finishes on the Kissimmee Chain including two career tour-level wins
. - Dean Rojas – The former ballpark peanut vendor set the heaviest five-bass limit in history with a weight of 45 pounds, 2 ounces en route to a tour-level victory on Lake Toho in 2001.
- Kevin VanDam – The winningest professional bass angler of all time is a perennial threat for the championship. A consistent winner regardless of format or location, the Kalamazoo, Michigan native has one victory on Lake Toho.
- Shaw Grigsby – The former host of “One More Cast” owns one tour-level victory and has three career top-10 finishes on the Kissimmee Chain. Regarded as one of the best shallow water anglers in the world, the veteran angler should find success in Stage 1.
Don’t Count Us
- Luke Clausen
- Gerald Swindle
- Brett Hite
- Takahiro
Omori - Timmy Horton
It’s Always Sunny in the Sunshine State
Although Stage One marks the first event for the Bass Pro Tour, Major League Fishing is no stranger to the state of Florida. Three events in total have been held throughout the state, including the 2018 General Tire World Championship.
- 2013 Challenge Cup in Istokpoga
- 2016 Challenge Cup in Lake County
- 2018 World Championship in Indian River County
Ride Along
Major League Fishing will offer boat rides that allow credentialed media access to cover the Bass Pro Tour B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One Presented by Power-Pole on the water. Rides must be scheduled in advance. Requests should be submitted [email protected].
Take a Ride
White River Marine Group, manufacturer and distributor of quality boats that offer excellent performance, innovation, value
New Leader in the Clubhouse
Phoenix boats will provide a Daily Leader award, paying $500 to the angler leading days 1-4 of each Stage.
Meet and Greet
On Tuesday, Jan. 29, anglers Kevin VanDam, Jeff Kriet, Brent Chapman, Josh Bertrand, Mark Rose, Brandon Palaniuk and Jonathon VanDam will visit the Bass Pro Shops store located at 750 Bass Pro Drive NE, Palm Bay, FL 32905. From 4 – 5 p.m. The anglers will have media availability that will include interviews, photo ops and interactive demos before meeting and greeting store guests from 5 – 7 p.m. On Wednesday, Jan. 30, anglers Mark Daniels, Andy Montgomery, Randy Howell, Ish Monroe, Edwin Evers, Chris Lane, David Walker, Mike McClelland, Ott DeFoe, James Watson and Timmy Horton will head to the Bass Pro Shops store located at 5156 International Drive, Orlando, FL 32819 to participate in the same activities, following the same schedule.
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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, World Fishing Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, Discovery Channel, Sportsman Channel