FISHING LEAGUE WORLDWIDE ANNOUNCES 2019 FLW TOUR ANGLER ROSTER

MINNEAPOLIS (Nov. 26, 2018) – Fishing League Worldwide (FLW), the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, announced today the complete professional angler roster for the upcoming 2019 FLW Tour season, the 24th season of the FLW Tour. The field will be showcased along the 2019 FLW Tour, which features seven regular-season tournaments around the country with competition kicking off at Sam Rayburn Reservoir, Jan. 10-13, in Brookeland, Texas, and culminating with the world championship of bass fishing – the FLW Cup at Lake Hamilton, Aug. 9-11, in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

There was enormous demand to compete on the 2019 FLW Tour, with 210 anglers registering for a slot on the prestigious tournament circuit in its final year of priority registration before switching to a strict qualifying process and a 150-pro field in 2020. To accommodate all anglers earning priority entry through the 2018 FLW Tour, Costa FLW series, T-H Marine BFL All-American, YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship and TBF National Championship plus sponsor entries, the 2019 FLW Tour field will feature 170 pros.

The top award at each qualifier is $125,000 with $300,000 going to the winner of the FLW Cup. Since the final field exceeds the published payout basis of 150 pros, FLW will survey all 170 participating pros to finalize the 2019 payout structure.

The 2019 FLW Tour roster is headlined by a stout contingent of bass-fishing heavyweights, including three-time Angler of the Year (AOY) and 2003 FLW Cup champion David Dudley of Lynchburg, Virginia, 2015 AOY and 2011 FLW Cup champion Scott Martin of Clewiston, Florida, and two-time Angler of the Year Bryan Thrift of Shelby, North Carolina. They’ll be joined by bass-fishing legends Jimmy Houston of Cookson, Oklahoma, and Larry Nixon of Quitman, Arkansas, as well as three former FLW Cup champions – John Cox (2016), Brad Knight (2015) and Darrel Robertson (2002). James Niggemeyer of Van, Texas, the 2019 FLW Cup runner-up, and rising star Luke Dunkin of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, are also among the top contenders for 2019. The 2019 Tour will also feature 34 rookies from around the country.

“With the demand we saw this year to join the FLW Tour, we couldn’t be more eager to kick off another season at Sam Rayburn Reservoir in January,” said Bill Taylor, FLW’s Senior Director of Tournament Operations. “FLW has long been the home to some of the most decorated bass anglers in the sport, and with the expanded live coverage at all of our Tour events this year, we are more than ready to show off their skills at some of the best fisheries in the world.”

In FLW Tour competition anglers are vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2019 FLW Cup, the world championship of bass fishing. The 2019 FLW Cup will be held on Lake Hamilton and is being hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.

For complete details and updated information, visit FLWFishing.com.  For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishingand on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

2019 FLW Tour Anglers

Jason Abram                                                        Piney Flats, Tenn.

Randy Allen                                                          Gilliam, La.

Scott Ashmore                                                     Broken Arrow, Okla.

Evan Barnes                                                         Hot Springs, Ark.

Clayton Batts                                                        Butler, Ga.

*Bradford Beavers                                              Summerville, S.C.

Matt Becker                                                           Finleyville, Pa.

Bob Behrle                                                            Hoover, Ala.

Daryl Biron                                                            South Windsor, Conn.

Randy Blaukat                                                      Joplin, Mo.

Greg Bohannan                                                   Bentonville, Ark.

Terry Bolton                                                          Benton, Ky.

Lionel Botha                                                         Malabar, Fla.

*Bailey Boutries                                                   Daphne, Ala.

Jay Brainard                                                         Enid, Okla.

Christopher Brasher                                           Longview, Texas

Jimmy Brewer                                                      Marshall, Texas

Aaron Britt                                                             Yuba City, Calif.

Grae Buck                                                             Harleysville, Pa.

*Miles Burghoff                                                    Hixson, Tenn.

Tim Cales                                                             Sandstone, W. Va.

*Jonathan Canada                                              Helena, Ala.

Robert Case Jr.                                                    Point, Texas

Todd Castledine                                                  Nacogdoches, Texas

Russell Cecil                                                        Willis, Texas

Ryan Chandler                                                     Hebron, Ind.

Glenn Chappelear                                              Acworth, Ga.

*Jason Christy                                                      Dadeville, Ala.

Joey Cifuentes                                                     Clinton, Ark.

Sheldon Collings                                                 Grove, Okla.

Ramie Colson Jr.                                                 Cadiz, Ky.

Kyle Cortiana                                                       Coweta, Okla.

John Cox                                                               DeBary, Fla.

Alex Davis                                                             Albertville, Ala.

Darrell Davis                                                        Dover, Fla.

*Randy Despino                                                  Colfax, La.

Tommy Dickerson                                               Orange, Texas

Jeff Dobson                                                          Bartlesville, Okla.

Bradley Dortch                                                     Atmore, Ala.

Josh Douglas                                                       Isle, Minn.

Kurt Dove                                                              Del Rio, Texas

David Dudley                                                       Lynchburg, Va.

Tony Dumitras                                                     Winston, Ga.

Luke Dunkin                                                         Lawrenceburg, Tenn.

*Dakota Ebare                                                     Stephenville, Texas

*Jon Englund                                                       Farwell, Minn.

Charlie Evans                                                      Berea, Ky.

Ron Farrow                                                           Rock Hill, S.C.

Austin Felix                                                           Eden Prairie, Minn.

*Kevin Finley                                                        Phoenix, Ariz.

Mark Fisher                                                           Wauconda, Ill.

Tim Frederick                                                       Leesburg, Fla.

*Hunter Freeman                                                Monroe, La.

*Derek Fulps                                                        Broken Arrow, Okla.

Nick Gainey                                                          Charleston, S.C.

*David Gaston                                                      Sylacauga, Ala.

*Sam George                                                       Athens, Ala.

Matt Greenblatt                                                    Port St. Lucie, Fla.

Chad Grigsby                                                       Maple Grove, Minn.

*Brant Grimm                                                       Church Hill, Tenn.

Buddy Gross                                                         Chickamauga, Ga.

Cody Hahner                                                        Wausau, Wis.

Bradley Hallman                                                 Norman, Okla.

*Chip Harrington                                                 Olathe, Kan.

Dylan Hays                                                           El Dorado, Ark.

Billy Hines                                                             Vacaville, Calif.

Jamie Horton                                                       Centreville, Ala.

Jimmy Houston                                                   Cookson, Okla.

Miles Howe                                                           San Juan Capistrano, Calif.

Rex Huff                                                                Corbin, Ky.

John Hunter                                                          Shelbyville, Ky.

Bill Hutchison                                                       Bessemer, Ala.

Charlie Ingram                                                     Centerville, Tenn.

Eric Jackson                                                         Walling, Tenn.

*Rex Jaeger                                                          Hamilton, Ohio

Jim Jones                                                             Big Bend, Wis.

Rob Jordan                                                           Flowery Branch, Ga.

Cody Kelley                                                          Conway, Ark.

Jay Kendrick                                                         Grant, Ala.

Rob Kilby                                                               Hot Springs, Ark.

Brad Knight                                                           Lancing, Tenn.

Brian Latimer                                                       Belton, S.C.

*Marty Lawrence                                                 Mesa, Ariz.

Jeremy Lawyer                                                    Sarcoxie, Mo.

*Nick LeBrun                                                        Bossier City, La.

Wes Logan                                                           Springville, Ala.

Richard Lowitzki                                                  Hampshire, Ill.

Tim Malone                                                          Kodak, Tenn.

Scott Martin                                                           Clewiston, Fla.

Lendell Martin Jr.                                                 Nacogdoches, Texas

*Michael Matthee                                                Centurion, Gauteng Province, South Africa

Billy McCaghren                                                  Mayflower, Ark.

Chris McCall                                                         Palmer, Texas

Johnny McCombs                                               Morris, Ala.

Bill McDonald                                                       Greenwood, Ind.

Brandon McMillan                                               Clewiston, Fla.

Jared McMillan                                                    Belle Glade, Fla.

Chuck Medley                                                      Owens Cross Roads, Ala.

Jason Meninger                                                   Saint Augustine, Fla.

Kerry Milner                                                          Bono, Ark.

Kurt Mitchell                                                          Milford, Del.

Tom Monsoor                     ��                                 La Crosse, Wis.

Harry Moore                                                         Valley, Ala.

Bob Morin                                                             Seymour, Tenn.

Troy Morrow                                                         Eastanollee, Ga.

Brandon Mosley                                                  Choctaw, Okla.

Jim Moynagh                                                       Carver, Minn.

Shawn Murphy                                                     Nicholasville, Ky.

*Cody Murray                                                       Nampa, Idaho

Chris Neau                                                           New Orleans, La.

*Corey Neece                                                      Bristol, Tenn.

*Ron Nelson                                                         Berrien Springs, Mich.

*Dicky Newberry                                                  Houston, Texas

James Niggemeyer                                            Van, Texas

Larry Nixon                                                           Quitman, Ark.

Jordan Osborne                                                   Longview, Texas

Robert Pearson                                                    Herndon, Va.

Pete Ponds                                                           Madison, Miss.

*Hensley Powell                                                  Whitwell, Tenn.

Chad Randles                                                      Elkhorn, Neb.

* Drew Ratley                                                       Shreveport, La.

Tom Redington                                                    Royse City, Texas

Matt Reed                                                              Madisonville, Texas

Clark Reehm                                                        Elm Grove, La.

Jimmy Reese                                                       Witter Springs, Calif.

Jason Reyes                                                         Huffman, Texas

Curtis Richardson                                                Belleville, Ontario, Canada

Darrel Robertson                                                 Jay, Okla.

*Troy Roder                                                          Brookeland, Texas

Zell Rowland                                                        Montgomery, Texas

Craig Rozema                                                      Simpsonville, S.C.

*Ryan Salzman                                                    Huntsville, Ala.

Casey Scanlon                                                    Lake Ozark, Mo.

Bryan Schmitt                                                       Deale, Md.

Colby Schrumpf                                                  Highland, Ill.

Braxton Setzer                                                     Montgomery, Ala.

Billy Shelton III                                                     La Crosse, Va.

Charles Sim                                                         Nepean, Ontario, Canada

*A.J. Slegona                                                       Pine Bush, N.Y.

Blake Smith                                                          Lakeland, Fla.

Derrick Snavely                                                   Piney Flats, Tenn.

Matthew Stefan                                                    Junction City, Wis.

Tyler Stewart                                                        West Monroe, La.

*Chuck Stratton                                                    Chaffee, Mo.

*Wade Strelic                                                       Alpine, Calif.

Mike Surman                                                        Boca Raton, Fla.

Timmy Thompkins                                              Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Bryan Thrift                                                           Shelby, N.C.

Rusty Trancygier                                                  Hahira, Ga.

J. Todd Tucker                                                     Moultrie, Ga.

Jim Tutt                                                                  Longview, Texas

Andrew Upshaw                                                  Tulsa, Okla.

John Voyles                                                          Petersburg, Ind.

*Jacob Wall                                                          Jacksonville, Ore.

Chad Warren                                                        Sand Springs, Okla.

Joshua Weaver                                                    Macon, Ga.

Joseph Webster                                                   Winfield, Ala.

Kyle Weisenburger                                             Ottawa, Ohio

Chris Whitson                                                       Louisville, Tenn.

Andy Wicker                                                         Pomaria, S.C.

Scott Wiley                                                            Bay Minette, Ala.

*Joel Willert                                                          Prior Lake, Minn.

David Williams                                                     Maiden, N.C.

*Austin Wilson                                                      Citrus Heights, Calif.

Barry Wilson                                                         Birmingham, Ala.

Matt Wittekiend                                                    Angleton, Texas

*Tyler Woolcott                                                     Port Orange, Fla.

David Wootton                                                     Collierville, Tenn.

Gary Yamamoto                                                  Palestine, Texas

Andy Young                                                         Isle, Minn.

 

* denotes 2019 FLW Tour Rookie