FLW, the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, announced today the 2020 FLW Pro Circuit roster. There was high demand to compete on the 2020 FLW Pro Circuit, with more than 165 anglers requesting a spot on the circuit in its first year since the acquisition by Major League Fishing. Per the FLW qualifying process outlined in the 2019 rules, the field will include 150 anglers plus five additional pros with medical and/or hardship exemptions. The 2020 FLW Pro Circuit field will feature 155 pros.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to introduce this exceptional field of professional anglers,” said Kathy Fennel, FLW Executive Vice President and General Manager. “Many of the most decorated pro anglers in the sport have gotten their start at FLW, and we expect our 2020 season to be one of the most exciting, competitive seasons in our history.”
The 2020 FLW Pro Circuit roster is headlined by a stout contingent of bass-fishing professionals, including former FLW Cup champions Brad Knight (2015), John Cox (2016) and Darrel Robertson (1999) along with former All-American champions Nick LeBrun (2018), Jeremy Lawyer (2016) and Troy Morrow (2010). They will be joined by bass-fishing legends Larry Nixon – after recovering from shoulder surgery – and Gary Yamamoto, along with veteran FLW stalwarts such as Terry Bolton, Greg Bohannan and Chad Grigsby.
The 2020 FLW Pro Circuit will also showcase rising stars like Bradford Beavers, the 2018 FLW Series champion; Joseph Webster, the 2017 TBF “Living the Dream” angler; and the McMillan brothers – Brandon and Jared – whose bass-fishing pedigree puts them in contention at almost any tournament, no matter the type of fishery. The 2020 FLW Pro Circuit will also feature 28 rookies from around the country, including the 2019 TBF “Living the Dream” winner Preston Craig. Medical and/or hardship exemptions were granted to Evan Barnes, Larry Nixon, Robert Pearson, Pete Ponds and Chris Whitson.
The field will be showcased across seven regular-season tournaments around the country with competition kicking off at Sam Rayburn Reservoir, Jan. 23-26, in Brookeland, Texas, and culminating with the FLW TITLE championship on the St. Lawrence River, Aug. 8-13, in Massena, New York.
The top award at each regular-season tournament is $100,000 with $200,000 going to the FLW TITLE champion. Since the final field exceeds the published payout basis of 150 pros, FLW will survey all 155 participating pros to finalize the 2020 payout structure.
“I’m super excited to be fishing again in 2020,” said pro Greg Bohannan of Bentonville, Arkansas, a 13-year FLW veteran with more than $830,000 in career earnings. “We’ve got a great schedule – I’m especially excited for Lake Dardanelle because I played college football there and spent a lot of time on that fishery. I think we’ve got a very bright future ahead of us with the combined synergies of FLW and Major League Fishing.”
The 2020 FLW Pro Circuit will have 156 two-hour airings on network television, including 26 consecutive weeks of Friday night primetime airing on Outdoor Channel and 130 airings on Sportsman Channel for a total of 312 hours of FLW Pro Circuit programming. In addition to the tradition of live streaming the weigh-in, each of the final two days of competition will feature live-on-the-water coverage across 18 cameras. Fans can catch 54 hours of live action as it unfolds on FLWFishing.com and MyOutdoorTV (MOTV).
The 2019 FLW Angler of the Year (AOY) David Dudley and 2019 FLW Cup winner Bryan Thrift will not fish the FLW Pro Circuit as they have accepted spots on the MLF Bass Pro Tour roster. Beginning in 2021, the FLW Pro Circuit will serve as the only pathway into the no-entry-fee Bass Pro Tour. The top 10 anglers from the FLW Pro Circuit based on 2020 and 2021 AOY standings will receive invitations to compete on the Bass Pro Tour.
“I think that some people always look at mergers and acquisitions a little skeptical, but MLF has been very up front and willing to listen to the anglers,” said pro Terry Bolton of Paducah, Kentucky, a 24-year FLW veteran with 48 career top-10 finishes. “They have demonstrated that they are willing to listen and change things to benefit their customers – us, the anglers – and I think that is a very good thing. The new Pro Circuit will be different, but it’s a lot of the same old faces with some new twists involved and I think it brings a new energy to the tournaments. There are several lakes on the schedule that I am really looking forward to and I’m excited to get back at it.”
In FLW Pro Circuit competition anglers are vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2020 FLW TITLE championship. The 2020 FLW TITLE, featuring the top 50 FLW Pro Circuit anglers, will be held on the St. Lawrence River in Massena, New York, Aug. 8-13.
2020 FLW Pro Circuit Anglers
Jason Abram – Piney Flats, Tenn.
*Barron Adams – Mineral Bluff, Ga.
Randy Allen – Gilliam, La.
*T.R. Andreas – Kerrville, Texas
*Travis Archer – Covington, Wash.
Scott Ashmore – Broken Arrow, Okla.
Evan Barnes – Hot Springs, Ark.
Clayton Batts – Butler, Ga.
Bradford Beavers – Summerville, S.C.
Matt Becker – Finleyville, Pa.
Bob Behrle – Hoover, Ala.
James Biggs – Euless, Texas
Daryl Biron – South Windsor, Conn.
Greg Bohannan – Bentonville, Ark.
Terry Bolton – Benton, Ky.
Bailey Boutries – Daphne, Ala.
Christopher Brasher – Longview, Texas
Aaron Britt – Yuba City, Calif.
Grae Buck – Harleysville, Pa.
Miles Burghoff – Hixson, Tenn.
*Dennis Cameron – Travelers Rest, S.C.
Jon Canada – Helena, Ala.
Ryan Chandler – Hebron, Ind.
Glenn Chappelear – Acworth, Ga.
Jason Christy – Dadeville, Ala.
Joey Cifuentes – Clinton, Ark.
Ramie Colson Jr. – Cadiz, Ky.
Kyle Cortiana – Coweta, Okla.
John Cox – DeBary, Fla.
*Preston Craig – Philadelphia, Tenn.
*Mitch Crane – Columbus, Miss.
*Lance Crawford – Broken Bow, Okla.
Alex Davis – Albertville, Ala.
Darrell Davis – Dover, Fla.
Randy Despino – Colfax, La.
Tommy Dickerson – Orange, Texas
Jeff Dobson – Bartlesville, Okla.
Scott Dobson – Clarkston, Mich.
Bradley Dortch – Atmore, Ala.
Josh Douglas – Isle, Minn.
Kurt Dove – Del Rio, Texas
Tony Dumitras – Winston, Ga.
Dakota Ebare – Stephenville, Texas
Jon Englund – Farwell, Minn.
Charlie Evans – Berea, Ky.
Ron Farrow – Rock Hill, S.C.
Mark Fisher – Wauconda, Ill.
*Cole Floyd – Leesburg, Ohio
Tim Frederick – Leesburg, Fla.
Hunter Freeman – Monroe, La.
Nick Gainey – Charleston, S.C.
David Gaston – Sylacauga, Ala.
*Kyle Gelles – Pingree, Idaho
Sam George – Athens, Ala.
*Darold Gleason – Many, La.
Matt Greenblatt – Port St. Lucie, Fla.
Chad Grigsby – Maple Grove, Minn.
Chip Harrington – Olathe, Kan.
Dylan Hays – El Dorado, Ark.
Billy Hines – Vacaville, Calif.
Jamie Horton – Centreville, Ala.
Miles Howe – San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
*Roger Hughes – Bessemer, Ala.
John Hunter – Shelbyville, Ky.
Bill Hutchison – Bessemer, Ala.
Eric Jackson – Walling, Tenn.
Rob Kilby – Hot Springs, Ark.
Brad Knight – Lancing, Tenn.
Jeremy Lawyer – Sarcoxie, Mo.
Nick LeBrun – Bossier City, La.
Richard Lowitzki – Hampshire, Ill.
*Terry Luedtke – Burton, Texas
*Erik Luzak – Fenelon Falls, Ontario, Canada
*Kevin Martin – Crown City, Ohio
Lendell Martin Jr. – Nacogdoches, Texas
Michael Matthee Centurion – Gauteng Province, South Africa
Billy McCaghren – Mayflower, Ark.
Chris McCall – Palmer, Texas
Johnny McCombs – Morris, Ala.
Bill McDonald – Greenwood, Ind.
Brandon McMillan – Clewiston, Fla.
Jared McMillan – Belle Glade, Fla.
*Kevin Meeks – Smyrna, Tenn.
Jason Meninger – Saint Augustine, Fla.
*Colby Miller – Elmer, La.
Kerry Milner – Bono, Ark.
Kurt Mitchell – Milford, Del.
Tom Monsoor – La Crosse, Wis.
*Jake Morris – McKee, Ky.
Troy Morrow – Eastanollee, Ga.
Brandon Mosley – Choctaw, Okla.
Jim Moynagh – Carver, Minn.
Shawn Murphy – Nicholasville, Ky.
*Robert Nakatomi – Sacramento, Calif.
Chris Neau – New Orleans, La.
Corey Neece – 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 – Tigard, Ore.
*Jake Ormond – Sterlington, La.
Jordan Osborne – Longview, Texas
*Dave Parsons – Yantis, Texas
*Tyson Patrick – Midland, Texas
Robert Pearson – Herndon, Va.
*David Perdue – Wirtz, Va.
Pete Ponds – Madison, Miss.
Drew Ratley – Shreveport, La.
Tom Redington – Royse City, Texas
Matt Reed – Madisonville, Texas
Clark Reehm – Elm Grove, La.
Jimmy Reese – Witter Springs, Calif.
Jason Reyes – Huffman, Texas
Darrel Robertson – Jay, Okla.
Troy Roder – Brookeland, Texas
Zell Rowland – Montgomery, Texas
Rusty Salewske – Alpine, Calif.
Ryan Salzman – Huntsville, Ala.
Casey Scanlon – Lake Ozark, Mo.
Braxton Setzer – Montgomery, Ala.
Alvin Shaw – Roaring Gap, N.C
Spencer Shuffield – Hot Springs, Ark.
Charles Sim Nepean – Ontario, Canada
A.J. Slegona – Pine Bush, N.Y.
Blake Smith – Lakeland, Fla.
Derrick Snavely – Piney Flats, Tenn.
Matthew Stefan – Junction City, Wis.
Tyler Stewart – West Monroe, La.
Chuck Stratton – Chaffee, Mo.
Wade Strelic – Alpine, Calif.
*Laramy Strickland – Bushnell, Fla.
Mike Surman – Boca Raton, Fla.
Rusty Trancygier – Hahira, Ga.
J. Todd Tucker – Moultrie, Ga.
Jim Tutt – Longview, Texas
*Jason Vance – Battle Ground, Ind.
John Voyles – Petersburg, Ind.
Jacob Wall – Jacksonville, Ore.
Chad Warren – Sand Springs, Okla.
*Jimmy Washam – Covington, Tenn.
Joshua Weaver – Macon, Ga.
Joseph Webster – Winfield, Ala.
Kyle Weisenburger – Ottawa, Ohio
Chris Whitson – Louisville, Tenn.
Scott Wiley – Bay Minette, Ala.
Alton Wilhoit – Noble, Okla.
David Williams – Maiden, N.C.
Barry Wilson – Birmingham, Ala.
*Chance Woodard – Paris, Texas
Tyler Woolcott – Port Orange, Fla.
David Wootton – Collierville, Tenn.
Gary Yamamoto – Palestine, Texas
Andy Young – Isle, Minn.
*denotes FLW Pro Circuit Rookie
