MLF’s Memorable Moments of 2018

January

• 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

• MLF fans watched Wesley Strader win the 2018 Summit Select from Hot Springs, Arkansas. It was just his second MLF Select event, and Stader proved that he’s a natural at the MLF format. He won his Elimination Round, his Sudden Death Round, and the Summit Select Championship.

March

• Viewers watched Skeet Reese win his first MLF event, the 2018 Summit Cup from Alpena, Michigan. Reese is one of the original MLF pros, and he has competed in all of the MLF Cups.

April

• Longtime viewers watched “Iron Man” Keith Poche begin competition in his sixth consecutive MLF event as the 2018 Challenge Select kicked off in Columbia, South Carolina. By virtue of his victories in both of the 2017 Select events, Poche also fished both 2017 Cup events.
• MLF fans witnessed a memorable Sudden Death Round of the 2018 Challenge Select, where Zack Birge beat Brandon Palaniuk to the 12-pound target weight by a single catch.

May

• Viewers watched Poche win the 2018 Challenge Select from Columbia, South Carolina.
• Poche and Ott DeFoe worked their way up through the MLF points ranking system and earned a spot in the MLF Cups.

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

• The Championship Round of the 2018 General Tire World Championship aired on CBS, and Greg Hackney became the new MLF General Tire World Champion. Hackney has competed in every MLF Cup event, and the 2018 World Championship was the Louisiana pro’s first MLF victory.

August

• 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

• MLF released a schedule to show off the “family-friendly” MLF Bass Pro Tour calendar. In 2019, the MLF pros will be able to spend time with their families during Easter weekend, Memorial Day weekend, Father’s Day weekend, Mother’s Day weekend, the Fourth of July, and Halloween.

December

• MLF announced the location for the inaugural stage of the MLF Bass Pro Tour: Kissimmee, Florida. The majority of the Jan. 29 – Feb. 3 event 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.
• MLF revealed that Lake Conroe in Texas will be the location for Stage Two of the MLF Bass Pro Tour. The MLF pros will compete on Conroe from Feb. 12-17.
• The third MLF Bass Pro Tour location was revealed: Raleigh, North Carolina. The MLF pros will compete on Falls Lake, Shearon Harris Reservoir and Jordan Lake from March 26-31.a