2020 MLF Bass Pro Tour Launches on Lake Eufaula

The 2020 Bass Pro Tour kicks off with B&W Hitches Stage One presented by Power-Pole on Lake Eufaula Feb. 7-12 in Eufaula, Alabama featuring 80 of the best professional anglers in the world.

Edwin Evers, 2019 Points Champion and REDCREST presented by Venmo Champion, will defend his titles against fishing legends Kevin VanDam and Mike Iaconelli, as well as 2019 Major League Fishing (MLF) World Champion Jacob Wheeler. MLF Rookies Bryan Thrift and David Dudley will make their Bass Pro Tour debut against Alabama residents Mark Daniels, Jr., Aaron Martens, Justin Lucas, Keith Poche, Greg Vinson, Russ Lane, Chris Lane, Dustin Connell, Randy Howell, Jesse Wiggins, Tim Horton, Boyd Duckett, and Justin Atkins. To see the field of 80 Pros on the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Credentialed members of the media are welcome to request a credential and interviews by completing this MLF Credential Request Form.

Stage One Ramp Location:

Lakepoint State Park Marina
104 Old Highway 165
Eufaula, Alabama 36027

MLF Press Room Location:

Lakepoint State Park Resort
Riverside Room (or as marked upon arrival)

Bass Pro Tour Livestream:

Fans and media can watch nine hours of action every day of competition on MLFNOW! livestream on MajorLeagueFishing.com or download the MLF App for your Apple or GooglePlay device or on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV).

Stage One Event Schedule:

Date Time Description
Tuesday, Feb. 4, 1 – 5 p.m. CT Interviews available with MLF Pro Anglers; Advance booking required
Wednesday, Feb. 5 and Thursday, Feb. 6 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 min. after sunset Interviews available with MLF Pro Anglers, including “ride-alongs;” Advance booking required
Daily
Friday, Feb. 7 – Wednesday, Feb. 12
6:30 – 7:30 a.m. CT Boats launch
Interviews available with MLF Pro Anglers and League executives; Advance booking required.
7:25 a.m. CT National Anthem
as sung by MLF Staffer Charity Muehlenweg
7:30 a.m. CT “Blast Off”
Boats driven by MLF Pros depart ramp area for their first fishing spot
8:00 a.m. CT Lines in, Period One Begins
10:30 a.m. CT Lines out, Period One Ends
10:45 a.m. CT Lines in, Period Two begins
1:15 p.m. CT Lines out, Period Two ends
1:30 p.m. CT Lines in, Period Three begins
4:00 p.m. CT Lines out, Period Three and Day ends
4 – 5 p.m. CT Boats return to the Ramp
4 – 5 p.m. CT MLF films the “General Tire Ramp Report” live as Pros return to the ramp
Interviews available with MLF Pro Anglers and League executives; Advance booking required.
5 p.m. CT Daily highlights PR released
To receive this daily recap, please
Wednesday, Feb. 12 5:00 p.m. CT Trophy Presentation
The Bass Pro Tour B&W Hitches Stage One presented by Power-Pole Champion
5 – 6 p.m. CT Interviews available with the Championship Field, including the winner; advance booking required

Credentialed members of the media are welcome to request a credential and interviews by completing this MLF Credential Request Form.

Competition Format:

Members of the media have many opportunities to interview MLF Pros throughout the tournament. The field of 80 anglers is divided into two groups (A and B) for each Stage. The Groups for Stage One are listed on the next page. To schedule an interview, please Tricia Milford, 407-928-9868.

Friday, Day One:

  • Qualifying Round
  • 40 Anglers, Group A
  • Group B available for interview; Advance booking required

Saturday, Day Two:

  • Qualifying Round
  • 40 Anglers, Group B
  • Group A available for interview; Advance booking required

Sunday, Day Three:

  • Qualifying Round
  • 40 Anglers, Group A
  • Group B available for interview; Advance booking required

Monday, Day Four:

  • Qualifying Round
  • 40 Anglers, Group B
  • Group A available for interview; Advance booking required

Tuesday, Day Five:

  • Knockout Round
  • 38 Anglers, Places 2-20 from each Group A and B
  • NOTE: Top seed from each group automatically advances to the Championship (day six)
  • Winners of Group A and B available for interview; Advance booking required
  • Eliminated Anglers available for interview; Advance booking required

Wednesday, Day Six:

  • Championship Round
  • 10 Anglers, places 1-8 from Knockout Round (day five) + Winners of Group A and B from the Qualifying Round (days one – four)
  • Trophy presentation to Champion, 5 p.m. CT

Credentialed members of the media are welcome to request a credential and interviews by completing this MLF Credential Request Form.

Eufaula Area Community Events

MLF Pros love meeting their fans! Accredited members of the Media are invited to cover these MLF Pro Anglers meet-n-greets / appearances at the following locations with advance coordination:

Date Location Experience Description
Friday, Feb. 7,
4 – 6 p.m.
River City Grille
209 E Broad St., Eufaula, Ala. 36027
Bass Pro Tour Watch Party!
Area fans gather at a local sports bar to watch the day’s action on MOTV.
MLF Pros, Edwin Evers, Justin Lucas, Casey Ashley, and Wesley Strader will stop by to meet fans and sign autographs.
Saturday, Feb. 8,
2 – 4 p.m.
Action Marine
2481 Reeves Street, Dothan, Ala. 36303
High School-aged anglers are invited to hear tips from MLF Pros Jordan Lee, Josh Bertrand, and Timmy Horton
Saturday, Feb. 8,
1 – 3 p. m.
River City Grille
209 E Broad St., Eufaula, Ala. 36027
Bass Pro Tour Watch Party!
Area fans gather at a local sports bar to watch the day’s action on MOTV.
MLF Pros Randy Howell, Marty Robinson, Chris Lane, and Mark Daniels Jr. will stop by to meet fans and sign autographs.
Saturday, Feb. 8,
5 – 7 p.m.
Parkview Baptist Church
608 S Eufaula Ave, Eufaula, Ala. 36027
Meet MLF Pros Mark Rose, Andy Montgomery, Alton Jones, and Alton Jones, Jr.
Sunday, Feb. 9,
1 – 3 p.m.
Lakepoint State Park Resort
104 Old Highway 165
Eufaula, Alabama 36027
Veteran and First Responder Appreciation Event
Meet ‘n Greet w/ MLF Pros Gerald Spohrer (U.S. Navy veteran), James Watson (U.S. Army veteran), Randall Tharp (U.S. Army veteran) and Cliff Crochet (former Deputy Sheriff)
Tuesday, Feb. 11,
6 – 8 p.m.
Eufaula Barbour Chamber
333 E Broad St., Eufaula, Ala. 36027
High School-aged anglers are invited to hear tips from MLF Pros (TBA, based on competition)

*Additional events may be added without notice; visit MajorLeagueFishing.com for a complete list of fan events.

Credentialed members of the media are welcome to request a credential and interviews by completing this MLF Credential Request Form.

Bass Pro Tour 2020 Schedule:

Follow each stage of the 2020 Bass Pro Tour as 80 of the best anglers in the world accumulate Points toward the Angler-of-the-Year Points Champion. The top 30 anglers at the end of Stage Eight will qualify for REDCREST, the Bass Pro Tour Championship, in Spring 2021.

Stage Date Lake City Community Host
One Feb. 7-12 Lake Eufaula Eufaula, Ala. Eufaula Barbour Chamber of Commerce
Two Feb. 21-26 Lake Okeechobee Okeechobee, Fla. Okeechobee County Tourism Development Council
Three Mar. 13-18 Lake Fork Lake Fork, Texas Lake Fork Area Chamber of Commerce
Four Apr. 3-8 Jordan Lake, Falls Lake, and Shearon Harris Reservoir Raleigh, N.C. Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance
Five Apr 26-29 Grand Lake o’ the Cherokees Grove, Okla. City of Grove
Heavy Hitters May 16-20 Kissimmee Chain Kissimmee, Fla. Experience Kissimmee
Six Jun. 5-10 Lake Winnebago, Lake Butte des Morts, and Green Lake Neenah, Wis. Fox Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau
Seven Jun. 26-Jul. 1 St. Lawrence River Ogdensburg, N.Y. St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce and the City of Ogdensburg
Eight Jul. 21-26 Lake Champlain Burlington, Vt. Experience Vermont

About the Bass Pro Tour:

The Bass Pro Tour began in 2019 and features 80 of the best professional anglers in the world, including Kevin VanDam, Edwin Evers, Aaron Martens, Mike Iaconelli, Jordan Lee, and Skeet Reese. Each stage includes six days of competition using the Major League Fishing, catch-weigh-and-immediately-release format, where every bass over one-pound counts toward a cumulative weight total for the day. The field of 80 anglers is divided into two groups of 40 to compete on days one and two respectively for the Shotgun Round. On days three and four, the Elimination Round culls the field based on a combined 2-day total weight from each angler’s Shotgun and Elimination Round. The top 20 anglers from each group in the Elimination Round (40 total) advance to the Knockout Round on day five, which determines who will compete on that final day, the Championship Round, for the Stage title and $100,000.

Each of Eight Stages of the Bass Pro Tour have the following payout schedule: 1st $100,000; 2nd $42,000; 3rd $30,000; 4th$24,000; 5th $18,000; 6th $16,800; 7th $15,600; 8th $14,400; 9th $13,200; 10th $12,000; 11th – 40th $6,000; Big Bass Daily $1,000; Big Bass Overall $1,000.

In addition to the economic impact on a host community, Major League Fishing showcases the region through their award-winning, live and linear programming. Each Stage of the Bass Pro Tour is broadcast live on the Major League Fishing app, MyOutdoorTV (MOTV), and majorleaguefishing.com, totaling more than 325 hours of original programming. Fans can follow the fast-paced nature of the MLF format as it unfolds on the live leaderboard through “SCORETRACKER® updates.” Highlights from each Stage of the 2020 Bass Pro Tour will air on Discovery Network beginning in July 2020 and Sportsman Channel in early 2021.

“MLF offers the strongest broadcast presence in the industry to fans and sponsors,” said Jim Wilburn, President and CEO of Major League Fishing. “And with these lakes planned for this coming Bass Pro Tour, we know 2020 will be our best year yet as we continue to capture a broad audience of both longtime fishing fans and those new to the sport, thanks to our fast-paced, fan-friendly format,”

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). The Bass Pro Tour consists of eight events and a championship streamed live on www.MajorLeagueFishing.com and MOTV.

In late 2019 MLF acquired FLW, which expands their portfolio to include the world’s largest grassroots fishing organization, including the strongest five-fish format professional bass fishing tour, the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit, as well as the Toyota Series, Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine, and Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI, and High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing.

For more information on the league and anglers, visit www.majorleaguefishing.com and follow MLF on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.