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By Joel Shangle
tackle warehouse invitationals provide pathway to bass pro tour , $ 3.9 million prize pool Six-tournament circuit kicks off at Lake Okeechobee in February
Aprofessional tournament anglers make their preparations for the 2023 season , Major League Fishing is similarly finalizing rosters and prepping tournament staff for a new tour-level circuit that will serve as the pathway to both the Bass Pro Tour and REDCREST .
In September , MLF announced the formulation of the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals , a six-tournament circuit with a prize pool of $ 3.9 million . The Invitationals will replace the former Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit as the official qualifying circuit for the Bass Pro Tour : The top eight pros in the Invitationals Angler of the Year standings will receive an invitation to fish the BPT in 2024 .
In addition , the individual winners of each Invitational will qualify to fish REDCREST V in 2024 .
invitationals need-to-know
Here ’ s a rundown of need-to-know information about the 2023 Tackle Warehouse Invitationals :
› Each Invitational will feature a field of 150 anglers . Those 150-angler rosters will be filled by invitations to a combination of qualifiers from the 2022 Pro Circuit ; top anglers from the 2022 Toyota Series ; winners of the All-American and TBF boater division ; the top finisher in the International Division of the 2022 Toyota Series Championship and anglers who didn ’ t requalify for the Bass Pro Tour . In addition , 2023 Bass Pro Tour anglers will have the opportunity to fill out the fields on a first-come , first-served basis .
› Invitationals will be contested on a three-day schedule in a five-fish-limit , weigh-in format . The full field of 150 will fish Day 1 and Day 2 ; the top 50 anglers in cumulative two-day weight will fish the final day . The winner will be the angler with the heaviest cumulative weight over the three-day competition .
› A top prize of up to $ 115,000 will be awarded to each Invitational winner ($ 100,000 plus potential $ 15,000 Phoenix contingency bonus ).
› The 2023 Tackle Warehouse Invitationals schedule kicks off in February at Lake Okeechobee in Florida and finishes in late July on the Mississippi River in Wisconsin ( see full schedule below ).
Lake Okeechobee will serve as the playing field for the first Tackle Warehouse Invitational .
“ The MLF / Tackle Warehouse Invitationals schedule offers a diverse group of fisheries – some old favorites with a lot of history , and some new locations that we haven ’ t been to for quite some time ,” said MLF Senior Director of Tournament Operations Daniel Fennel .
2023 MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Schedule
Feb . 8-10 | LAKE OKEECHOBEE | Clewiston , Fla .
Hosted by the Hendry County Tourism Development Council
Feb . 28-March 2 | CLARKS HILL LAKE | Appling , Ga .
Hosted by Columbia County , Georgia , & Thomson-McDuffie County CVB
April 14-16 | LAKE EUFAULA | Eufaula , Okla .
Hosted by the Eufaula Conservation & Fishing Association
May 4-6 | LAKE OF THE OZARKS | Osage Beach , Mo .
Hosted by the Tri-County Lodging Association
June 17-19 | POTOMAC RIVER | Marbury , Md .
Hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners
July 25-27 | MISSISSIPPI RIVER | La Crosse , Wis .
Hosted by Explore La Crosse
14 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | DECEMBER-JANUARY 2023