MLF's Memorable Moments of 2018 - Major League Fishing

MLF’s Memorable Moments of 2018

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Photo by Josh Gassmann
December 20, 2018 • Rachel Dubrovin • Select Events

January

Major League Fishing pro Skeet Reese
  • The seventh season of MLF premiered on Outdoor Channel with the 2018 Summit Select from Hot Springs, Arkansas. According to Nielsen ratings, MLF has been Outdoor Channel’s top-rated show in the first and second quarter for three years in a row.

February

March

April

Major League Fishing pro Keith Poche

May

June

  • MLF fans watched one of the biggest names in professional bass fishing, Kevin VanDam, win his third MLF Cup event from Natchez, Mississippi.
  • The first Shotgun Round of the 2018 General Tire World Championship aired on CBS.

July

August

Major League Fishing pro Greg Hackney
  • Many of the original MLF anglers met in Waterville, Maine (the location of the 2019 Summit Cup) to talk about the future of MLF and the upcoming expansion.  

September

  • Major League Fishing announced an industry-changing expansion and the creation of the MLF Bass Pro Tour.
  • Pro anglers started announcing their commitment to the MLF Bass Pro Tour. Tim Horton and Edwin Evers were the first MLF pros to go public with their decision on their social media channels.
  • Gary Klein and Kevin VanDam were inducted into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame at the Bass Pro Shops Wonders of Wildlife Museum in Springfield, Missouri.

October

  • More of the world’s top anglers announced their commitment to the MLF Bass Pro Tour, including Andy Morgan, Brandon Palaniuk, and Mike Iaconelli.
  • The original field of 80 anglers was announced in early October, but there were changes to the lineup shortly after that. JT Kenney decided to make a move from an MLF competitor to an MLF analyst. Gary Clouse, a four-year MLF Select competitor, originally accepted an invitation to participate as part of the Bass Pro Tour. But on Oct. 13, Clouse acknowledged on his social media that he had instead surrendered his spot in the Bass Pro Tour to compete on the Bassmaster Elite Series.
  • FLW Tour veterans Anthony Gagliardi and Jeff Sprague accepted the invitation to fill out the final two spots on the 2019 80-man Bass Pro Tour roster.
  • The MLF pros who comprise the 80-man field in the MLF Bass Pro Tour voted “no” to required entry fees for their participation in the 2019 Bass Pro Tour Stages. The no-fee decision was the first of its kind for a high-stakes professional bass fishing series.

November

December