Home › Forums › Bass Cat Boats › FLW SOLD?
Bass Cat Boats.
Has anyone heard that FLW has been sold to Major League Fishing?
I have seen rumor on BBC Lounge. Otherwise no real info.
I have heard from a somewhat reliable source that something has happened and there will be major changes. There is supposed to be an announcement tody. But who knows.
All of this is Speculation though smoke and fire is usually really close.
We can not comment beyond that.
BCB
LOOKS LIKE NO MORE WEIGH INS FOR FLW. I CAN’T FIND ANYBODY THAT WILL WATCH MLF . THEY DON’T CARE ABOUT WATCHING
FISH COUNT THAT ARE NOT LEGAL TO WEIGH MOST PLACES.
There are those that dislike MLF with 12” weights, and those that dislike Bassmaster now with the loss of some stars. The sport has those on both sides of the fence. From the perspective we find with most anglers it’s 40/30/20/10 for the fans base.
40% like Bassmaster and MLF
30% follow Bassmaster loyally
20% like the MLF format
10% follow FLW, Bassmaster and MLF.
Now the non angler and youth base are all about MLF.
Until MLF starts airing those 2019 shows this January 2020 we will not know if that is a success. Presently MLF is touting thousands of minutes in streaming Live video on each event and Bassmaster is now touting 28 million minutes of Roku streaming video. The race to reach bass anglers as fans is on and the winner won’t be known for almost five years when this settles out.
Watching MLF is like watching a “reality” tv show. Made for tv drama that doesn’t reflect life for most individuals. How many youth anglers are going to drop out of the sport because they watched Edwin catch fish after fish and then they go and don’t catch a thing. Are we teaching youth to fish or become reality tv stars?
Let’s be honest…is anyone impressed with a pro catching a few dozen small fish? BORING !!! The thrill is finding the elusive one or two that we all look for. MLF is ‘Made For TV’. Smh
For me, I am a fan of bass fishing. I am a fan of BASS, FLW, MLF and appreciate having more avenues to watch the sport regardless of the format.I enjoy catching big fish but it sure is fun going down to Venice and setting the hook 200 times in a day. I really don’t understand the animosity towards the new format as a fan. If you don’t like it, don’t follow it but to me, the more fishing I have to watch the better it is for us. Now, does MLF need to change a few things? I think so. Thier website is HORRIBLE!! Very hard to follow and find the information you are looking for. I’d like to see them adjust the minimum weight for a scorable fish depending on the legal limits for a fishery. In other words, if you are fishing a lake with a 14″ size limit then only 14″ fish and above would be scorable.
I will say, BASS was extremely exciting this year. The new faces are hungry and BASS has done a great job with the BASS LIVE stuff. It definately didn’t disappoint in any way like I thought it might with the mass exodus of stars. The disappointing part is that BASS waited until the anglers were fed up before trying to make any changes that would have kept them there. Now a lot of people seem to be mad at MLF??? I don’t understand it. If BASS had taken care of the anglers before MLF wouldn’t even exist today.
Chris Coupel
Paulina, La.
Chris, 100% agree it shouldn’t have come to this for BASS to change, however no one has been able to explain to me how the owners of MLF are different than the owners of BASS or FLW. They make money no matter how they fish or if they fish. Given that half of tournament anglers that fished BPT this past season didn’t make a living wage how are they in a better place? The guys fussing about entry fees most likely had theirs paid by sponsors or at least partially paid for.
I didn’t have cable or internet for 10+ years at home. When I finally got around to watching any of that stuff it wasn’t really that impressive. I like the guys that do their own youtube shows like Hunter Shrylock and Brandon Palunik. If your not following those you should. Even though BMP wne to MLF… His shows are now nothing like they used to be when he was fishing the FLW/BASS trails
Just my .02. I’ve been watching fishing shows since Bill Dance and Orlando Wilson and will continue to watch the shows. I’ve watched FLW, BASS, and MLF. I like the MLF format of a certain number moves on and you’re able to see who is doing what. I don’t like watching a weigh in the is less dramatic after watching fish being caught during the tournament. I know they cut it off in time for you to wonder if someone culled to the higher weight during the last 30 minutes. I do think they should make the minimum weight match the apx weight of a fish of the state minimum length.
John
BCB’s comment about the younger anglers liking MLF caught my attention. My son fishes HS tournaments and he got me watching the Challenge Cup events. They are fun to watch but neither of us care for the BassPro Tour. To us, it’s still about your best five. I don’t know any of his fishing buddies that feel any differently. We paid attention to the Conroe stop since it is our home lake. The boys all went to the area where they were broadcasting from, and were very disappointed. It really turned them off.
MLF waived entry fees and played for the profit of the organization, which was a set payoff.
Bassmaster does have an entry fee still and we think all organizations should have anglers with some stake in the game. It would be nice if they build it to the golf platform. Even then they need to do it on the advertising as it grows.
As for Bassmaster and the anglers being upset, they were mostly upset with one person who is no longer involved with Bassmaster.
The on site activation does not exist for a regular event is not suited to a streaming video audience only. There is no activation on site and the end of afternoon interview session is keyed to the audience on the internet.
Well we have gotten away from the Op’s question. Lol! Someone did mention “No weigh in” for FLW?
As for the MLF format, BPT, I believe the biggest thing lost is the Angler/Fan personal connection. Being able to get autographs. Kids get to shake hands with the pro’s. Watch them fish. Load a monster in the boat, and pull one out in front of the crowd. As the MLF anglers get older and retire, how will the new comers connect on a fan base? Regardless of the fishing format, I believe in 4-5 years this could have a major impact on MLF.
I enjoyed watching Edwin E jerk fish in the boat until he could barely turn the reel. However, watching such a massive gap grow between 1st and 2nd place, was disappointing. It took the excitement of competition and threw it in the trash. Kind of like watching an NFL game when one team totally dominates another. Its fun to watch, but a Game like the Saints and Texans had this past Monday is what makes the game exciting. Regardless of who won. Basically, a pro gets on a school and can dominate the entire field. Not exciting.
I do enjoy fishing and having a day of tearing them up, even if they are small. But on a competitor base, its all about the biggest 5!! Its what I look forward to when the horn blows for blast off. Finding those big girls!
© 2026 Bass Cat Boats
