MINNEAPOLIS (Oct. 25, 2011) – FLW Outdoors announced its 2012 Bass Fishing League schedule and entry dates Tuesday. With a 2012 schedule comprising 120 regular-season tournaments across 24 divisions, regional competition and one of the longest-running championships in the history of tournament bass fishing – the BFL All-American – the BFL is the nation’s largest weekend bass fishing tournament circuit.
Anglers may enter tournaments according to the following schedule:
Dec. 12, 2011 – Hoosier, Michigan, Music City and Volunteer divisions
Dec. 13, 2011 – Bulldog, Cowboy, Great Lakes, Illini and Mississippi divisions
Dec. 14, 2011 – Bama, Buckeye, Choo Choo, Gator and Mountain divisions
Dec. 15, 2011 – Arkie, LBL, North Carolina, Northeast and Okie divisions
Dec. 16, 2011 – Ozark, Piedmont, Savannah River, Shenandoah and South Carolina divisions
Newcomers to the sport can find a tournament close to home using the bass Tournament Locator link at FLWOutdoors.com.
Each division features four one-day qualifying tournaments that offer top boater awards of up to $6,000, as well as a $2,000 bonus for those who are Ranger Cup qualified, and top co-angler awards of up to $3,000. Each division also offers a two-day Super Tournament as the final qualifier, offering top boater awards of up to $9,000, along with a $2,000 Ranger Cup bonus, and top co-angler awards of up to $4,500. Anglers finishing the season in the top 40 in each division advance to one of six no-entry-fee regional championships to fish for a Ranger Z518 and a Chevy Silverado 1500 as a boater and a Ranger Z518 powered by Evinrude or Mercury as a co-angler. The top six boaters and six co-anglers from each regional advance to the no-entry-fee BFL All-American for the chance to win top awards of up to $120,000 and $60,000, respectively, including contingency awards. Anglers who enter all five tournaments in a division but do not qualify for a regional championship may fish the Wild Card Regional for a second chance to qualify for the All-American. The winning boater and co-angler at the All-American advance to the Forrest Wood Cup for a shot at winning $500,000 and $50,000, respectively.
The Angler of the Year in each division will receive a $1,000 award, and the Co-angler of the Year in each division will receive $500.
Trophies are awarded through fifth place in every regular-season tournament. Entry fees are $200 per qualifier for boaters and $100 per qualifier for co-anglers. Super Tournament entry fees are $300 per event for boaters and $150 per event for co-anglers. Entry may be made online at FLWOutdoors.com or by calling (270) 252-1000. Phones are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central time Monday through Friday. Boaters who enter with co-anglers and co-anglers who enter with boaters will receive entry priority.