BENTON, Ky. (Nov. 15, 2023) – Major League Fishing (MLF) announced today the roster for the 2024 Bass Pro Tour, the sixth season of professional bass fishing’s preeminent tournament circuit. The field of 80 of the world’s top bass-fishing professionals will compete across nine states during the Bass Pro Tour season for a total purse of more than $6.7 million.
The season starts on Jan. 30 at the Bass Pro Tour Stage One at Toledo Bend in Many, Louisiana, and ends in August at the St. Lawrence River in Massena, New York, where the 2024 Bass Pro Tour Angler of Year will be crowned and 40 berths into REDCREST 2025 on Alabama’s Lake Guntersville will be determined.
“We’re excited to announce the Bass Pro Tour roster for the 2024 season,” said Kathy Fennel, Executive Vice President & General Manager of Major League Fishing. “The Bass Pro Tour represents the highest level of competition our sport has to offer, and nowhere is that more evident than in the field of anglers who will be competing in 2024. It’s going to be an extremely competitive season.”
The 2024 field is led by 2023 Bass Pro Tour Angler of the Year (AOY) Matt Becker, as well as two-time Bass Pro Tour AOY Jacob Wheeler and 2019 AOY/REDCREST champion Edwin Evers. Also returning are multi-time MLF winner Ott DeFoe, 2023 REDCREST champion Bryan Thrift, multi-time Bass Pro Tour winner and REDCREST 2021 champion Dustin Connell, and up-and-coming superstars Alton Jones, Jr. and Dakota Ebare. REDCREST 2022 Champion Bobby Lane will also return to the lineup via a Champions Exemption after a one-year hiatus from the Tour. The 2024 field includes 29 anglers who have won either a major-circuit Angler of the Year title or national tour-level championship.
Of the 24 states represented, Alabama, the site of REDCREST 2024 on Lay Lake in Birmingham (March 14-17), leads the way with 13 anglers. Tennessee is home to 10 anglers fishing the Bass Pro Tour, followed by seven pros from Arkansas.
New to the Bass Pro Tour roster for 2024 are 12 rookies who qualified via the 2023 Tackle Warehouse Invitationals: Ron Nelson (Michigan), Matthew Stefan (Wisconsin), Keith Carson (Florida), Martin Villa (Virginia), Grae Buck (Pennsylvania), Nick Hatfield (Tennessee), Marshall Robinson (South Carolina), Drew Gill (Illinois), Colby Schrumpf (Illinois), Jason Vance (Indiana), Justin Cooper (Louisiana), and Joshua Weaver (Georgia).
“Making the jump from the Invitationals to the Bass Pro Tour is one of the most challenging transitions in all of bass fishing,” said MLF Bass Pro Tour Tournament Director Daniel Fennel. “Our 2024 rookies are a very talented group, and they have all had great success as they worked their way through the ranks. I think they’re going to challenge our Bass Pro Tour veterans and provide some stout competition throughout the season.”
Invitations to compete in the MLF Bass Pro Tour are earned by performance in the previous year’s Bass Pro Tour, overall lifetime BPT average and performance in the previous year’s Tackle Warehouse Invitationals.
The 2024 MLF Bass Pro Tour will air on Discovery Channel beginning in July 2024 and Outdoor Channel in early 2025.
For complete details and updated information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
The 80 professional anglers that will compete on the 2024 MLF Bass Pro Tour are:
- Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C.
- Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J.
- Matt Becker, Ten Mile, Tenn.
- Josh Bertrand, Queen Creek, Ariz.
- Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla.
- Stephen Browning, Hot Springs, Ark.
- *Grae Buck, Green Lane, Pa.
- *Keith Carson, DeBary, Fla.
- Brent Chapman, Lake Quivira, Kan.
- Luke Clausen, Spokane, Wash.
- Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala.
- *Justin Cooper, Zwolle, La.
- Brandon Coulter, Knoxville, Tenn.
- Cliff Crochet, Pierre Part, La.
- Mark Daniels, Jr., Tuskegee, Ala.
- Mark Davis, Mount Ida, Ark.
- Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn.
- Boyd Duckett, Guntersville, Ala.
- David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va.
- Dakota Ebare, Denham Springs, La.
- Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif.
- James Elam, Tulsa, Okla.
- Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla.
- Todd Faircloth, Jasper, Texas
- Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio
- Shin Fukae, Osaka, Japan
- Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C.
- *Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill.
- *Nick Hatfield, Greeneville, Tenn.
- Dylan Hays, Hot Springs, Ark.
- Randy Howell, Guntersville, Ala.
- John Hunter, Shelbyville, Ky.
- Alton Jones, Lorena, Texas
- Alton Jones, Jr., Waco, Texas
- Kelly Jordon, Flint, Texas
- Gary Klein, Mingus, Texas
- Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla.
- Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala.
- Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo.
- Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La.
- Matt Lee, Cullman, Ala.
- Dave Lefebre, Erie, Pa.
- Jared Lintner, Arroyo Grande, Calif.
- Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala.
- Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C.
- Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn.
- John Murray, Spring City, Tenn.
- Britt Myers, Lake Wylie, S.C.
- Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn.
- *Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich.
- Takahiro Omori, Tokyo, Japan
- Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala.
- Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif.
- *Marshall Robinson, Landrum, S.C.
- Marty Robinson, Lyman, S.C.
- Dean Rojas, Lake Havasu City, Ariz.
- Mark Rose, Wynne, Ark.
- Fred Roumbanis, Russellville, Ark.
- Bradley Roy, Lancaster, Ky.
- Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala.
- *Colby Schrumpf, Highland, Ill.
- Terry Scroggins, San Mateo, Fla.
- Fletcher Shryock, Guntersville, Ala.
- Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark.
- Gerald Spohrer, Gonzales, La.
- Jeff Sprague, Point, Texas
- *Matthew Stefan, Junction City, Wis.
- Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn.
- Scott Suggs, Alexander, Ark.
- Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C.
- *Jason Vance, Battle Ground, Ind.
- Jonathon VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich.
- *Martin Villa, Charlottesville, Va.
- Greg Vinson, Wetumpka, Ala.
- David Walker, Sevierville, Tenn.
- Jacob Wall, New Hope, Ala.
- James Watson, Lampe, Mo.
- *Joshua Weaver, Macon, Ga.
- Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn.
- Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala.
* Denotes 2024 Bass Pro Tour Rookie
2024 MLF Bass Pro Tour Schedule:
Jan. 30- Feb. 4 Stage One at Toledo Bend
Hosted by Toledo Bend Lake Country
Feb. 20-25 Stage Two at Santee Cooper Lakes
Hosted by the Clarendon County Chamber of Commerce
March 14-17 REDCREST 2024 at Lay Lake
Hosted by the Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau
April 9-14 Stage Three at Dale Hollow Lake
Hosted by the Byrdstown-Pickett County Chamber of Commerce
April 30- May 5 Stage Four at Lake Eufaula
Hosted by Vision Eufaula
May 18-23 General Tire Heavy Hitters at Kissimmee Chain Kissimmee, Fla.
Hosted by the Kissimmee Sports Commission
June 4-9
Hosted by the Town of Edenton, the Chowan County Tourism Development Authority and Harbor Towns Cruises
June 25-30 Stage Six at the James River
Hosted by Richmond Region Tourism
Aug. 6-11 Stage Seven at the St. Lawrence River
Hosted by the Town of Massena
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 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. 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™
See more bass tournament news here
