Top 10 Reasons to Fish the Phoenix Bass Fishing League
Why you should sign up to fish a division or two
Fishing tournaments in general is obviously a blast, but we like to think that fishing the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine is especially fun. And with signups starting Dec. 9, now is the time to think about getting on the roster for some Bass Fishing League tournaments near you. This year, entry fees have been reduced so that one-day qualifiers are $200 each for boaters and $100 for co-anglers. As always, you can sign up online or by calling 270.252.1000.
What follows are just some of the great reasons to fish this year.
10. Get motivated
Some folks go fishing just about whenever they can anyhow, but one nearly sure way to fish more often is to sign up for tournaments. With five regular-season events a year, fishing a division of the Bass Fishing League is a great way to get juiced up to go fishing on a regular basis. Knowing you’ve got some tournaments to look forward to will sharpen your preparation and guarantee that you won’t decide to mow the lawn and watch golf instead of wetting a line.
9. Take the first step
Fishing a Bass Fishing League event is one of the best ways to start moving up the ranks in the fishing world. Competing near home as a boater or co-angler helps to hone your skills against the best local anglers, and it’s an essential stepping stone to the top. From the Bass Fishing League, you can move up to multi-day tournaments like the FLW Series, and from there to the FLW Pro Circuit and maybe even the MLF Bass Pro Tour in time.
8. There’s a division for everyone
With 24 divisions, the odds are good that there are tournaments within an easy drive of your home and maybe even on your home lake. Though the Bass Fishing League divisions admittedly don’t cover the entire country (RIP to the Colorado River Division), it’s not hard to find a division with a schedule that will mesh well with when and where you like to fish.
7. Fish somewhere new
Fishing a Bass Fishing League event, or even a whole division, that’s outside of your comfort zone is a great way to see new water or maybe even have the trip of a lifetime. You might want to travel south to the Gator Division for a tournament in Florida in the winter, or perhaps head north to fish St. Clair in the Michigan Division this summer. Alternatively, lots of folks will target a division that isn’t too far from home to learn a little new water and try to qualify for a Regional that’s on their doorstep.
6. The camaraderie
Fishing friends are the best kind of friends, and you can build some lifetime friendships as a boater or co-angler, as travel partners, or simply at the dock in the morning by becoming a regular in your local Bass Fishing League division. Put simply, you’ll often make your best friends on the water, and fishing a bunch of tournaments with the same group of anglers is a great way to build bonds.
5. Get better at catching bass
There’s no substitute for time on the water, and fishing with and against other anglers in a tournament setting is one of the best ways going to improve your fishing. From exposure to different techniques used by your boater or co-angler to improving your own decision-making, fishing the Bass Fishing League will make you a better angler.
4. Reduced entry fees
There’s no time like the present, and hopping in the Bass Fishing League this year is just about a no-brainer now that entry fees have been reduced. With lower entry fees this year, the Bass Fishing League now offers the best payouts at the lowest cost available anywhere. Entry fees are now just $200 per boater and $100 per co-angler for one-day qualifiers, and $300 per boater and $150 per co-angler for two-day Super Tournaments – the lowest levels since 2014. That saves you $450 per division as a boater and $225 per division as a co-angler while you compete for the most lucrative awards available to weekend anglers and pursue the coveted All-American title.
3. Qualify for a Regional
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers plus tournament winners from each division advance to six no-entry-fee Regional championships with top awards of $60,000 for boaters and $50,000 for co-anglers. The Regionals are true showdowns of the best in each division, and the top six pros and co-anglers at each Regional qualify for the All-American.
2. Make the All-American
Ask anyone who has fished the All-American and they’ll tell you it is about the best thing ever. The top six at each Regional and the Wild Card make it, and the winner of the All-American goes down in history. Past champs include pros Nick LeBrun, Jacob Wheeler and Jeremy Lawyer; superstar regional anglers Marcus Sykora, Adam Wagner and Jeff Coble; and even all-time legends Rick Clunn and Shaw Grigsby.
1. For fun
Fishing tournaments is a blast. If it wasn’t, we wouldn’t do it. You can hop in a Bass Fishing League derby for a minimal investment and feel the rush at blastoff and triumph at weigh-in. When you boil it down, there’s hardly any better way to spend a Saturday.
How to register
You must be an FLW competitor member to register for a tournament. You can join or renew with FLW and register for tournaments at shop.FLWFishing.com or by calling 270.252.1000.