TULSA, Okla. – Nov. 17, 2011 - Major League Fishing Commissioner Don Rucks announced today that the organization has completed filming for what he termed a “successful first event that exceeded our most optimistic expectations.”
The Jack Link’s Major League Fishing Challenge Cup took place November 6-11 on Lake Amistad near Del Rio, Texas. The event will be offered to the public via a web-based pay-per-view broadcast in January and will be aired on Outdoor Channel beginning in April 2012. Details of pay-per-view programming will be announced in December.
“We couldn’t have been more pleased; the drama surpassed what we had hoped for. We had fierce competition and close finishes, and I believe every fishing fan in America will be surprised and excited when they see the amazing skill and enthusiasm these great anglers delivered,” Rucks said.
The Lake Amistad event debuted an innovative format that allows anglers to compete with no limit on the number of legal fish they can weigh. Competitors were not allowed to begin competition with stored, user-generated GPS waypoints. The anglers also were equipped with real-time leader boards in their boats, which showed where they ranked in the standings at all times.
The Challenge Cup included six competitive days, with anglers being eliminated during each round of competition. Each day, anglers competed on different zones of the lake. They were not notified of their specific zone until the night before their early-morning launches.
“I’ve talked with every angler and the unanimous feeling is that this event was like nothing they’ve ever fished,” said pro angler Gary Klein, who was instrumental in creating the event format.
“I think it’s safe to say that the pressure they felt during competition was even more intense than they expected, and I can assure you they expected it to be tough,” Klein said. “I think we’ve added a new and much-needed dimension to competitive bass fishing.”