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.
