Fishing League Worldwide (FLW) announced today the complete professional angler roster of 165 for the upcoming 2017 FLW Tour season, the 22nd season of the FLW Tour. The 2017 FLW Tour will feature seven regular-season tournaments with competition kicking off Feb. 2-5 at Lake Guntersville in Guntersville, Alabama.
The 2017 FLW Tour roster is headlined by three-time reigning Angler of the Year (AOY) Andy Morgan of Dayton, Tennessee, and 2016 Forrest Wood Cup champion John Cox of DeBary, Florida. They’ll be joined by nine former FLW Tour AOY winners, six former Forrest Wood Cup champions, and 30 Tour rookies in 2017.
Also making their FLW Tour debut at Lake Guntersville in February will be former Bassmaster Elite Series competitors Carl Jocumsen, Billy McCaghren, Matt Reed, Casey Scanlon and Dennis Tietje. Those newcomers bring a combined 33 top-10 finishes and career earnings of more than $1.6 million to the Tour.
“The talent level of the professional anglers on the 2017 FLW Tour roster is second to none,” said Bill Taylor, Senior FLW Tournament Director. “We are extremely excited to kick off the season next month at Lake Guntersville and I anticipate that this season will be one of the most competitive seasons that we have ever had in FLW Tour history.”
The top 100 pros and top 10 co-anglers from the 2016 FLW Tour, the top 10 pros from each of the five 2016 FLW Series divisions, the 2016 TBF National Champion, and the 2016 BFL All-American champion all received priority invitations to join the Tour.
In addition to the $125,000 paycheck that is awarded to FLW Tour winners, FLW will pay out at least $10,000 to pros down to 50th place along with one additional payout of $4,000 per boat over a 160-boat field. The season opener on Lake Guntersville, scheduled to fish 165 boats, will pay out 55 places.
In FLW Tour competition anglers are vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing. The 2017 Forrest Wood Cup will be in Columbia, South Carolina, Aug. 11-13 on Lake Murray and is hosted by the Capital City Lake Murray Country Regional Tourism Board.
2017 FLW Tour Anglers
Jason Abram Piney Flats, Tenn.
Tracy Adams Wilkesboro, N.C.
Dean Alexander* Georgetown, Texas
Matt Arey Shelby, N.C.
Scott Ashmore Broken Arrow, Okla.
Justin Atkins* Florence, Ala.
Todd Auten Lake Wylie, S.C.
Evan Barnes* Hot Springs, Ark.
Clayton Batts Macon, Ga.
Robert Behrle Hoover, Ala.
Cody Bird Granbury, Texas
Zack Birge Blanchard, Okla.
Daryl Biron South Windsor, Conn.
Derrick Blake* Rockwood, Tenn.
Randy Blaukat Joplin, Mo.
Greg Bohannan Bentonville, Ark.
Terry Bolton Paducah, Ky.
Christopher Brasher Longview, Texas
Jimmy Brewer Marshall, Texas
Aaron Britt* Yuba City, Calif.
Chase Brooks Iraan, Texas
Keith Bryan* Novato, Calif.
Grae Buck* Harleysville, Pa.
Jamey Caldwell* Carthage, N.C.
Jeff Cannon* Douglasville, Ga.
Scott Canterbury Springville, Ala.
Peter Cherkas* Des Moines, Iowa
Joey Cifuentes* Clinton, Ark.
Brandon Cobb Greenwood, S.C.
Ramie Colson Jr. Cadiz, Ky.
Kyle Cortiana* Broken Arrow, Okla.
John Cox Debary, Fla.
Wade Curtiss* Meadow Vista, Calif.
Alex Davis Albertville, Ala.
Bill Day Frankfort, Ky.
John Devere Berea, Ky.
Jim Dillard West Monroe, La.
Jeff Dobson* Bartlesville, Okla.
Bradley Dortch* Atmore, Ala.
Josh Douglas* Mound, Minn.
Kurt Dove Del Rio, Texas
David Dudley Lynchburg, Va.
Luke Dunkin Lawrenceburg, Tenn.
Charlie Evans Berea, Ky.
Ronald Farrow* Rock Hill, S.C.
Austin Felix Eden Prairie, Minn.
Mark Fisher Wauconda, Ill.
Tim Frederick Leesburg, Fla.
Shinichi Fukae Palestine, Texas
Anthony Gagliardi Prosperity, S.C.
Nick Gainey Charleston, S.C.
Chris Gosselaar* Fresno, Calif.
Matt Greenblatt Port St Lucie, Fla.
Buddy Gross Chickamauga, Ga.
Jeff Gustafson Keewatin, Ontario, Canada
Bradley Hallman Norman, Okla.
Dylan Hays* Sheridan, Ark.
Jonathan Henry* Grant, Ala.
Billy Hines* Vacaville, Calif.
Joe Holland Jefferson, Maine
Todd Hollowell Fishers, Ind.
Jamie Horton Centerville, Ala.
Jimmy Houston Cookson, Okla.
Rex Huff Corbin, Ky.
Bill Hutchison* Bessemer, Ala.
Eric Jackson Walling, Tenn.
Carl Jocumsen Frisco, Texas
Jason Johnson Gainesville, Ga.
Chris Johnston Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
Cory Johnston Cavan, Ontario, Canada
Jim Jones Big Bend, Wis.
Cody Kelley Conway, Ark.
Powell Kemp Scotland Neck, N.C.
Jay Kendrick Grant, Ala.
J.T. Kenney Palm Bay, Fla.
Mike Kernan Wylie, Texas
Rob Kilby Hot Springs, Ark.
Brad Knight Lancing, Tenn.
Daniel Kweekul* Bryant, Ark.
Jason Lambert Pickwick Dam, Tenn.
Brian Latimer Belton, S.C.
Jeremy Lawyer* Sarcoxie, Mo.
Shane Lehew Catawba, N.C.
Richard Lowitzki Hampshire, Ill.
Scott Martin Clewiston, Fla.
Lendell Martin Jr. Nacogdoches, Texas
Billy McCaghren Mayflower, Ark.
Chris McCall Palmer, Texas
Johnny McCombs Morris, Ala.
Michael McCoy* Mentor-on-the-Lake, Ohio
Bill McDonald Greenwood, Ind.
Tim McDonald Prestonsburg, Ky.
Brandon McMillan Clewiston, Fla.
Brandon Medlock Lake Placid, Fla.
Jason Meninger Gainesville, Ga.
Cody Meyer Auburn, Calif.
Kerry Milner Bono, Ark.
Kurt Mitchell Milford, Del.
Tom Monsoor La Crosse, Wis.
Drew Montgomery Maiden, N.C.
Harry Moore Valley, Ala.
Dan Morehead Paducah, Ky.
Andy Morgan Dayton, Tenn.
Bob Morin Seymour, Tenn.
Troy Morrow Eastanollee, Ga.
Brandon Mosley* Choctaw, Okla.
Jim Moulton* Merced, Calif.
Jim Moynagh Carver, Minn.
Shawn Murphy Nicholasville, Ky.
Michael Neal Dayton, Tenn.
Chris Neau New Orleans, La.
Blake Nick Trussville, Ala.
Larry Nixon Bee Branch, Ark.
Jordan Osborne Longview, Texas
Stephen Patek Dallas, Texas
Robert Pearson Herndon, Va.
Pete Ponds Madison, Miss.
Chad Randles* Elkhorn, Neb.
Tom Redington Royse City, Texas
Matt Reed Madisonville, Texas
Clark Reehm Huntington, Texas
Jimmy Reese Witter Springs, Calif.
Jason Reyes Huffman, Texas
Curtis Richardson Belleville, Ontario, Canada
Darrel Robertson Jay, Okla.
Mark Rose West Memphis, Ark.
Zell Rowland Montgomery, Texas
Casey Scanlon Lenexa, Kan.
Bryan Schmitt Deale, Md.
Braxton Setzer Montgomery, Ala.
Alvin Shaw Roaring Gap, N.C.
William Shelton III La Crosse, Va.
Blake Smith Lakeland, Fla.
David Smith Del City, Okla.
Bill Smith Jr. Burlington, Ky.
Jeff Sprague Point, Texas
Matthew Stefan Junction City, Wis.
Wesley Strader Spring City, Tenn.
Scott Suggs Alexander, Ark.
Mike Surman Boca Raton, Fla.
Austin Terry San Angelo, Texas
Peter Thliveros Saint Augustine, Fla.
Rodney Thomason Maumelle, Ark.
Timmy Thompkins Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Bryan Thrift Shelby, N.C.
Dennis Tietje Roanoke, La.
Rusty Trancygier Hahira, Ga.
Jim Tutt Longview, Texas
Andrew Upshaw Tulsa, Okla.
John Voyles Petersburg, Ind.
Chad Warren* Sand Springs, Okla.
James Watson Nixa, Mo.
Joshua Weaver Macon, Ga.
Joseph Webster Fulton, Miss.
Kyle Weisenburger* Ottawa, Ohio
Clark Wendlandt Leander, Texas
Chris Whitson Louisville, Tenn.
Scott Wiley Bay Minette, Ala.
Barry Wilson Birmingham, Ala.
Matt Wittekiend Angleton, Texas
Kenneth (Boo) Woods London, Ky.
Michael Wooley Collierville, Tenn.
Gary Yamamoto Palestine, Texas
Jay Yelas Corvallis, Ore.
Andy Young Mound, Minn.
(* denotes FLW Tour rookie)
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2017 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 274 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros.
By: Joe Opager, Director of Public Relations
