Bass Angler Magazine

See The Almost 30 New Pros Fishing the MLF Tour for 2021

BENTON, Ky. (Dec. 23, 2020) – Major League Fishing (MLF) announced today the roster for the 2021 MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit presented by Bad Boy Mowers. Kicking off its 26th season of professional competition and the second year since the acquisition by MLF, the 2021 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit roster will showcase a field of 165 of the top professional anglers in the world.

“We are extremely excited about the combined star power of the anglers on the 2021 MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit roster,” said Daniel Fennel, MLF Senior Director of Tournament Operations. “Combining Bass Pro Tour pros with seasoned Pro Circuit veterans and a fantastic class of rookies from across the country, we expect 2021 to be one of the most highly competitive seasons in our 26-year history.”

The 2021 MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit roster features a solid field of tournament veterans, including the return of bass-fishing legend Larry Nixon – after recovering from shoulder surgery – and multiple former FLW Cup champions including Darrel Robertson (1999), Dion Hibdon (2000), Anthony Gagliardi (2014) and Brad Knight (2015). They will be joined by John Cox, the 2016 FLW Cup champion who recently accepted his invitation to the MLF Bass Pro Tour, and 19 other Bass Pro Tour anglers who are taking advantage of the opportunity to fish upwards of 20 pro-level events between the two circuits.

Legendary Pro Larry Nixon Returns to Join 20 MLF Bass Pro Tour Anglers, Numerous FLW Cup and AOY Winners to Compete for $6.5 million over 2021 Season

The 2021 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit will also showcase numerous former Pro Circuit Angler of the Year (AOY) winners, including Ron Nelson (2020), Anthony Gagliardi (2006), Shin Fukae (2004) and David Walker (1999). The roster will include 28 rookies from around the world, including Italy’s Jacopo Gallelli, Cal Lane – son of Bass Pro Tour pro Chris Lane – and Cody Huff, a standout Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI angler from Bethel University.

The field will be showcased throughout six regular-season tournaments, with competition kicking off on Lake Okeechobee, Feb. 11-14, in Clewiston, Florida, and culminating with the 2021 MLF Tackle Warehouse TITLE championship on the Mississippi River, Aug. 17-22, in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The top award at each regular-season tournament is up to $135,000, with $235,000 going to the 2021 MLF Tackle Warehouse TITLE champion, including the lucrative $35,000 MLF BIG5 Phoenix Bonus for qualified anglers.

“It’s going to be fun getting back with many of my old friends and going tournament fishing again,” said Nixon, who is returning in 2021 for his 43rd year of fishing professionally. “I had surgery on January 6th last year and thought I’d be able to come back after six months and fish in the last tournament or two of the season, but that didn’t work out. I really missed my friends and the competition and am looking forward to a great year. I’m excited to go back to Lake Okeechobee, Smith and Murray – this is a stellar tournament schedule all the way around.”

The 2021 MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit will have 154 two-hour airings on network television, in a run that includes 24 airings on Outdoor Channel and 130 airings on Sportsman Channel, for a total of 308 hours of television programming. Traditional weigh-in livestream coverage will be combined with live-on-the-water coverage across 11 cameras on each of the final two days of each regular-season competition and all six days of the Tackle Warehouse TITLE. Fans can catch 108 hours of live action as it unfolds on MajorLeagueFishing.com.

“I’m really excited about the 2021 schedule,” said Gagliardi, MLF Bass Pro Tour angler and one of a few anglers who has won both an FLW Cup and AOY title. “I’ve always liked starting out the year on Lake Okeechobee in Florida – so many of us have history and familiarity there. Smith Lake is also a fun tournament lake and one I’ve had good success on. The opportunity to fish my home lake, Lake Murray, was a big factor in my choice to fish the Pro Circuit in addition to the Bass Pro Tour.

“I’ve never fished two pro tours consecutively, so it will be a lot of fishing for me, but I feel like this is a great opportunity. I think both tours create a great schedule all the way around, and I’m looking forward to getting after it in 2021.”

For complete details and updated information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at FacebookTwitterInstagram and  YouTube.

2021 MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Anglers
*Shannon Abbott                                Oceanside, Calif.
Jason Abram                                       Piney Flats, Tenn.      
Barron Adams                                     Mineral Bluff, Ga.     
Casey Ashley                                      Donalds, S.C.             
Scott Ashmore                                    Broken Arrow, Okla. 
*Tai Au                                               Glendale, Ariz.          
Adrian Avena                                     Vineland, N.J.            
Evan Barnes                                        Hot Springs, Ark.       
Clayton Batts                                      Butler, Ga.     
Bradford Beavers                                Summerville, S.C.                 
Matt Becker                                        Finleyville, Pa.           
Zack Birge                                          Blanchard, Okla.        
Daryl Biron                                         South Windsor, Conn.             
*Jason Blair                                        West Palm Beach, Fla.          
*Mark Blevins                                    Palatka, Fla.   
Greg Bohannan                                   Bentonville, Ark.       
Terry Bolton                                       Benton, Ky.    
*Josh Bragg                                        Jacksonville, Ala.                  
Christopher Brasher                            Longview, Texas
Aaron Britt                                          Yuba City, Calif.       
Grae Buck                                           Green Lane, Pa.         
Miles Burghoff                                   Soddy-Daisy, Tenn.   
*Josh Butler                                        Hayden, Ala.              
Jon Canada                                         Helena, Ala.   
*Michael Caruso                                 Peoria, Ariz.   
Joey Cifuentes                                    Clinton, Ark.  
Ramie Colson, Jr.                               Cadiz, Ky.      
*Justin O’Brian Cooper                      Zwolle, La.    
Kyle Cortiana                                     Coweta, Okla.            
John Cox                                             DeBary, Fla.              
Mitch Crane                                        Columbus, Miss.        
Lance Crawford                                  Broken Bow, Okla.    
Ryan Davidson                                   Branchland, W.V.      
Alex Davis                                          Albertville, Ala.         
Darrell Davis                                      Dover, Fla.                 
Randy Despino                                   Colfax, La.     
Tommy Dickerson                              Orange, Texas            
Scott Dobson                                      Clarkston, Mich.                    
Bradley Dortch                                   Atmore, Ala.              
Josh Douglas                                       Isle, Minn.      
Kurt Dove                                           Del Rio, Texas           
Dakota Ebare                                      Denham Springs, La.             
Jon Englund                                        Farwell, Minn.           
Ron Farrow                                         Rock Hill, S.C.          
Mark Fisher                                        Wauconda, Ill.           
*Trevor Fitzgerald                              Belleview, Fla.                       
Cole Floyd                                          Leesburg, Ohio          
Tim Frederick                                     Leesburg, Fla.                        
Shinichi Fukae                                    Palestine, Texas         
Anthony Gagliardi                              Prosperity, S.C.                      
Nick Gainey                                        Charleston, S.C.         
*Jacopo Gallelli                                  Florence, Italy            
*Grant Galloway                                Houlka, Miss.            
Kyle Gelles                                         Pingree, Ind.              
Matt Greenblatt                                   Port St. Lucie, Fla.     
Chad Grigsby                                      Maple Grove, Minn.  
Kyle Hall                                            Granbury, Texas        
Dylan Hays                                         Hot Springs, Ark.       
Dion Hibdon                                       Versailles, Mo.          
*Lawson Hibdon                                Versailles, Mo.                      
Billy Hines                                          Vacaville, Calif.         
Brett Hite                                            Phoenix, Ariz.            
Jamie Horton                                      Centerville, Ala.        
Miles Howe                                        San Juan Capistrano, Calif.   
*Cody Huff                                         Ava, Mo.        
John Hunter                                        Shelbyville, Ky.         
*Clabion Johns                                   Social Circle, Ga.                  
Danny Kirk                                         Bartow, Ga.    
Brad Knight                                        Lancing, Tenn.           
*Takayuki Koike                                Ōtsu, Japan    
Jason Lambert                                     Michie, Tenn.
Bobby Lane                                        Lakeland, Fla.            
*Cal Lane                                           Guntersville, Ala.      
Christopher Lane                                Guntersville, Ala.      
Brian Latimer                                     Belton, S.C.   
Jeremy Lawyer                                   Sarcoxie, Mo.
Nick Lebrun                                        Bossier City, La.        
*Jason Lieblong                                  Conway, Ark.            
Richard Lowitzki                                Hampshire, Ill.           
Justin Lucas                                        Guntersville, Ala.                  
Terry Luedtke                                     Burton, Texas
Erik Luzak                                          Fenelon Falls, Ontario, Canada         
Kevin Martin                                      Crown City, Ohio                  
Lendell Martin, Jr.                              Nacogdoches, Texas              
Michael Matthee                                 Centurion, South Africa        
Mike McClelland                                Blue Eye, Mo.            
Bill McDonald                                    Greenwood, Ind.        
Brandon McMillan                             Clewiston, Fla.           
Jared McMillan                                   Belle Glade, Fla.                    
Kevin Meeks                                       Smyrna, Tenn.           
Cody Meyer                                        Star, Ind.        
Colby Miller                                       Elmer, La.      
Kerry Milner                                       Fisher, Ark.    
Kurt Mitchell                                      Milford, Del.  
Tom Monsoor                                     La Crosse, Wis.         
Troy Morrow                                      Eastanollee, Ga.         
Brandon Mosley                                 Choctaw, Okla.          
Jim Moynagh                                      Shakopee, Minn.        
Robert Nakatomi                                Sacramento, Calif.     
Michael Neal                                      Dayton, Tenn.                        
Chris Neau                                          New Orleans, La.       
Corey Neece                                       Bristol, Tenn.            
*Jim Neece, Jr.                                   Bristol, Tenn.            
Ron Nelson                                         Berrien Springs, Mich.          
Dicky Newberry                                 Houston, Texas          
Cody Nichols                                      Fayette, Ala.              
James Niggemeyer                             Van, Texas     
Larry Nixon                                        Quitman, Ark.            
Lane Olson                                         Sherwood, Ore.          
Jake Ormond                                       Sterlington, La.          
Jordan Osborne                                   Longview, Texas       
Dave Parsons                                      Yantis, Texas            
*Cody Pike                                         Powhatan, Va.            
Keith Poche                                        Pike Road, Ala.          
Pete Ponds                                          Madison, Miss.          
Randy Ramsey                                    Burlington, Mich.      
Tom Redington                                   Royse City, Texas      
Matt Reed                                           Madisonville, Texas              
Clark Reehm                                       Elm Grove, La.          
Jimmy Reese                                       Witter Springs, Calif.            
Skeet Reese                                         Auburn, Calif.            
Jason Reyes                                        Huffman, Texas         
*Kevin Riney                                      Jonesboro, Ark.          
Darrel Robertson                                Jay, Okla.       
*Ricky Robinson                                Greenback, Tenn.      
Dean Rojas                                         Lake Havasu City, Ariz.        
Zell Rowland                                      Montgomery, Texas   
Rusty Salewske                                   Alpine, Calif.            
Ryan Salzman                                     Huntsville, Ala.          
Casey Scanlon                                    Eldon, Mo.                 
Colby Schrumpf                                 Highland, Ill.              
*Chase Serafin                                    White Lake, Mich.     
Braxton Setzer                                    Wetumpka, Ala.         
Spencer Shuffield                              Hot Springs, Ark.       
Charles Sim                                        Wasaga Beach, Ontario, Canada
Blake Smith                                        Lakeland, Fla.                        
Derrick Snavely                                  Piney Flats, Tenn.                  
Matthew Stefan                                   Junction City, Wis.                
Tyler Steward                                     West Monroe, La.                  
*Troy Stokes                                       Brownstown, Mich.   
Wesley Strader                                   Spring City, Tenn.                 
Laramy Strickland                              Bushnell, Fla.                        
Mike Surman                                      Boca Raton, Fla.        
*Scott Towry                                      Lawrenceburg, Tenn.             
Rusty Trancygier                                Hahira, Ga.                
J. Todd Tucker                                    Moultrie, Ga.            
Jim Tutt                                               Longview, Texas       
Jason Vance                                        Battle Ground, Ind.                
John Voyles                                        Petersburg, Ind.          
David Walker                                     Sevierville, Tenn.                  
Jacob Wall                                          New Hope, Ala.         
*Todd Walters                                    Kernersville, N. C.     
Chad Warren                                       Sand Springs, Okla.   
Jimmy Washam                                  Covington, Tenn.       
Joshua Weaver                                    Macon, Ga.                
Joseph Webster                                   Winfield, Ala.                        
Kyle Weisenburger                             Columbus Grove, Ohio          
*Joe Wieberg                                      Freeburg, Mo.                        
Jesse Wiggins                                     Logan, Ala.                
Scott Wiley                                         Bay Minette, Ala.      
David Williams                                   Maiden, N.C.            
*Jason Wilson                                     Lincolnton, N.C.                    
Tyler Woolcott                                   Port Orange, Fla.       
Gary Yamamoto                                 Palestine, Texas         
*Steve York                                        Bronson, Mich.          

*denotes MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Rookie

About MLF BIG5
MLF BIG5 is part of MLF, the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization. It provides anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money across five tournament circuits featuring a five-biggest-fish format.

Headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with offices in Benton, Kentucky, MLF and its partners conduct more than 290 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Namibia, Portugal, South Africa, Spain and Zimbabwe.

MLF tournaments are broadcast on Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel, World Fishing Network, MyOutdoorTV, Discovery and CBS Sports while MLF Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros to the world’s most avid bass anglers.

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