The field for the 2019 FLW Tour will feature 170 anglers, including 34 rookies, according to a release circulated by FLW on Monday.
While Tour stalwarts David Dudley, Scott Martin, Bryan Thrift and John Cox are set to return, nearly 30 spots from the 2018 Tour field were vacated by anglers, many of them longtime standouts, who accepted invitations to join either the Bass Pro Tour (10 pros) or the Bassmaster Elite Series (17 pros).
FLW had previously announced plans to adhere to a 150-boat field for its Tour events beginning in 2020. The 2019 season begins Jan. 10-13 at Sam Rayburn Reservoir in Texas.
The entire release and accompanying roster is reprinted below:
MINNEAPOLIS – 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.
2019 FLW Tour Field
(* denotes rookie)
> 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.
