– A field of 204 professional anglers from FLW and Major League Fishing (MLF) are set to visit the Mississippi River in La Crosse next week, July 29-Aug. 1, at the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at the Mississippi River presented by OPTIMA Batteries. Hosted by Explore La Crosse, the Super Tournament will feature anglers competing for a piece of more than $1.3 million, with a top award of $160,000.
“This is going to be such a fun tournament,” said local angler Yamamoto Baits pro Tom Monsoor of La Crosse, Wisconsin, a 17-year veteran who has 25 top-10 finishes on the Mississippi River in FLW competition. “Guys are going to be catching them every way they want to. Deep water, shallow water. Wing dams, rocks, grass – everyone is going to be able to fish their strengths and there is plenty of everything.”
Monsoor said that he also expects that smallmouth bass could play a big role in the tournament.
“There are just as many smallmouth here as largemouth, and they are just as big,” Monsoor said. “And typically when you find the smallmouth there are multiple fish there and you can quickly catch a limit. So, the smallmouth will be a huge x-factor in this event.”
Competition waters in play for anglers are Pools No. 7, 8 and 9. With multiple pools in play, Monsoor said that he expects the fishery to be extremely different than the last time FLW’s top level circuit visited the river in 2017.
“The river is not like a lake – the lake never changes. The river is constantly changing,” Monsoor said. “I got stuck three times last month in places that I have run my whole life. The water is up, the water is down, it’s muddy, it’s clear – the water is never the same. This tournament is going to be anybody’s event to win.”
Monsoor said that he’ll have multiple swimjigs, topwater baits, frogs, Senkos and a Strike King Bitsy Bug jig tied on.
“If you don’t have a Senko and a swimjig tied on, you’re really missing the boat,” the Wisconsin pro went on to say. “I think the winner is going to have a four-day total right around 60 to 70 pounds – it all depends on who can find the big 5-pound kickers.”
Anglers will take off at 6:30 a.m. CDT each day from Veterans Freedom Park, located at 1 Clinton St., in La Crosse. The weigh-in each day will also be held at Veterans Freedom Park and will begin at 3 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday and at 4 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. 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 the Mississippi River presented by OPTIMA Batteries is more than $1,300,000, including $10,000 through 102nd place.
In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of 204 pro anglers compete in the two-day opening round on Wednesday and Thursday. The top 50 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advance to Friday. Only the top 10 pros continue competition on Championship Saturday, 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 FLW TITLE presented by Toyota, the Pro Circuit championship. The 2020 Tackle Warehouse FLW 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 Chickamauga will premiere at 7 p.m. EDT, Sept. 11 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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