TULSA, Okla. (Oct. 8, 2021) – Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees is ready. The field of 41 professional anglers is confirmed. The Outdoor Sports Expo planning is underway. REDCREST 2022, the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour Championship, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is set to be a massive event for fishing and outdoors enthusiasts.
Originally scheduled for February of 2021, the event was postponed a year after mounting uncertainties due to the COVID-19 pandemic, travel restrictions and a guest capacity reduction at Expo Square. With relaxed restrictions and Tulsa once again open for business, it’s full steam ahead for MLF and event hosts VisitTulsa, the City of Grove, and the Grove Area Chamber of Commerce.
“With our MLF headquarters based in Tulsa, this is a homecoming for Major League Fishing and we are honored to showcase our sport and the outdoors to the Tulsa community with our world championship event,” said Michael Mulone, Senior Director of Events and Partnerships for MLF. “REDCREST 2022 is going to be a show like no other, and we look forward to highlighting Grand Lake and Tulsa to the tens of thousands of passionate fishing and outdoors fans that will attend the event and the hundreds of thousands of fans that will be watching from around the world.”
The five-day bass-fishing world championship, shot for television broadcast on CBS, the Discovery Channel and the Outdoor Channel, will showcase the top 41 Bass Pro Tour anglers from the 2021 season competing for the prestigious REDCREST Championship and the top prize of $300,000.
According to MLF rules, the REDCREST field of 40 is determined by Angler of the Year (AOY) points ranking at the end of the seven-Stage 2021 Bass Pro Tour. This year, MLF and the MLF Anglers Association agreed upon a structure that allowed all 76 anglers on the Bass Pro Tour roster to drop their lowest finishes from the 2021 regular season. That helped to level the playing field after multiple anglers sat out of events due to health and safety concerns that fell under MLF’s CDC-recommended Healthy Operating Protocols and Executions (HOPE) guidelines.
When all of the AOY points were tallied, one angler that had qualified to compete in the event was negatively affected and dropped out of the 40-angler qualification. In the interest of fairness, that angler will still be allowed to compete in the event as the lowest-finish drop was not meant to penalize an angler that had already qualified. REDCREST 2022 will feature 41 anglers competing over the five-day competition.
The 41 pros from the 2021 Bass Pro Tour season that will compete in REDCREST 2022 at Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees are:
- Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C.
- Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J.
- Josh Bertrand, Queen Creek, Ariz.
- Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla.
- Stephen Browning, Hot Springs, Ark.
- Brent Chapman, Lake Quivira, Kan.
- Luke Clausen, Spokane, Wash.
- Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala.
- Brandon Coulter, Knoxville, Tenn.
- John Cox, DeBary, Fla.
- Mark Davis, Mount Ida, Ark.
- Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn.
- David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va.
- Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif.
- James Elam, Tulsa, Okla.
- Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla.
- Shinichi Fukae, Osaka, Japan
- Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C.
- Alton Jones, Lorena, Texas
- Alton Jones Jr., Waco, Texas
- Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla.
- Russ Lane, Prattville, Ala.
- Jordan Lee, Cullman, Ala.
- Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala.
- Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C.
- Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn.
- Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn.
- Takahiro Omori, Tokyo, Japan
- Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif.
- Mark Rose, Wynne, Ark.
- Bradley Roy, Lancaster, Ky.
- Fletcher Shryock of Guntersville, Ala.
- Gerald Spohrer, Gonzales, La.
- Jeff Sprague, Point, Texas
- Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn.
- Scott Suggs, Harrison, Ark.
- Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C.
- Kevin VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich.
- Greg Vinson, Wetumpka, Ala.
- Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn.
- Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala.
In addition to the competition, REDCREST 2022 will feature an Outdoor Sports Expo at Tulsa’s Expo Square on March 25-27, 2022. Tens of thousands of passionate MLF fans will pack the halls ready to see the latest in tackle and gear innovation, meet their fishing heroes, learn from the greatest anglers in the world, spend their money on merchandise and celebrate all things bass fishing. Bass Pro Tour anglers will conduct seminars and will be available for meet and greets with fans. Additional celebrities of the outdoors will be on site. All activities are free and open to the public.
Exhibitor space if filling up fast, but a limited number of spaces are still available. If your business is interested in being a part of the consumer outdoor sports show, please visit MajorLeagueFishing.com/REDCREST.
For complete details and updated information on the REDCREST 2022 and the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
Major League Fishing – WE ARE Bass Fishing™
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, the Discovery Channel, the Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, the World Fishing Network, and on-demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with offices in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 13 countries. In 2019, MLF expanded its portfolio of catch, weigh, and immediately release events to include the sport’s strongest five-biggest-fish format tournament circuits. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement, and fish care.
Major League Fishing – WE ARE Bass Fishing™
