Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour Announces Inaugural Event - Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour Announces Inaugural Event
5y • Major League Fishing • Press Releases
Lowrance extends Major League Fishing sponsorship 
3d • MLF • Press Releases
Tackle Warehouse renews and expands sponsorship agreement with Major League Fishing Through 2026
5d • MLF • Press Releases
Major League Fishing’s General Tire Heavy Hitters Special Presented by Bass Pro Shops to air Sunday on CBS
1w • MLF • Press Releases
Major League Fishing announces roster for 2024 Bass Pro Tour
3w • MLF • Bass Pro Tour
Suzuki Marine becomes official outboard engine sponsor of Major League Fishing  
3w • MLF • Press Releases
Georgia boater Buddy Benson wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Wild Card Tournament on Pickwick Lake 
3w • MLF • Press Releases
Texas’ Chad Mrazek wins 2023 Toyota Series Championship Presented by Simms on Table Rock Lake
1m • MLF • Press Releases
Indiana’s Raber maintains lead after Day 2 of Toyota Series Championship Presented by Simms on Table Rock Lake
1m • MLF • Press Releases
Indiana pro Mike Raber leads Day 1 of the Toyota Series Championship Presented by Simms on Table Rock Lake 
1m • MLF • Press Releases
Major League Fishing wraps final General Tire Team Series Qualifier in Longview, Texas 
1m • MLF • Press Releases
Georgia’s Dawson County High School wins High School Fishing Open Tournament on Lake Hartwell 
1m • MLF • Press Releases
Lander University wins Abu Garcia College Fishing tournament on Lake Hartwell 
1m • MLF • Press Releases
General Tire Stage Six at Lake St. Clair Presented by John Deere to premiere Saturday on Discovery Channel
1m • MLF • Press Releases
Branson readies for Toyota Series Championship on Table Rock Lake Presented by Simms
1m • MLF • Press Releases

Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour Announces Inaugural Event

Top Competitive Bass Fishing League Selects Kissimmee, Fla. to Kick Off Season
Image for Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour Announces Inaugural Event
Lake Toho, Kissimmee, Fla., will host the inaugural MLF Bass Pro Tour event in late January 2019. The scenic Florida destination has earned a reputation as being a quality tournament venue to challenge the country's top bass anglers. (Photo: Experience Kissimmee)
December 3, 2018 • Major League Fishing • Press Releases

TULSA, Okla. – Major League Fishing officials announced today that the MLF Bass Pro Tour will head next month to Kissimmee, Fla., to kick off its inaugural season. Though the majority of the Jan. 29 – Feb. 3 action will take place on historic Lake Toho, the championship round will be held on another nearby body of water out of respect for the Fishing League Worldwide (FLW) tournament that follows.

News of the MLF Bass Pro Tour shook the fishing industry when it was announced in September. After obtaining the support and commitment of 80 of the world’s top anglers, MLF was able to begin conversations with potential tournament destinations in mid-October.

“We’re delighted to welcome the inaugural Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour to Kissimmee,” said John Poole, Executive Director of Kissimmee Sports Commission. “We pride ourselves on our destination’s championship bass fishing lakes, which have been home to many marquee tournaments throughout the years. The impact of this event will benefit the industry’s prominent presence in Kissimmee for years to come.”

While all 2019 locations are nearing announcement, Major League Fishing must first go through an extensive vetting process that includes an extensive survey of the area and lakes for each venue prior to confirmation. Unlike all other bass tournaments, MLF gives fans a real-time virtual onsite experience of angler coverage by using industry-leading communication technology requiring highly specialized connectivity needs to be able to feed all of MLF’s integral components, like its live-streaming MLF NOW! and SCORETRACKER™ live.

Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour Announcement

“It’s wonderful to have a place like Kissimmee on board and so many other cities interested in hosting our Bass Pro Tour events, because it really validates the impact of Major League Fishing’s visitation to an area,” said Michael Mulone, Senior Director of Events and Partnerships. “The power of our brand is resonating with destinations as they know our anglers and content will provide significant exposure and tangible economic impact to their respective communities. We are so grateful that Experience Kissimmee and the City of Kissimmee are partnering with us on the inaugural Bass Pro Tour event.”

Major League Fishing features the 80 top anglers in the country and includes Bassmaster Classic champions, Angler of the Year winners and titleholders from both the Bassmaster Elite Series and the FLW Tour. In the Bass Pro Tour opener, two groups of 40 anglers will compete across Lake Tohopekaliga, known as Lake Toho, all seeking to make it to the final day’s championship round of 10 anglers.

The format is for the competitors to seek and catch as many fish as possible in 7.5 hours of fishing, during which all “scorable bass” will be weighed, scored and immediately released back into the water, a scenario that sets the Bass Pro Tour apart from all other bass tournament series.

The Kissimmee Bass Pro Tour event will also result in a 2-hour television show that will air on Discovery Channel in the fourth quarter of 2019, and then in the first and second quarters on Sportsman Channel.

Major League Fishing has previously visited Florida twice to film its highly popular “Major League Fishing” television show, including the filming of the MLF 2018 General Tire World Championship, all of which also air on Outdoor Channel.