The Leader in Pro Bass Fishing News!
Facebook Twitter

FLW working to fill Invitational fields

FLW working to fill Invitational fields

FLW earlier this week began extending at-large invitations to its membership base and TBF members as it works to attract competitors for the upcoming Invitational tournaments at Lake Norman and Norris Lake.

Members began receiving invitations Monday for the two Invitational events that were added to the schedule in response to requests from FLW Tour anglers who wished to have more than just the six Tour events and Forrest Wood Cup to compete in.

Despite the winner’s prize being $100,000 cash along with an automatic berth into the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup, some scoffed at the $4,000 entry fee and skinny payout compared to a regular Tour event. Now, it appears FLW is exploring all avenues in order to maximize field size.

The Norman event is Sept. 15-17, the same weekend as the Elite Series Angler of the Year championship in Minnesota. The Norris Lake tournament is scheduled for Oct. 20-22.

“At the request of many of our FLW Tour pros, last year we made the decision to add two additional Invitational tournaments that featured a smaller field size and no co-anglers,” said FLW marketing vice president Patterson Leeth. “The invitation process is outlined in the FLW Tour rules. The 125 invitations were not filled by FLW Tour pros, so FLW has extended at-large invitations to additional FLW anglers to provide them the opportunity to compete at the sport’s highest level and potentially earn their entry to compete at the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup. We are excited for the upcoming events at Lake Norman and Norris Lake and look forward to providing the best tournament experience that FLW anglers have come to expect.”

When the tournaments were announced last October, the hope was that each would feature a 125-boat field with no co-anglers. The top 100 pros and top 5 co-anglers from the FLW Tour Angler of the Year standings along with the top 4 pros in 2015 AOY points from the five FLW Series divisions were initially eligible to register.

The procedure for filling the Invitationals is as follows, per the 2016 FLW Tour rules:

INVITATIONALS – PRO ENTRY: One hundred twenty-five (125) anglers will be invited to participate. Invitations will be extended to the following anglers:

The top 100 pros in the point standings from the 2016 FLW Tour qualifiers.

Pros must have fished all six qualifiers, unless granted approval from the tournament director to miss a tournament, to be eligible for an invitation.

If a pro in the top 100 declines an invitation, the next eligible pro will be invited.

The top five co-anglers in the point standings from the 2016 FLW Tour qualifiers.

If a co-angler in the top five declines an invitation, the next co-angler will be invited. This process will continue until five co-anglers are selected or the 15th ranked co-angler is invited.

Any unclaimed co-angler invitations will revert back to the 2016 FLW Tour pros.

The top four pros from each of the five 2015 FLW Series divisions.

Pros must have fished all three qualifiers in a division to be eligible for an invitation.

If a pro in the top four declines an invitation, the next eligible pro will be invited. This process will continue until four pros are selected or the 15th ranked pro in the division is invited.

Any unclaimed invitations in a division will revert back to the 2016 FLW Tour pros.

If 125 invitations are not accepted following the procedure outline above, FLW may extend at-large invitations to fill the field.

After an invitation is received, anglers will have one week in which to accept or decline.

Latest News

  • Hamner's Hot Streak Culminated At Grand

    Hamner's Hot Streak Culminated At Grand

    By John Johnson BassFan Senior Editor

    Justin Hamner, the newly crowned Bassmaster Classic champion, has been on quite a roll for the past 11 months.

  • Hamner Goes Wire To Wire At Classic

    Hamner Goes Wire To Wire At Classic

    By B.A.S.S. Communications Staff

    TULSA, Okla. — When most anglers win the Bassmaster Classic, they at least pretend like it came as the biggest surprise

  • Hamner Tops 20 Pounds Again, Leads By 5 1/2

    Hamner Tops 20 Pounds Again, Leads By 5 1/2

    By B.A.S.S. Communications Staff

    TULSA, Okla. — Since practice began last week, Alabama pro Justin Hamner says he hasn’t been able to duplicate two patterns

Video You May Like