Do you love fishing? Have you heard about Major League Fishing? There is a lot of evidence that the passionate anglers have heard about it, but do we all know its history? Do we know all the secrets? In this article, we will tackle what Major League Fishing is about and may answer many of your questions.
Major League Fishing: General introduction
This is one of our favorite sports organizations, and we love to follow every one of their events. Watching pro anglers competing against each other or paying attention to how they manage to overcome their difficulties (which, by the way, is always exciting) is one of the things we love the most about Major League Fishing.
However, what we really love about it is that they share the same values we follow here at WeFish. They work hard to bring anglers closer to their passion, and they have strong rules that penalize anglers who do not handle fish responsibly.
As you all know, at WeFish we love innovation, fishing, and, above all, we love to protect fish.
What is Major League Fishing?
Major League Fishing is the top bass fishing competition in the world, and it is presented in a totally innovative television format. Different from other competitions, Major League Fishing is not only focused on the fish catch, but also on the struggles, personalities, strategies, emotions, and conflicts of the anglers. It tries to bring the fan closer to what fishing is really about.
Major League Fishing was born as the result of mixing two groups of people with a similar goal: Show the world competitive, professional bass fishing in a way no one had ever seen.
On one hand, anglers wanted their fans, and any other sports fans, to view professional fishing in the same way they see other sports organizations, such as the NBA, NFL, or NASCAR. These pros wanted fans to show the real struggles and challenges they face when trying to outwit and outlast their competitors. They wanted to create what became Major League Fishing, a whole new game.
On the other hand, the Outdoor Channel was seeking new options to increase its presence in the competitive fishing sector. And when these two groups happened to meet, the idea, the talent, and the tools needed for bringing competitive fishing to the next level were established.
Since the first Major League Fishing event was filmed in 2011 at Lake Amistad, Texas, and aired in 2012 by the Outdoor Channel, its success has been increasing and it has become a global benchmark for competitive fishing. Currently, the Major Fishing League has different circuits.
Bass Pro Tour
The Bass Pro Tour is the top-level competitive circuit within MLF. Eighty anglers compete in seven stages, culminating in the Bass Pro Tour championship, REDCREST.
Cup Events
The Major League Fishing Cup events is the original format of this sports organization. They are shot-in-the-dark and produced for television on the Outdoor Channel. The format is simple; thirty anglers will compete in each Major League Fishing Cup event. Their participation is based on the points they have accumulated during the Bass Pro Tour events. There are four Cup events: Challenge Cup, Heritage Cup, Patriot Cup, and Summit Cup.
Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit
The Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit is based in six tournaments where the best 150 fishermen in the world compete for $135,000 in a five-biggest-fish format. The season ends with the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit TITLE, which is presented by Toyota, where fifty top pros compete in a catch, weight format for $235,000.
Toyota Series
The Toyota Series is the best chance to compete for the biggest payouts at the lowest entry fees. Anglers compete in six different divisions for $235,000 in prizes, including a $35,000 Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus. Co-anglers also compete for a $33,500 Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat powered by a 115 HP Mercury engine.
By participating in the Toyota Series, you can make it to the Tackle Warehouse, and ultimately to the Bass Pro Tour.
Major League Fishing Schedule
Major League Fishing has a different schedule every year. In order to be aware of every change in its schedule, we strongly recommend checking it on the Major League Fishing web page.
This year, the Bass Pro Tour is already scheduled.
Where can I watch Major League Fishing?
All episodes of Major League Fishing can be seen on Saturdays from 2-4 pm on the Outdoor Channel. If you do not have the Outdoor Channel, do not worry, there are other solutions to watch it. You can watch them on MyOutdoorTV, Outdoor Channel’s streaming service that offers a seven-day free trial. After the trial, it has a subscription cost of $9.99/month. New episodes are added to the MyOutdoorTV library two days after they were aired on the Outdoor Channel. A new episode of Major League Fish premieres on Saturday at 2 PM on the Outdoor Channel, and it is added to MyOutdoorTV by Monday afternoon.
But not only the new episodes of MLF can be seen on these platforms. they are constantly re-airing older episodes so we don’t miss anything about the season. If you want to be updated about all the Major League Fishing broadcasts, we recommend that you take a look at the TV Schedule on its web page.
How can I compete in the Major League Bass Pro Tour?
Currently, the Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour is an invitation-only event, and the eighty participants have already been selected for the next three years. When the pros committed to the tour, they signed a three-year contract that guaranteed them a spot in the competition. Nevertheless, there is still hope for new anglers who want to compete, once this three years period is over. Major League Fishing will create a feeder system, and new anglers will have the opportunity to qualify for the Bass Pro Tour. Fishermen with the least amount of points in the Bass Tour will fall out, and new anglers will have the chance to qualify.
But do not worry, there may be a solution for anglers like you, who like competitions, but are not keen on real tournaments. By using WeFish, you can participate in several leagues based on the modalities you like the most. You will compete against people you follow within the app in seasonal leagues. This is a fun way to meet new anglers, and prove yourself to be among the best.
Major League Fishing and responsible fishing
As we mentioned before, what we really value the most about the MLF format is how they try to produce as little impact as possible to the environment and fish while they compete on each event.
During tournaments, the pros are penalized when a fish touches the carpet of the boat or the angler’s body. This is because Major League Fishing takes fish care very seriously. They want anglers to handle the fish responsibly, which is why they penalize anglers for actions that might cause any kind of unnecessary harm to the fish. The rules are severe; for example, landing the fish improperly represents a two-minute penalty where the angler cannot perform any type of action.
Fishing should be about enjoying yourself in nature, but nature cannot be enjoyed when it is damaged. At WeFish, we are a community that really believes in that statement and we are constantly working on improving our environment while we enjoy our passion. WeFishers take good care of fish, and never post any catch where the fish has been harmed. They are always sharing tips on how to practice a more responsible fishing.
That is why, dear reader, if you feel you belong to this new generation of anglers who know how to enjoy fishing while taking good care of the environment, WeFish is your place to be, your place to grow, and your place to enjoy.
