Emory, Texas Announced as Location for MLF’s Starlink Team Series B&W Trailer Hitches Challenge Cup Presented by MillerTech
The B&W Trailer Hitches Challenge Cup Presented by MillerTech is hosted by Rains County and will take place over six days. In keeping with traditional MLF Cup protocols all fishable waters within 60 miles of Emory, Texas, are now off limits to competing anglers. The competition waters for each day are top-secret and only revealed to the anglers when they arrive at the boat ramp each morning. Anglers are driven directly to the day’s competition area launch ramp by their officials. The MLFNOW!® live broadcast begins on the water at 9 a.m. CT.
The Starlink Team Series features four Cup events in 2026 – the Patriot, Heritage, Challenge and Summit Cups – each showcasing 12 two-man teams of Bass Pro Tour anglers competing for a share of $560,000 in prize money across all four events.
All six days of competition will stream live on MLFNOW!®, offering fans a front-row seat to every hookset, decision and adjustment as teams explore new fisheries and adapt in real time. The final hour of each day of competition will be broadcast live from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET on RFD-TV, and each event will also be featured in a series of six original, two-hour episodes set to premiere on Outdoor Channel in the first quarter of 2027.
The 12 teams that will compete in the Challenge Cup in Emory, Texas, Nov. 15-20 are:
Team B&W Trailer Hitches:
David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va.
Dylan Hays, Hot Springs, Ark.
Team BUBBA:
Alton Jones Jr., Lorena, Texas
Alton Jones Sr., Lorena, Texas
Team Ferguson:
Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill.
Mitchell Robinson, Landrum, S.C.
Team Knighten Industries:
Keith Carson, DeBary, Fla.
Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C.
Team Kubota:
Matt Becker, Ten Mile, Tenn.
Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark.
Team Lowrance:
Takahiro Omori, Tokyo, Japan
Dean Rojas, Lake Havasu City, Ariz.
Team Lucas Oil:
Jake Lawrence, Paris, Tenn.
Banks Shaw, Harrison, Tenn.
Team MillerTech:
Dustin Connell, Deatsville, Ala.
Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn.
Team O’Reilly Auto Parts:
John Hunter, Shelbyville, Ky.
Marshall Hughes, Hemphill, Texas
Team OFF! Deep Woods:
Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn.
Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C.
Team Star brite:
Justin Cooper, Zwolle, La.
Colby Miller, Elmer, La.
Team YETI:
James Elam, Tulsa, Okla.
Fletcher Shryock, Cleveland, Tenn.
The MLFNOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action live every day of competition. MLFNOW!® is livestreamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MLF and MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) apps and Rumble.
Proud sponsors of the MLF Starlink Team Series include: Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bass Boat Technologies, Bass Pro Shops, Bass Force, Berkley, Black Buffalo, BUBBA, Cigars International, Epic Baits, Ferguson, Grizzly Nicotine Pouches, Kubota, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, MillerTech, NITRO Boats, OFF!® Deep Woods® Repellents, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Starlink, Toyota, YETI, Yuengling and Zenni.
For complete details and updated information on the MLF Starlink Team Series, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery, Outdoor Channel, VICE, World Fishing Network, RFD-TV, Game & Fish TV and Rumble, and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 20 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
