FLW replaces Co-anglers in 2019

https://scout.com/outdoors/bass-fishing/Article/FLW-Annouces-Big-Changes-to-FLW-Tour-119765080/


FLW Annouces Big Changes to FLW Tour
ByFLW Communications Jul 12, 3:18 PM

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Fishing League Worldwide (FLW), the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, announced today its schedule and a key rule change for the 2019 FLW Tour season at a live press event held at the International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades (ICAST). Starting in 2019, the longstanding FLW Tour co-angler program will be replaced with a new FLW Tour Marshal program.

The change enhances opportunities for the sport’s top pros and creates new opportunities for marshals while allowing FLW to continue as the leading organization for co-anglers with co-angler awards topping $3.9 million in 144 tournaments. The Costa FLW Series and the T-H Marine Bass Fishing League (BFL) along with their respective championships will continue to offer payouts of up to $32,000 and $60,000, respectively, for co-anglers.

“Co-anglers are incredibly important to FLW – so important that we first coined the term ‘co-angler’ in 1999 because ‘amateur’ and ‘non-boater’ did not adequately describe the quality of angler fishing from the back of the boat in FLW tournaments,” said Kathy Fennel, FLW President of Operations. “It is an apprenticeship like no other. But times have changed, and the co-angler program is no longer the stepping stone to the professional ranks that it once was.

“Anglers with professional aspirations are now starting in our High School Fishing program and continuing through FLW College Fishing. The majority of FLW Tour co-anglers fish other FLW circuits, and most only fish one or two FLW Tour events a season. Going forward, FLW will continue to provide the very best opportunities for co-anglers while expanding our offerings to include the new FLW Tour Marshal program.”

The FLW Tour Marshal program will provide the same learning opportunities that the co-angler program offered, along with the opportunity to win cash and a new Ranger Z518C powered by a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard, without impacting the outcome of the tournament. Each Marshal will attend a VIP dinner and seminar with select FLW Tour pros on the Wednesday before each tournament, plus get behind-the-scenes access to the biggest events in bass fishing. They will receive exclusive FLW clothing and play a vital role in live coverage of each FLW Tour event.

Marshals will be eligible for a top cash award of $2,500 at each regular-season FLW Tour stop based on the combined weight of the pros they are randomly paired with. Marshals will also receive one entry into an exclusive Ranger Z518C giveaway for each day they complete. One lucky marshal will be randomly selected to win the new boat after the season concludes.

The 2019 FLW Tour features seven regular-season tournaments and the Forrest Wood Cup. Each tournament is streamed on FLW Live and broadcast in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network and the World Fishing Network, showcasing the best bass anglers in the world competing in the sport’s most competitive circuit.
2019 FLW Tour Regular-Season Schedule:

January 10-13 Sam Rayburn Reservoir Brookeland, Texas
March 7-10 Lake Seminole Bainbridge, Ga.
March 28-31 Grand Lake Grove, Okla.
April 11-14 Cherokee Lake Jefferson City, Tenn.
May 2-5 Lake Chickamauga Dayton, Tenn.
June 27-30 Lake Champlain Plattsburgh, NY

The full schedule and expected patterns/details for each fishery can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Along with the change from co-anglers to Marshals in 2019, the FLW Tour will also switch from a priority-entry system to a qualifying system with a 150-boat field starting with the 2020 season. This system will reward performance and ensure that the FLW Tour field does not balloon to 186-boats as it did in 2018.

The qualifying guidelines that will govern entry into the 2020 FLW Tour are:
The top 100 pros based on average points from the 2018 and 2019 FLW Tour seasons requalify for the 2020 season.

If a pro finishes outside of the top 100 but has previously earned an FLW Tour Angler of the Year or FLW Cup championship (as a pro) he or she will be granted a one-year exemption.
Pros who earn entry upon exemption must finish in the top 100 to requalify.

The top five pros based on the final point standings in each U.S. division of the 2019 Costa FLW Series.
If a top-five pro declines his or her bid into the 2020 FLW Tour, the next eligible pro will qualify. This process will continue through the top 10 pros in each U.S. division, after which eligibility reverts back to the FLW Tour.

The 2019 TBF National Champion and the 2019 BFL All-American Champion in the boater divisions.
If either angler declines his or her bid into the 2020 FLW Tour, the next eligible FLW Tour pro will qualify.

10 invitations will be issued based on:
Two entries for the FLW Foundation.
Eight entries for FLW sponsors.
13 at-large entries will be accepted based on the following entry priority:
Ranger boat owners who fished the 2019 FLW Tour.
All other pros who fished the 2019 FLW Tour but did not requalify.

As FLW transitions to its new qualifying system for the FLW Tour, pros who did not finish in the top 100 in 2018 will not be left out. They will have the opportunity to enter in 2019 based on the priority-entry guidelines published in the 2018 FLW Tour and FLW series rules. Qualification for 2020, however, will be based on the criteria outlined above. While the FLW Tour is moving to a 150-boat field in 2020, more than 150 boats will likely fish during the 2019 transition year. If that happens, additional places will be added to the payout at each FLW Tour event.

Along with the $125,000 paycheck that is awarded to FLW Tour winners, FLW will pay out at least $10,000 to pros down to 50th place with 51st through 60th place now paying $5,500. The entry fee is $35,000 for the season.

In FLW Tour competition anglers will compete for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2019 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing. The date and location for the 2019 Cup will be unveiled later this year.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com.

http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbt...Schedule#UNREAD

FLW co-angler never made since to me. Unless your retired, self employed or independently wealthy, who has 6 weeks off and 10k+ a year to travel the country and get front ended all day. I guess some people do, but I don't know any of them.

Would love to see the same format with Costas and BFL's, too. Probably wouldn't work, the money and prizes wouldn't be as great for the marshals but it sure would be nice.

Whether the pros will say it publicly, I am willing to bet most would rather not have a co-angler in their boat at this level of competition.

Not a lot of upside to the guys doing it day in and day out trying to earn a living.

Interesting approach for both sides. Wonder if there will be an "entry" fee for the Marshall or a volunteer your time with the opportunity to earn something more than knowledge, and then how they will determine who gets to be a Marshall: first come first serve, random selection, etc?

I totally agree.

I heard $100 to be one but haven't seen how you sign up or anything

We just had this same thread a couple days ago.

Having the Marshalls with some prize money is a nice approach. You could win the season end boat from marshaling just one tournament or $2500 in a single tournament. I like it. I may do a tournament or two,

That is good incentive if needed. Some tournaments have a waiting list for marshals in B.A.S.S. and others they have had to beg for marshals and have not had enough for the field on the initial 2 competition days.

hard enough to compete against 150-180 other boaters but you also had to share your fish with your co-angler....this levels the playing field a lot....you had some co-anglers that were good fishermen and some weren't...some would compete with the pro and some wouldn't even fish.....
I'd be real surprised if they have enough marshalls for entire field....with BASS most of the fisherman are well known and either are up and coming or successful in the past...there is just not much incentive to be a marshall with FLW because when you get past top 50 most of the fishermen are unknown with many of them not much better than average club fishermen...

This may help some of the solo and team trail turnouts specifically here in our region.

It is a nice little touch.

I don't think there is a pro who wouldn't say it publicly, Doug. The Elites loved it. FLW has been losing big name anglers to the Elites for several years now.

I asked a couple of buddies that fish the tour, they all like it. Aside from the fact that, for those that travel with a co, which many do, it's going to bump their travel costs up $3000-$4000 a year. Upside is 180 less lines in the water every Thursday and Friday, less practice pressure (co's had no offlimits, so some of them showed up a week early with their boats and hammered the lakes), no more 4 hour weigh ins.

It will hurt some guys in finding fish, as two rods in the water during practice almost always better than 1. But sometimes having a co in the back will change how you practice, I've experienced that in the Costa's, can't explain it but it does. I think you will see that additional expense make it harder for the guys to make a go of the tour, and on top or increased expenses, the tour increased entry fee's i thnk $4-5k a year, and took away $45,000 in prize money (51-60 now only gets $5500 per vs $10k last year). It certainly seems like overall FLW is not headed in the right direction to help their "pro's" actually make a living.

So where are all those Co's gonna wear their jerseys now?

They already wearing them to their club tournaments and registration...

Bass Pro

I would bet the flw cup payout gets reduced also. If they are making it harder to even come close to breaking even in that 50 to 60 place range it's most likely going to reduce overall field in the future. Ken is correct about hurting pro's, increased entry's , expenses and lower overall payouts will take alot of player's out of the game.

http://www.bassfan.com/news_article/9316/dropping-co-anglers-draws-favorable-reaction#.W09Jq9JKiUk