TULSA, Okla. – October 18, 2011 – Bobby Lane and Todd Faircloth, two of the most accomplished and popular pro anglers in the U.S., have been added to the prestigious group of competitors scheduled to fish the MAJOR LEAGUE FISHING CHALLENGE CUP, League Commissioner Don Rucks announced today.
Lane, of Lakeland, Florida, will replace angler Marty Stone, who has chosen to serve as the on-air analyst for MAJOR LEAGUE FISHING events, which will be televised on Outdoor Channel. Lane, a top performer on the B.A.S.S. Elite Series tour, is scheduled to compete in the CHALLENGE CUP and future MAJOR LEAGUE FISHING events.
Due to a scheduling conflict, Alabama pro Tim Horton will not compete in the CHALLENGE CUP. Faircloth, a Jasper, Texas, angler who also competes on the Elite Series tour, will substitute for Horton at the Lake Amistad event. Horton will return to the 24-angler field for the 2012 events.
“We’re delighted to announce that Bobby Lane and Todd Faircloth will be joining the Challenge Cup field,” Rucks said. “They’re outstanding anglers and first-class individuals. We are honored to have them among our competitors. We couldn’t be more pleased at the way the Challenge Cup event is unfolding.”
In August, Outdoor Channel and 24 of the world’s premiere competitive bass fishing anglers announced the formation of MAJOR LEAGUE FISHING. This new sports organization will feature competitive bass fishing events designed to bring high-intensity challenges to the competitors and entertainment, as well as insight, to audiences.
MAJOR LEAGUE FISHING anglers will compete with no limit on the number of legal bass they can weigh and will not be allowed to begin events with stored GPS waypoints. The anglers will have a real-time leader board in their boats, showing where they rank in the standings at any given time. Anglers will not be allowed any on-site practice time before the events.
A weeklong event scheduled for late fall, the CHALLENGE CUP will be broken down into episodes and aired in the second quarter of 2012 on Outdoor Channel. Web-based pay-per-view broadcasts will also be offered. Details of the pay-per-view presentations will be announced soon.
CHALLENGE CUP Competitors (Revised List)
Tommy Biffle
Denny Brauer
Mark Davis
Boyd Duckett
Brent Ehrler
Edwin Evers
Shaw Grigsby
Greg Hackney
Todd Faircloth (Sub for Tim Horton)
Michael Iaconelli
Alton Jones
Kelly Jordon
Gary Klein
Jeff Kriet
Aaron Martens
Mike McClelland
Ish Monroe
Takahiro Omori
Jason Quinn
Skeet Reese
Dean Rojas
Bobby Lane (replaced Marty Stone)
Kevin VanDam
Byron Velvick