Major League Fishing 101
Everything you need to know about the World’s Largest Tournament Fishing Organization when it comes to RFD-TV later this month, when we become the first-ever TV network to broadcast all four Team Series Cup tournaments live.
RFD-TV is excited to be the first network to carry live coverage of Major League Fishing (MLF) starting this August with coverage of the league’s Team Series, which will take place across four Cup tournaments in August, September, October, and November.
What is Major League Fishing?
Major League Fishing is a professional fishing tour where top anglers compete in real-time, catch-weigh-release events. It’s structured more like a sport and less like traditional fishing tournaments — with live scoring by SCORETRACKER®, time limits, and lots of strategy. MLF fishing made for TV — fast, high-stakes, and packed with drama. Even if you’ve never picked up a rod, it’s surprisingly fun to watch.
Key features that make Major League Fishing unique:
- Catch-Weigh-Release Format: Every fish (above a minimum weight) is weighed immediately by a referee on the boat and then released. No live wells, no fish held until weigh-in — it’s instant and ethical.
- Live Scoring: Anglers can view competitors’ performance in real-time via an onboard screen. This adds pressure, drama, and midday strategy changes.
- No Limits on Fish Count: Unlike traditional tournaments, where only the five biggest fish count, every legal fish an angler catches adds to their total weight.
- Periods and Penalties: Events are divided into three timed periods. Breaking rules (like fish mishandling) can result in time penalties — meaning anglers must stop fishing for 2 minutes or more.
- Diverse Water Bodies: Anglers don’t know where they’ll fish until just before launch, keeping the playing field level and forcing on-the-fly decision making.
Major League Fishing includes three levels of competition:
- Bass Pro Tour – the top tier, comprising the 66 best anglers in the country, vying to become Angler of the Year (AOY)
- Tackle Warehouse Invitational – the minor league. Each year, the top five finishers of the Invitationals are promoted to the Pro Tour.
- Toyota Series – events hosted for rising stars and local pros.
How are professional anglers selected to join the Bass Pro Tour?
The MLF Bass Pro Tour consists of 66 anglers, but its members change slightly from year to year to keep things interesting and competitive.
Typically, the Top 50-55 anglers return to the league based on the previous year’s AOY standings. The top five finishers of the Tackle Warehouse Invitational are also guaranteed spots and are promoted to the Pro Tour.
However, the league also reserves 1-6 relegation or replacement spots for legacy anglers who may not have performed as well in the previous year but have established name recognition and won titles.
MLF Bass Pro Tour members all vie for a chance to become the Angler of the Year (AOY) based on a point system awarded based on their finishes in Stages 1-7 of the regular season. They also receive cash prizes for their finishes in each Stage and qualify for competitions outside of the regular season based on their standings, which include two major invitational events (Heavy Hitters and REDCREST) as well as the Team Series.
B&W Trailer Hitches Challenge Cup presented by 5-hour ENERGY
The 66 members of the MLF Bass Pro Tour compete in seven major tournaments each season, held in different waters (all locations are announced before the beginning of the season).
Stages 1-3 take place between January and March, and Stages 4-6 take place between May and June. AOY Points and cash bonuses (for top finishes in each Stage and Big Bass Bonuses) are awarded on a cascading scale for each Stage. Points are tabulated throughout the Season and are used to determine final season ranking as well as qualifications for the league’s other tentpole invitationals and competitions.
Each Stage consists of two practice days followed by one day off for the pre-tournament meeting, and then three rounds of competition over four days:
- Days 1 and 2 – Qualifying Round
- Day 3 – Knockout Round
- Day 4 – Championship Round
After Stages 1-3, the top 24 anglers so far in the season become draft captains for the first two Cups in the Team Series: The Challenge Cup and Heritage Cup (held in late August and September). The Top 24 anglers after Stages 4-6 become draft captains for the final Cups in the Team Series, the Patriot Cup and Summit Cup, which are held in October and November.
Stage 7, held in early August, finalizes regular season placements, which are used to determine the Top 50 anglers who will compete in the MLF’s landmark event, REDCREST, which is held in April of the following year. Stage 7 can also be needed to determine cutoffs for which pros qualify for the Team Series, and finishes can be used to break ties to determine draft captains for those events. It’s also where the drafts for the final two Cups in the Team Series are held. Fish caught during this stage also impact the Top 30 standings to qualify for Heavy Hitters, which is the League’s mid-season big bass invitational held in May.
Let’s break down each day of the regular season competition, which differs slightly from other MLF events:
Days 1 and 2: Qualifying Round
Each day of competition is comprised of three (3) 2.5-hour periods with two (2) 15-minute line-out breaks. The league permits the use of forward-facing and/or 360-degree sonar, but its use is limited to one period each day. Each angler must declare their use period during the preceding break. Fishing during break periods can also result in penalties.
Anglers take off in random order on Day 1 and in reverse order on Day 2. The winner of this round is determined based on the combined weight of all fish caught on both days and directly advances to the Championship round. The following Top 19 from Days 1 and 2 go on to compete in the knockout round. If there are any ties, the heaviest bass caught by each angler is compared as a tie breaker.
Day 3: Knockout Round
Starting fresh with zero weights, 19 pros compete again on Day 3, taking off in order by finish in the Qualifying Round. The Top 9 anglers (based on heaviest total weights) advance to the Championship Round, and anglers 10-19 are eliminated. The eliminated pros’ final placements and AOY points are then determined based on the day’s heaviest weights.
Day 4: Championship Round
The Top 10 anglers (the top finisher of the Qualifying Round and the Top 9 finishers of the Knockout Round) compete in the Championship Round. Weights are zeroed, and anglers deploy in order of Knockout Round finishes. Final placements are based on the day’s heaviest weights, with tie breakers determined by the weights of each angler’s heaviest catches.
Cash Prizes, AOY Points Award + Invitational Qualifications
Each Stage has a total purse of $650,000. The top angler of each Stage is awarded $150,000 and 80 points towards their AOY ranking. Cash prizes and points are also awarded to other finishers on a sliding scale.
While cash prizes drop significantly for lower-placed finishes, AOY Points only drop by one each (ex., Second place gets 79 points, third place gets 78, etc.), which means each pro must stay on their toes because a few key finishes late in the season could change the AOY rankings on the drop of a dime.
While AOY rankings affect placement in the Team Series, finishes in these events do not affect AOY standings. Instead, Cup finishes come with additional cash prizes and an opportunity to participate in a televised competition, gaining name recognition and bragging rights – this season, the stakes are higher than ever, as the Team Series will air live for the very first time, exclusively on RFD-TV!
B&W Trailer Hitches Challenge Cup presented by 5-hour ENERGY
The Team Series consists of four Cup tournaments held between late August and November:
- Challenge Cup – usually in late August
- Heritage Cup – usually held in mid-September
- Patriot Cup – usually held in late October
- Summit Cup – usually held in mid-November
Team Series Drafts
The Top 24 anglers at the mid-season (after Stages 1-3) become draft captains for The Challenge Cup and Heritage Cup. The Top 24 anglers after Stages 4-6 become draft captains for the final Cups in the Team Series, the Patriot Cup and Summit Cup.
If there are ties between anglers after Stage 6, tiebreakers for Team Series draft captains and qualifiers can take place in Stage 7.
While AOY rankings affect placement in the Team Series, finishes in these events do not affect AOY standings. Instead, Cup finishes come with additional cash prizes and an opportunity to participate in a televised competition, gaining name recognition and bragging rights – this season, the stakes are higher than ever, as the Team Series will air live for the very first time, exclusively on RFD-TV!
Draft captains can pick any qualifying angler as their teammate in the Team Series, including other draft captains. Teams are then seeded based on the combined rank of both team members. There’s also no limit on how many Cup events an angler can compete in each season.
Different Rules & Game Play in Team Series
- No practice days – during the regular season, pros get two practice days and a day off before competing in Stages 1-7.
- No prep -- Once the tournament location is announced (30 days before the event), competitors are prohibited from soliciting information related to tournament waters or finding/locating bass within 30 miles of the city center where the competition is held.
- Shorter fishing periods – Each Team Series match starts with a 15-minute ride-around period followed by three (3) two-hour fishing periods (rather than 2.5 hours in regular season) and 15-minute breaks between each fishing period.
Each Team Series Cup unfolds over 6 days, with a unique format compared to Stages 1–7:
Days 1–3: Elimination Matches
- Four teams compete in each Elimination Match.
- Both teammates’ eligible catches are combined for a running live score — no catch limits.
- The top 2 teams from each day move on to the Knockout Rounds. No one advances directly to the Championship.
Days 4–5: Knockout Rounds
- Knockout 1: Winners of Elim 1 & 2 + Runner-up from Elim 3
- Knockout 2: Winner of Elim 3 + Runners-up from Elim 1 & 2
- The Top 2 teams from each round advance to the Championship Round.
Day 6: Championship Round
- The top two teams from each Knockout Round compete head-to-head for the Cup title.
Cash Prizes for the Team Series
Every team participating in a Team Series Cup will receive a cash prize to be split among its members, including teams with exits in the Knockout and Elimination Rounds:
- Winners - $15,000 each
- Second Place - $9,000 each
- Third Place - $8,000 each
- Fourth Place - $7,000 each
- Knockout exits: $5,000
- Elimination Match exits: $3,500
Unlike regular season matches, Heavy Hitters, and REDCREST, there are no AOY Points or Big Bass Bonuses awarded for top finishes or heaviest fish caught during Team Series events. It’s just extra money, titles, and bragging rights at play.
B&W Trailer Hitches Challenge Cup presented by 5-hour ENERGY
Let’s dive into the different MLF events that take place outside of the regular season:
REDCREST
REDCREST is the most prestigious post-season event in Major League Fishing and is held in April of the following year. Only the best of the best in professional fishing get an opportunity to cast their lines in this tournament.
While this event is separate from the Angler of the Year title, which is tabulated based on points accrued through Stages 1-7 of regular season competition, AOY rankings do determine who qualifies for REDCREST. Of the 66 anglers on the Pro Tour, invitations to REDCREST are only given to the Top 50 pros of the regular season. It also offers pros an additional chance to win cash prizes based on their performance in the tournament.
Heavy Hitters Invitational
Heavy Hitters is MLF’s mid-season invitational, held each year in May. Anglers from the Pro Tour qualify for this invitation by fishing all seven Stages during the regular season and consistently catching the heaviest fish. Then, the Top 30 are selected based on the combined total weight of the largest bass caught in each stage.
Heavy Hitters spans six days of competition where anglers vie for a combined purse of $507,502 and a top prize of $100,000 (second place receives $25,000 and third place gets $20,000.
The highlight of this event is the Big Bass Bounty competition in addition to regular gameplay, which carries additional cash prizes. In each of the elimination and knockout rounds of the Heavy Hitters event, the angler who catches the heaviest fish is awarded $30,000, and second, third, and fourth place finishers are awarded $10,000 each. The Big Bass Bounty for the championship round is $100,000.
Team Series
The all-star series of MLF, the Team Series event, differs the most from regular season competitions and other major tentpole events each season. Still, all weave together with regular-season events in some ways. The most significant difference, of course, is that instead of individual competitions, twelve teams of two compete in each Cup event.
B&W Trailer Hitches Challenge Cup presented by 5-hour ENERGY
