The Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit is set to visit Sandusky, Aug. 11-14, for its sixth and final regular-season event – the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Lake Erie. Hosted by the City of Sandusky and the Lake Erie Shores & Islands Welcome Center, the lucrative bass-fishing Super Tournament will feature nearly 200 anglers from FLW and Major League Fishing (MLF) competing for a piece of more than $1.3 million, with a top award of $160,000.
The event will also showcase the exciting finale to the extremely competitive 2020 Pro Circuit Angler of the Year (AOY) and Polaris Rookie of the Year (ROY) races. Michigan pro Ron Nelson holds a 73-point lead in the AOY race, while 23-year-old Texan Kyle Hall leads the ROY race, holding a slim lead over Tennessee’s Jimmy Washam.
“This is going to be a really exciting tournament to end the season,” said Nelson, who was the 2019 Polaris Rookie of the Year. “The biggest factor in this event is going to be the wind. If it is calm, guys are going to be making long runs. If it’s rough, we’re going to have to fish the islands and the bay and you’re going to really have to change your strategy.
“Personally, I’m going to be more conservative and won’t be making any long run unless I make the Top 50 cut on Thursday,” Nelson continued. “My priorities are a little different than most, though. I’m not going for the tournament win – I’m going for the AOY win. Consistency is the key, there.”
Nelson said that he expects to see both largemouth and smallmouth bass play a big role in the event, and that a lot of competitors would weigh in both species over the event.
“For the smallmouth guys, Ned rigs, drop-shot rigs and tubes will all be important baits,” Nelson said. “The guys targeting largemouth will be throwing typical swimjigs, ChatterBaits, flipping jigs and frogging.
“The key to doing well in this one is going to be landing the fish that you hook,” Nelson went on to say. “Everyone is going to find fish, but the guy who fishes clean and lands everything that bites is going to win.”
The Super Tournament will also feature MLF pro anglers competing in the event alongside the FLW pros. MLF announced an abbreviated 2020 Bass Pro Tour schedule due to their mid-season pause related to the coronavirus, which prompted FLW Executive Vice President Kathy Fennel to create the opportunity for both FLW and MLF pros. Pros competing in this event include former FLW champions Bryan Thrift, Justin Atkins, John Cox, Brad Knight, Anthony Gagliardi, Jacob Wheeler, Brent Ehrler, David Dudley and Darrel Robertson. They’ll be joined by numerous MLF anglers, including Bobby Lane, Skeet Reese and Keith Poche.
Anglers will take off at 6:30 a.m. EDT each day from the Shelby St. Public Boat Launch, located at 101 Shelby St., in Sandusky. The weigh-in each day will also be held at the Boat Launch and will begin at 3 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday and at 4 p.m. on Thursday and Friday.
Attendance is limited to competing anglers and essential staff only. Fans are encouraged to forgo the daily takeoffs and weigh-ins and follow the event online through the expanded four-day “FLW Live” on-the-water broadcasts and weigh-in coverage at FLWFishing.com.
The total purse for the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Lake Erie is more than $1.3 million, including $10,000 through 100th place.
In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of pro anglers compete in the two-day opening round on Tuesday and Wednesday. The top 50 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advance to Thursday. Only the top 10 pros continue competition on Championship Friday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.
FLW anglers are vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the Tackle Warehouse TITLE presented by Toyota, the Pro Circuit championship. The 2020 Tackle Warehouse TITLE presented by Toyota will be held on Lake Michigan in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, Aug. 24-29.
MLF pros competing in the Pro Circuit Super Tournaments will fish for prize money only. No points will be awarded toward any championship or title to MLF competitors. Only the original Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit anglers will compete for the AOY title throughout the remainder of the season. AOY points in the final events will be awarded based on Pro Circuit anglers finishing order. The top-finishing FLW pro will receive “first-place points” regardless of where he finishes in the overall standings, and so on.
The popular FLW Live on-the-water broadcast will air on all four days of competition, featuring live action from the boats of the tournament’s top pros each day. Host Travis Moran is joined by Toyota Series pro Todd Hollowell and MLF’s Marty Stone to break down the extended action each day from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. On-the-water broadcasts will be live streamed on FLWFishing.com.
Television coverage of the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Lake Erie will premiere at 7 p.m. EDT, Sept. 25 on the Outdoor Channel. Running now through Dec. 27, FLW will air 312 hours of Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit action on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel. Each two-hour long episode goes in-depth to break down the final rounds of each regular-season competition. Episodes premiere in Friday night primetime slots on the Outdoor Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
About FLW - FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, FLW 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.
FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show while Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. Acquired by Major League Fishing in late 2019, FLW is expanding its programming in 2020 to the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel as well as on-demand at MyOutdoorTV (MOTV).
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