2020 TBF Federation National Championship Kicks Off this Week

GRAND LAKE O’ THE CHEROKEES HOSTS 2020 TBF FEDERATION NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Ponca City, Okla., (March 11, 2020) – The Bass Federation’s elite head to Grand Lake in Grove, Okla., March 9-14 to vie for the 2020 Federation National Champion titles, lucrative “Living YOUR Dream” boater and co-angler champions prize packages, Ranger Cup contingencies and cash prizes.

TBF is an independent powerhouse 100% owned by its members and every year it continues to provide more for this industry and its members.  For the 5th straight year, the no-entry fee national contest will increase its value, the total purse for this event has nearly doubled since 2015 fueled by the success of the TBF National Semi-Final program, the 2020 Federation National Championship will boast a record-breaking pot of cash prizes and awards that will exceed $380,000.

For the first time in event history, Ranger Cup contingencies will be awarded to the top five Ranger Cup qualified TBF boaters and the top 5 TBF co-anglers.  The top five boaters will awarded $2,500, $2,000, $1,500, $1,000 & $500 and the top co-anglers will receive $2,000, $1,250, $750, $500 and $250.

The Bass Federation will host 108 TBF National Semi-Final Champions from across the nation and Canada.  National Semi-Finalist qualified at 22 close-to-home district contests that span the traditional seven TBF geographical divisions, the framework paves the way for TBF grassroots anglers to fish premier events with some of the industries largest cash and prize packages and more advancement opportunities than anyone grassroots organization in the industry.

The National Champion boater will receive the 2020 “Living YOUR Dream” prize package valued at over $125,000 to include a new 2020Ranger Z520L with Evinrude 250 G2, fully loaded with Power Poles, electronics trolling motor and a custom Ranger trail trailer, a $20,000 cash award and featuring a pre-set amount of entry fee stipends PAID to assist the winner in fishing his/her choice of affiliated circuits anywhere in the US or Canada with travel stipends, a clothing package and more.   The champion boater will receive automatic berth into the 2020 BFL All-American with travel and housing stipend and a guaranteed payout with $100,000 top prize at the event.  Also, an automatic berth in the 2020 FLW Series Championship with $200,000 top prize and a reserved slot at the 2021 FLW Pro Circuit.

The National Champion co-angler will receive a custom “Living YOUR Dream” package valued at over $33,000 with $20,000 cash prize plus paid entry stipends into any affiliated series of choice anywhere in the US or Canada with travel stipends, a clothing package and more. The champion co-angler will also receive automatic berths into the 2020 BFL All-American as a co-angler with travel and housing stipends and a guaranteed payout with $50,000 top prize and the 2020 FLW Series Championship as a co-angler with a $30,000 top prize.

Also, this event will introduce “Living YOUR Dream” prize packages for all of the TBF Division Champion boaters and co-anglers, 14 anglers in total with cash payouts, entry fee stipends and advancement spots into the BFL All-American.

The field is comprised of the best of the best TBF anglers.  Georgia’s High School State Champion, Marshall Harrelson,  is the first TBF High School angler to qualify for nationals via an earned High School State Champion slot in the National Semi-Final.  The 2014 FNC National Champion boater, James Biggs, also returns representing Texas.  The Idaho Bass Federation qualified a family of Torrek’s from District 19’s National Semi-Final.  Loren and Shane Torok advance as boaters, Alex Torok as a co-angler.  Shane Torok won the co-angler side and bested Idaho’s top boater giving him the chance to qualify and Idaho the opportunity to send two boaters and co-anglers. There are lots of stories to tell in this event so check the daily feeds.

All 54 boaters and co-anglers will fight for their shares of the record payout as official competition days begin Thursday, March 12 on Grand Lake.  Hotel rooms for the official event days are provided for all anglers as well lunches, ice and drinks for their boat daily.  All 54 boaters also received a boat gas stipend at registration to cover their boat gas for the event.

Coverage of the TBF National Championship will be broadcast in high-definition on Federation Angler TV on the Pursuit Channel and weigh-ins will be streamed live at 3pm CT from Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees on bassfederation.com.

About TBF

The Bass Federation Inc. is the oldest and largest, organized grassroots angling organization in America and a member of the fresh water fishing hall of fame. TBF is 100 percent owned by those it serves and is dedicated to the sport of fishing. TBF affiliated state federations and their member clubs conduct more than 20,000 fishing, youth and conservation events at the local level each year, and have provided the foundation for the entire bass fishing industry for 50 years. The Bass Federation is proud “Partners in Fishing” with FLW, which helps support this annual event along with other industry-leading TBF sponsors including Ranger Boats, Evinrude, Lowrance, Bass Pro Shops, Cabela’s, Humminbird, Minn Kota, Berkley,T-H Marine, and Power Pole. For more information about The Bass Federation, visit bassfederation.com, or call 580-765-9031. Look for TBF on facebook at Facebook.com/thebassfederation and on twitter at Twitter.com/bassfederation.

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FLW, TBF Extend Strategic Partnership

FLW, TBF Extend Strategic Partnership

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: PONCA CITY, OK . (Dec. 5, 2020) – Fishing League Worldwide (FLW) and The Bass Federation (TBF) announced today a new strategic partnership. This agreement extends bass fishing’s longest-running alliance between two pioneering organizations in service to grassroots anglers from coast to coast and around the world. Terms were not disclosed.

The partnership between FLW and TBF, two independent companies, continues to afford opportunities for co-membership and FLW tournament bids to TBF anglers in this agreement. The top boater and co-angler from each of seven divisions at the TBF National Championship will advance to FLW’s Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American. Additionally, TBF introduces a revamped and expanded “Living the Dream” prize package for anglers in 2020 and beyond. Preston Craig, the 2019 TBF National Champion from Philadelphia, Tenn., will be the first “Living the Dream” angler to benefit from the new partnership with his entry fees paid for the 2020 FLW Pro Circuit.

“We are proud to continue our longstanding relationship with FLW to provide grassroots fishing opportunities for our adult and student anglers alike,” said Robert Cartlidge, TBF President. “We value of the tradition of TBF and FLW working together. This relationship allows TBF the flexibility to do more for our members.”

FLW and TBF will continue to co-manage the nation’s largest High School Fishing program that includes 66 tournaments and a host of sanctioned trails serving more than 20,000 students across the United States. Participation in FLW and TBF High School Fishing tournaments is free to all Student Angler Federation (SAF) members, as SAF membership includes both TBF and FLW membership.

“We are thrilled to announce our continued partnership with TBF,” said Kathy Fennel, FLW Executive Vice President and General Manager. “Since 2006 we’ve worked more closely than any two organizations in the history of our sport, and we intend to strengthen that relationship under our new ownership for the benefit of all the anglers we serve.”

Preston Craig’s “Living the Dream” prize package, will include fully paid FLW Pro Circuit entry fees, use of a tow vehicle and boat, and travel stipends for many events. Previous winners include MLF pro Mark Daniels, Jr.

“Living the Dream kicked off my career,” Daniels said. “It literally changed my life. I always dreamed of an opportunity to fish for a living, and TBF was the saving grace that granted me that chance.”

Daniels won the 2013 TBF National Championship, which led to him fishing the 2014 FLW Tour. He fished the FLW Tour in 2014, 2015 and 2016. Daniels finished 28th in the 2019 inaugural Bass Pro Tour and has won more than three-quarters of a million dollars fishing professionally. Daniels will continue as a competitor on the 2020 MLF Bass Pro Tour.

“MLF fully supports the continuation of the long relationship between TBF and FLW,” said Don Rucks, MLF Executive Vice President and General Manager. “TBF competitors now have a dream path that leads all the way to the no-entry-fee Bass Pro Tour.”

“The proof of the partnership is in the things we have accomplished together,” said Cartlidge. “When TBF founded the national High School Fishing Program, FLW was our first partner and together we have invested to grow it into something neither organization could have accomplished alone, which will underpin our sport for decades to come.”

TBF members will continue to receive priority entry into FLW tournaments and will receive a subscription to the FLW Bass Fishing magazine.

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 FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. Acquired by Major League Fishing in late 2019, FLW programming expands in 2020 to the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel as well as on-demand at MyOutdoorTV (MOTV).

For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

About TBF

The Bass Federation Inc. (TBF) is the nation’s largest and oldest organized grassroots fishing, youth and conservation organization and a member of the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. TBF is owned by those it serves and dedicated to the sport of fishing. TBF-affiliated state federations and member clubs conduct more than 20,000 events each year and have provided a foundation for the entire bass fishing industry for nearly 50 years. Visit bassfederation.com or highschoolfishing.org for more information.

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Future Fisherman Foundation Hosts 10th Annual On-line Auction

Future Fisherman Foundation Hosts 10th Annual On-line Auction

Hall of Fame Angler and Classic champion David Fritts highlights this year’s list of fishing trips

Ponca City, Okla., (11/18/19)
The Future Fisherman Foundation (501C3 Foundation) will host its 10th annual on-line eBay auction starting December 1st and running through the 7th.

This year’s event highlights Lew’s Pro David Fritts, who is a past Bassmaster Classic champion and was recently inducted into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame. David is known as the “Crankbait King” and spending the day in the boat with him will not only be educational, it will be just plain entertaining as he has a great sense of humor.

Shoppers also have an opportunity to bid on a variety of guided fishing trips, as well as a great selection of tackle packages and merchandise.

Interested in a new fishing reel? There are great selections from Fin-Nor, Lew’s and Eagle Claw. Need a shallow water anchoring device? The folks at Power Pole have sent us a very nice Micro Pole that is perfect for small boats and kayaks. How about a new locator? We have units from both Lowrance and Humminbird to fill your shopping list! need a top quality Fishing Rod, we have them from TBF Federation Angler Custom rods.

Proceeds from the annual event support F3 programs like Hooked on Fishing, Not on Drugs, SuperFish and the Tackle for Educators programs.

“We have once again put together a terrific assortment of fishing trips and merchandise items for this year’s auction” said F3 Executive Director Mark Gintert. “Cyber Monday will fall right in line with this year’s event, so if you are looking for a Christmas gift for that outdoorsperson in your life, you need to look no farther than futurefisherman.org where all the items will be listed and ready for bidding.”

Once again, A huge THANK YOU goes out to all of our donors this year; we couldn’t do it without them!

The auction goes live at 8am EST on Sunday December 1st. It will run for seven days and bidding closes December 7th, at 8am EST. (Check Auction Listing for potential variations in time and date)

Interested bidders should go to www.futurefisherman.org and click on the auction tab and then click on the eBay link to view the trips and merchandise and place your winning bids!

Help us “Ensure the Future of Fishing” by supporting this terrific event!

About the Future Fisherman Foundation
Established in 1986, the Future Fisherman Foundation (F3) unites the sportfishing industry and a nationwide network of state outdoor educators, national conservation groups, youth organizations and other educators dedicated to introducing America’s youth to angling, conservation and the outdoors lifestyle. The Future Fisherman Foundation (F3) operates under The Bass Federation (TBF) umbrella of companies and is the official non-profit education arm of TBF. For more info visit futurefisherman.org.

District 23 TBF National Semi-Final Arizona and California on Lake Havasu

District 23 TBF National Semi-Final Arizona and California on Lake Havasu

The October 26-27, 2019 Semi-finals for D23 was held at Lake Havasu AZ. This world renowned fishery is known for its feisty population of Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass. Coming into the event were the AZ and CA teams made up of 18 boaters and 18 co-anglers. The weather during pre-fishing was predominantly windy with wind gusts up to 40mph creating tough fishing conditions, however winds calmed during tournament weekend and the weather was beautiful!

D23 Boater Winner Steve Lund

Saturday and Sunday boaters and co-anglers struggled to put limits on the boat. Stand-outs were California boater, Justin Arellano, limiting both days with a combined weight of 25.79lbs with Big- fish bragging rights of 5.57 lbs. While Arizona’s, Stephen Lund, also brought in limits on both days with a combined weight of 26.67lbs to just edge out Arellano and bring home the overall win for boaters. It was just as exciting for the co-angler side. Jason Havstad, California co-angler started out the tournament with the biggest bag for co-anglers at 13.49lbs, in fact, it was the third heaviest bag of day-1 of the tournament for boaters and co-anglers combined. However, day-2 for Jason was a different story, where unfortunately, he was unable to bring in a legal size fish to the scale – Havasu has a 13” minimum. This opened the door for co-angler Kerry Harris of California who was able to add to his first day total with a solid day-2 limit of 11.02lbs bringing his total weight to 16.66lbs and was enough to bring home the win for the co-angler side.

Overall, this was a terrific tournament with the challenges and triumphs that pushed the field of 36 individuals to bring their best game to the table. We look forward to great results at the finals from advancing boaters and co-anglers from our California and Arizona teams, California boater, Justin Arellano, and overall semi-finals winner, California co-angler Kerry Harris, and from Arizona, boater and overall semi-finals winner, Stephen Lund, and Arizona co-angler, Loway Shammas.