Major League Fishing (MLF), the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, announced today a new series that will film this fall and premiere in January of 2023 – the General Tire Team Series. The General Tire Team Series will showcase the 80 anglers that compete on the Bass Pro Tour, joined by the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit TITLE champion, competing as three-man teams across four events for hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash payouts. The General Tire Team Series will succeed the current MLF Cup events, which have aired for 13 seasons on the Outdoor Channel.
The decision to launch the Team Series comes after an extremely successful pilot episode that aired earlier this year. The broadcast featured nine MLF anglers – including REDCREST 2022 Champion Bobby Lane – each fishing in their own boats while competing as three, three-man teams. The anglers on each team wore wireless earpieces which provided constant communication with their teammates. This communication allowed each team to work together and strategize in real-time on the water, shifting baits, techniques, patterns and areas as needed, thus creating a new type of excitement, drama and tournament experience that had never been seen before on television. “The General Tire Team Invitational was one of the most memorable, fun events that I have ever competed in,” said Lane, who competed in the event on a team alongside his brother, Chris Lane, and REDCREST 2019 champion Edwin Evers. “Working with my brother and Edwin to break down Garcia Reservoir together while competing against two other teams of some really great anglers was so exciting and fun. We are all incredibly excited for the rollout of this new Series and can’t wait to see how everything plays out.”
“General Tire is excited to continue our partnership with Major League Fishing and deliver another exciting new way for fans to watch their favorite anglers compete,” said Travis Roffler, Director of Marketing for General Tire. “The Team Series, with the MLF SCORETRACKER® leaderboard and the constant communication, is a concept that has never been seen before in professional bass fishing. We love it, the anglers love it, and we know that the fans are going to love it as well.”
The 2022 General Tire Team Series will feature 27 three-man teams competing over three qualifying events. Each qualifying event will feature nine teams, divided into three groups. Each group competition will feature three teams competing over two days to accumulate the highest total two-day weight. The group winners – three teams from each qualifying event – will advance to the General Tire Team Series Championship, which will showcase the nine winning teams competing for a top prize of $300,000.
Like prior MLF Cup events, anglers will only be told the host destination two weeks prior to the event, and won’t learn which fishery they are competing on until they arrive at the boat ramp the morning of competition.
Although the fisheries will not be revealed publicly until the episodes premiere next January on the Outdoor Channel, MLF has announced the filming dates for the 2022 General Tire Team Series:
Qualifying Event #1: Sept. 26-Oct. 1
Qualifying Event #2: Oct. 10-15
Qualifying Event #3: Nov. 8-13
General Tire Team Series Championship: Dec. 5-11
Angler teams for the General Tire Team Series will be determined by a draft. Additional information on the 2022 General Tire Team Series draft will be unveiled this summer.
The winning three-man team in the General Tire Team Series Championship will claim the $300,000 top prize. The second-place team will earn $60,000, and the third-place team will win $30,000. Teams 4-9 in the championship will each earn $15,000 prize. All anglers will receive $3,000 for participating in the no-entry fee Qualifying Events.
