THE
FRONT PAGE
a look ahead for FLW
New Pro Circuit Super Tournaments
promise excitement for everyone
> THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC has
affected everyone in one way or
another, and the tournament bass
fishing industry is no exception. From
anglers to tournament staff and media
to fans and sponsors, life just hasn’t
been the same the last several
months. Everyone is looking forward
to a return to normalcy, or at least
something close to it.
When the FLW tournament schedule
resumes in June, there will be a
familiar feel, but there will also be a lot
more than that to latch on to, especially
as it pertains to the Tackle Warehouse
Pro Circuit.
First – and let’s not bury the lede –
FLW has some incredibly exciting
tournaments to finish out the 2020
schedule thanks to a new “Super
Tournament” format that will include
56 Major League Fishing pros to go
along with the regular Pro Circuit field.
That means 209-boat, star-studded
fields that will showcase an incredible
Jason Lambert
Edwin Evers
amount of bass fishing talent competing
in the five-bass tournament format.
For FLW anglers, that means bigger
payouts, more live coverage and more
exposure for them and their sponsors,
while MLF pros will enjoy additional
opportunities to compete in the wake of
their season being cut short by COVID-
19. It means the top 50 percent of the
field will be earning at least $10,000 at
every tournament and first-place payouts
jumping from $100,000 to $125,000. It
REMAINING 2020 PRO CIRCUIT SCHEDULE
Lake Chickamauga – Dayton, Tenn. – June 23-26
Mississppi River – La Crosse, Wis. – July 29-Aug. 1
Detroit River – Trenton, Mich. – Aug. 11-14
Tackle Warehouse FLW TITLE presented by Toyota – Massena, N.Y. – Aug. 24-29
Andy Morgan
Bryan Thrift
means four days of FLW Live coverage –
a total of 24 hours of live coverage for
each four-day Super Tournament.
For fans, it means getting to watch
Jason Lambert on Lake Chickamauga
in June, fishing in what could be a
ledge slugfest with a winner eclipsing
the century mark. It means once
again seeing Bryan Thrift and David
Dudley fishing for their five best, but
this time against FLW pros and their
new MLF peers who will be doing the
same thing. It means Andy Morgan
and Jacob Wheeler and many other
former FLW hammers back where it
all began.
The Pro Circuit will be fishing one
fewer event than originally scheduled,
but the three remaining tournaments
on the schedule (not including the
TITLE Championship) will absolutely
make up for it. Who doesn't want to
see Edwin Evers try to repeat his RED-
CREST win on the Mississippi River but
in a five-bass format?
FLW isn’t looking to just return to
the pre-pandemic status quo. Inviting
MLF pros for three high-octane Super
Tournaments is about celebrating bass
fishing in a way fans didn’t get to experience
before the fishing world stood
still. It’s about exceeding expectations
for fans and anglers alike and creating
a product too good to ignore. It’s a
feast after the fast.
The tournament bass fishing world
has changed immeasurably in the last
couple years – and change can be hard
– but this is a change that should be
welcomed by everyone who enjoys
professional bass fishing. We at FLW
are excited, and you should be, too.
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FLWFISHING.COM | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING.COM | JUNE-JULY 2020