TULSA, Okla. (Oct. 24, 2019) – Major League Fishing (MLF) and Fishing League Worldwide (FLW) announced today the expanded 2020 FLW Series and T-H Marine Bass Fishing League (BFL) details, schedules, rules, entry fees and payouts, highlighted by lower entry fees in both circuits and an expanded FLW Series schedule, along with upping the championship payout to $200,000 for first place and adding $10,000 bonuses for the highest-finishing pro from each of the eight U.S. FLW Series divisions and the International division.
The 2020 FLW Series season will consist of three events in eight divisions, up from five divisions in 2019. Anglers that fish all three qualifiers in any of the eight divisions and finish in the top 25 will qualify for the no-entry-fee FLW Series Championship for a shot at winning $200,000 cash, plus lucrative contingency bonuses. The winning co-angler at the championship earns a $30,000 17-foot bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard. The new win-and-you’re-in format guarantees that anglers are never out of contention to qualify for the Championship, too. Fish all three qualifiers in a division and win a tournament, and they’ll be on their way to the Championship. FLW Series entry fees have been reduced to $1,700 pro and $550 co-angler per tournament, while top payouts in each event remain $40,000 for pros and a $30,000 17-foot bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard for co-anglers. As field sizes increase, so do payouts, with top awards reaching $65,000 pro and $35,000 co-angler at 260 boats, and awards of $2,000 pro and $550 co-angler extending through 65th place. Complete payout details are listed below.
MLF and FLW are also rolling back entry fees in the T-H Marine BFL to give grassroots anglers – the heart and soul of the bass fishing community – the best payouts at the lowest cost available anywhere. Entry fees are now just $200 per boater and $100 per co-angler for one-day qualifiers and $300 per boater and $150 per co-angler for two-day Super Tournaments – the lowest levels since 2014. While entry fees have been lowered, BFL payouts remain the same as 2019 with boaters fishing for top awards of $6,000 plus contingency bonuses in each one-day qualifier and $9,000 plus contingency bonuses in each two-day Super Tournament. Co-anglers fish for top awards of $3,000 plus contingency bonuses in each one-day qualifier and $4,500 plus contingency bonuses in each two-day Super Tournament. Anglers also have the opportunity to qualify for six no-entry-fee regional championships with top awards of $60,000 boater and $50,000 co-angler, a no-entry-fee Wild Card regional, the no-entry-fee All-American with top awards of $100,000 boater and $50,000 co-angler, and even the FLW Series Championship with top awards of $200,000 pro/boater and $30,000 co-angler. Complete payout details are listed below.
“Major League Fishing was founded by tournament anglers, so we are an angler-driven league,” said Boyd Duckett, MLF co-founder and board director. “We respect and value the loyal FLW Series and BFL anglers, and we are very excited to announce the enhancements to what was already the best grassroots organization on the planet. I am confident that the anglers will be extremely satisfied with both the FLW Series and BFL circuits moving forward.”
The BFL is the stepping stone to the FLW Series, which is now the pathway to the new 150-angler FLW Pro Circuit and ultimately MLF’s Bass Pro Tour, where 80 of the world’s top pros compete with no entry fees. The FLW Series and BFL also put anglers in front of the sport’s largest fan base, with coverage on FLWFishing.com, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter reaching more than 1 million fans each month.
Earlier this month, MLF announced an agreement to acquire FLW. This deal, which brings together the largest grassroots organization in the world with the best pro anglers in the world, is expected to close in the coming days.
"It’s the best of both worlds for FLW anglers – what you’ve come to know and expect from FLW, now with the power of Major League Fishing behind us," said Kathy Fennel, FLW President of Operations. "We are proud of the fact that no other organization offers higher rewards for lower entry fees.”
Complete details, schedules, rules and more for the 2020 FLW Series can be found online at FLWFishing.com.
Registration for the 2020 FLW Series season opens Oct. 28, 2019, for the top 40 pros and co-anglers from each division of the 2019 FLW Series, the top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division of the 2019 BFL, the winner of each 2019 BFL tournament who paid an entry fee for all five tournaments in a division and fished at least two tournaments in the same division. These anglers have until Nov. 4, 2019, to secure their priority entry. Ranger boat owners may register beginning Nov. 5, 2019. Anglers who fished a full division of the 2019 FLW Series or 2019 BFL can register beginning Nov. 6, 2019, followed by Triton and Nitro boat owners Nov. 7, 2019. TBF members can register Nov. 8, 2019. All other entries will be accepted beginning Nov. 11, 2019. Register by calling 270.252.1000 or online at FLWFishing.com.
The complete 2020 T-H Marine BFL schedule, along with details, rules and payouts for the BFL season can be found online at FLWFishing.com.
Anglers can register for the 2020 T-H Marine BFL season at FLWFishing.com or by calling 270.252.1000 on the dates listed below:
December 9, 2019 – Hoosier, Michigan, Music City and Volunteer
December 10, 2019 – Bulldog, Cowboy, Great Lakes, Illini and Mississippi
December 11, 2019 – Bama, Buckeye, Choo Choo, Mountain and Ozark
December 12, 2019 – Arkie, LBL, North Carolina, Northeast and Okie
December 13, 2019 – Gator, Piedmont, Savannah River, Shenandoah and South Carolina
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the FLW Series and the BFL on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Interviews, photos, logos and a Google map of the FLW Series tournaments are available on request.
2020 FLW Series Schedule:
Central Division
Feb. 27-29 Lake Chickamauga – Dayton, Tenn.
April 16-18 Dale Hollow Lake – Monroe, Tenn.
May 28-30 Pickwick Lake – Florence, Ala.
Eastern Division
March 3-5* Lake Hartwell – Seneca, S.C.
April 30-May 2 Lake Norman – Huntersville, N.C.
Sept. 10-12 Potomac River – Marbury, Md.
Northern Division
July 16-18 Lake Champlain – Plattsburgh, N.Y.
Aug. 20-22 St. Lawrence River – Massena, N.Y.
Sept. 17-19 Detroit River – Trenton, Mich.
Plains Division
March 26-28 Lake of the Ozarks – Osage Beach, Mo.
May 7-9 Table Rock Lake – Branson, Mo.
Sept. 17-19 Lake Dardanelle – Russellville, Ark.
Southeastern Division
March 26-28 Wheeler Lake – Decatur, Ala.
May 7-9 Lake Neely Henry – Gadsden, Ala.
June 4-6 Lake Eufaula – Eufaula, Ala.
Southern Division
Feb. 13-15 St. John's River – Palatka, Fla.
March 12-14 Lake Okeechobee – Clewiston, Fla.
April 16-18 Lake Seminole – Bainbridge, Ga.
Southwestern Division
Jan. 30-Feb. 1 Toledo Bend Reservoir – Many, La.
April 8-10** Fort Gibson Lake – Wagoner, Okla.
Oct. 15-17 Sam Rayburn Reservoir – Brookeland, Texas
Western Division
March 12-14 Lake Havasu – Lake Havasu City, Ariz.
April 30-May 2 California Delta – Bethel Island, Calif.
Sept. 24-26 Clear Lake – Lakeport, Calif.
FLW Series Championship
Nov 5-7 TBA, watch FLWFishing.com for details
* Tuesday – Thursday event
** Wednesday – Friday event
The highest-finishing boater and co-angler from each Regional Championship (including the Wild Card) at the All-American advance to the FLW Series Championship for a shot at winning $200,000 and $30,000, respectively.
**Payback is based on the number of paid entries for each tournament.
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, Discovery, CBS, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network, Sportsman Channel and on-demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). New for 2019, the Bass Pro Tour consists of eight events and a championship streamed live onwww.MajorLeagueFishing.com and MOTV. MLF uses the entertaining and conservation-friendly catch, weigh and immediate-release format where every scorable bass counts and the winner is the angler with the highest cumulative weight.
For more information on the league and anglers, visit www.majorleaguefishing.com and follow MLF on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2019 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW and their partners conduct more than 290 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Namibia, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, and Zimbabwe. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.