Andy Morgan
Jacob Wheeler
John Murray
Michael Neal
Wesley Strader
Major League Fishing, the world’s largest tournament fishing organization, is set to open the 2021 Bass Pro Tour season – the third season of the action-packed Tour – this week, March 21-26, with the Toro Stage 1 at Sam Rayburn Reservoir presented by Power-Pole.
Among the 80 anglers competing in 2021 will be local professional anglers Andy Morgan and Michael Neal of Dayton, John Murray and Wesley Strader of Spring City and Jacob Wheeler of Harrison. The Chickamauga quintet has combined career earnings of more than $9.2 million and 30 career victories. They’ll all be looking to qualify for the third annual Redcrest championship, hosted next year at Grand Lake in Tulsa, Ok.
“I’m excited to get 2020 behind us and get the ball rolling again,” said Mr. Morgan. “We’re still here, we’re still going to catch a lot of bass. I think I’m most excited about the Chickamauga event in June. It’s going to be so nice to sleep in my own bed and have somewhat of a home field advantage. And it’s going to be a great tournament! We’re going to see a lot of big fish caught and it will be a real interesting tournament.”
“I think we’ve got a great schedule – starting out at Rayburn, then finishing up north at the St. Lawrence (River) and Lake Champlain,” Mr. Neal said. “And of course, especially Chickamauga – that’s the one I’m looking forward to the most. We haven’t had a true summertime offshore tournament, and I think that event is going to blow a lot of minds with how fast the Scoretracker lights up.”
“I am excited to see a ‘later’ schedule on the Bass Pro Tour, meaning running later in the year when I like to fish and the inclusion of some awesome northern fisheries,” Mr. Murray said.
Mr. Strader added, “My goal for 2021 is to be as consistent as possible on both sides of the track – both the (Tackle Warehouse) Pro circuit and the Bass Pro Tour. When I see conditions are favorable for a chance at a win, I will try to seize that opportunity.”
“I’m extremely excited for the MLF Bass Pro Tour season to start,” said Mr. Wheeler. “The league has picked some unbelievable fisheries at the absolute prime times – including one of my favorites right here, Lake Chickamauga.”
2021 MLF Bass Pro Tour Schedule
• March 21-26 Stage One at Sam Rayburn Reservoir Jasper, Texas
• April 9-14 General Tire HEAVY HITTERS Raleigh, N.C.
• April 30-May 5 Stage Two at Lake Travis Austin, Texas
• May 21-26 Stage Three at Harris Chain of Lakes Leesburg, Fla.
• June 4-9 Stage Four at Lake Chickamauga Dayton, Tenn.
• June 25-30 Stage Five at St. Lawrence River Massena, N.Y.
• Aug. 5-10 Stage Six at Lake Champlain Plattsburgh, N.Y.
• Sept. 10-15 Stage Seven at Lake St. Clair St. Clair Shores, Mich.
• March 22-26, 2022 Redcrest 2022 at Grand Lake Tulsa, Okla.
The top award at each Bass Pro Tour event is $100,000, with $300,000 going to the winner of the Redcrest 2022 championship event. Anglers are also competing to qualify each year for the General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event, which showcases the pros with the highest cumulative weight from their single largest bass in each of the seven regular-season events.
In accordance with COVID-19 protocols, attendance at Major League Fishing events is currently limited to competing anglers, essential staff and media covering the event only. Fans are encouraged to follow the event online through the MLF Now live stream and Scoretracker coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The MLF Now broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney break down the extended action on all six days of competition from 7:45 a.m.-4:30 p.m. MLF Now is live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV app.
Television coverage of the Bass Pro Tour Toro Stage 1 at Sam Rayburn Reservoir presented by Power-Pole will be showcased across two two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m., Aug. 28 on the Discovery Channel. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel. Each two-hour long reality-based episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition.
The 2021 Bass Pro Tour features a field of 76 of the top professional anglers in the world – joined at each event by four pros that qualify from the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit – competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, competing for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual Heavy Hitters all-star event and the Redcrest 2022 championship.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.