ANDERSON, S.C. (March 5, 2025) – The second Major League Fishing (MLF) Tackle Warehouse Invitational event of 2025 is set to launch on Lake Hartwell next week, March 14-16 – the Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 2 Presented by Suzuki Marine.

The three-day tournament, hosted by Visit Anderson, will feature a field of pro anglers competing for a top prize of up to $115,000. Anglers will take to the water to catch their five biggest bass each day, and the winner will be determined by the heaviest three-day cumulative total.

“We’re very excited to have the Major League Fishing Tackle Warehouse Invitational at Green Pond Landing, Lake Hartwell, and Anderson County,” said  Neil Paul, Executive Director of Visit Anderson. “The leadership of Anderson County has given us a world-class facility in Green Pond Landing and the resources to host championship level events such as the Major League Fishing platform. The Invitational represents another first-time event in our community, and we are looking forward to sharing our brand of hospitality to the anglers, their families, sponsors, the staff and the fishing fans that will enjoy this event in our community.”

Lake Hartwell and Green Pond Landing is a familiar tournament destination for competing anglers – the fishery has host hosted numerous major events over the years – including the 2020 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American – and the world-class facilities offer a scenic showcase with the amphitheater-style weigh-in seating and the scenic backdrop of the beautiful lake. This event marks the first time since 2016 that a professional-level MLF event with the five-fish weigh-in format will be held at Green Pond Landing.

“Based on the extreme weather patterns I’ve seen, with lows in the 30s and highs hitting the 70s, I suspect this will likely be a pre-spawn tournament,” said Invitationals pro Kyle Cortiana, who has 14 career top-10 finishes in MLF competition. “The fish will be plump and heavy, staging in typical areas like brush piles, laydowns, and docks to warm up and feed. This event is going to be all about figuring out where they’re setting up and capitalizing on those opportunities.”

Cortiana plans to have several baits tied on to target both Lake Hartwell’s big spotted bass and its healthy population of largemouth bass.

“I’ll have a bottom-dragging bait, like a Carolina rig or a big football jig, to drag on the hard rocky bottoms,” Cortiana said. “Lots of guys are going to be looking at them with their electronics, so the forward-facing sonar baits will be big – any sort of minnow. And I also think finesse baits will play – a shaky-head rig with a Yum Finesse Worm is always strong at Lake Hartwell, and I think we could see some on a Ned rig, like the Yum Dinger . It’s hard to explain why it works so well, but it catches both big spots and largemouth there.”

When it comes to weights, Cortiana believes consistency will be key for a strong finish.

“I think 18 to 21 pounds a day will keep you in contention,” he noted. “If the weather stays consistent, we could see some impressive limits. There are definitely five, six, seven-pound-plus largemouth in there, so it’s going to be exciting to see how it unfolds.”

Anglers will launch at 7:30 a.m. ET each day from Green Pond Landing, located at 470 Green Pond Road in Anderson, South Carolina. Weigh-ins will be held at the landing and will begin at 3:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and weigh-in events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLFNOW!® live stream and coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The 2025 Tackle Warehouse Invitationals feature a field of professional anglers competing across six invitational tournaments around the country, for a total purse of $4.3 million and valuable Fishing Clash Angler of the Year (AOY) points to qualify for the Invitationals Championship, set for Sept. 5-7 on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, and a coveted spot on the MLF Bass Pro Tour – the sport’s premier circuit.

In Tackle Warehouse Invitationals competition, the full field compete in the two-day opening round on Days 1 and 2 in a five-fish, weigh-in format. Only the top 30 pros, based on their two-day cumulative weight, advance to the final round on Championship Sunday, where they will compete for the grand prize of up to $115,000. The winner of the Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 2 at Lake Hartwell Presented by Suzuki Marine will be determined by the heaviest three-day cumulative weight.

Forward-facing and/or 360-degree sonar is limited to only days 1 and 3 of competition. No forward-facing and/or 360-degree sonar will be allowed on day 2 of competition.

The MLFNOW! broadcast team of Chad McKee and Rob Newell will break down the extended action live all three days of competition from 8 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. ET. MLFNOW! will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app and Rumble.

Television coverage of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Stop 2 at Lake Hartwell Presented by Suzuki Marine will air as a two-hour episode, premiering at 9 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Oct. 11 on CBS Sports Network.

Proud sponsors of the 2025 MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Bubba, Deep Dive App, E3 Sports Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Humminbird, Lew’s, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, VOSKER, WIX Filters and YETI.

For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Tackle Warehouse Invitationals updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, 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 Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network 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.