Major League Fishing Cancels First Practice Day at Stage One in Louisiana

MONROE-WEST MONROE, La. (Feb. 1, 2022) – Major League Fishing (MLF) has announced that the first day of practice for the 80 anglers competing in the Bass Pro Tour Stage One scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 3, has been canceled due to forecasted freezing rain and high winds.

“Initially, our anglers were slated for two days of practice on either Lake D’Arbonne or Caney Creek Reservoir,” said MLF Bass Pro Tour Tournament Director Aaron Beshears. “However, with the forecasted weather conditions, we have deemed it unsafe for our anglers to head out for the first day of practice on Thursday.

“We’re expecting some heavy rain on Wednesday night, and with the freezing temperatures forecast for Thursday it is going to be extremely icy. For the safety of our anglers, we’ll delay the start of practice one day and we’ll get after it starting Friday.”

Anglers will be allowed to begin practice on either Lake D’Arbonne or Caney Creek Reservoir from 6:30 a.m. until 6:15 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 4. Competition will begin as planned on Saturday, Feb. 5.

The 40 anglers in Group B will be allowed to practice on Caney Creek Reservoir ONLY on their first scheduled day off – Saturday, Feb. 5, from 6:30 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. The 40 anglers in Group A will also be allowed to practice on Caney Creek Reservoir ONLY on their first scheduled day off – Sunday, Feb. 6, from 6:30 a.m. to 6:15 p.m.

Each group will also be allowed to proceed with a planned 4-hour ride through on Bussey Brake on their second off day, as previously scheduled. Group B will conduct their ride through on Monday, Feb. 7 and Group A will complete their ride through on Tuesday, Feb. 8. No fishing is allowed during the ride throughs.

In the four-day opening Qualifying Rounds, anglers will compete on Lake D’Arbonne and launch at 7:30 a.m. from the Lake D’Arbonne State Park, located at 3628 Evergreen Road in Farmerville, Louisiana. The Knockout Round will take place on Caney Creek Reservoir, where anglers will launch at 7:30 a.m. from the Caney Creek Hooks Marina, located at 400 Spillway Road in Chatham, Louisiana. For the final day Championship Round, the final 10 anglers will compete on Bussey Brake, launching at 7:30 a.m. from Bonner Ferry Road, five miles northwest of Bastrop off of Hwy 593.