McWha Named New Director
Fishing League Worldwide (FLW), the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, announced today the 2019 Costa FLW Series schedule, which will consist of three events in each of the five divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western – along with the no-entry-fee Costa FLW Series Championship to be held on Lake Cumberland in Burnside, Kentucky.
Also announced for 2019, longtime Director of Tournament Operations for the FLW Series Ron Lappin will step down in his current role following the conclusion of the 2018 season and will be succeeded by current T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Tournament Director Mark McWha. Lappin, along with his wife Joan, however, will still be onsite at 2019 FLW Series events in a new role as Assistant Director of Tournament Operations for the FLW Series, a position created to ensure a seamless transition for McWha and allow the Lappins more flexibility as they prepare for retirement.
“I probably know the anglers on a more personal basis than anyone at FLW, except
“I’ve got the utmost confidence in Mark McWha and his ability to do the job well,” continued Lappin. “I’ve watched him over the years at tournaments and in the office – he manages tournaments and his staff very much like I do. He has the respect of the anglers, and he understands that they can fish any circuit they want, so it’s a privilege to us when they choose to fish with FLW.”
McWha has served FLW as a tournament director since 2006.
“I have some extremely big shoes to fill in trying to follow Ron Lappin, but I’m very confident in my abilities and look forward to traveling the country working with some of the top anglers from around the world,” McWha said. “Having Ron and Joan on-site throughout the season as a resource to myself and the anglers will make the transition smoother. I’m excited to get the 2019 season under way in January.”
The top 40 pros and co-anglers in the final point standings in each division after three qualifying tournaments will advance to the 2019 Costa FLW Series Championship, provided they fished all three qualifiers in a division.
Complete rules and entry dates will be announced in early October.
2019 Costa FLW Series Schedule:
Central Division Fishery City Local Host
• April 4-6 Kentucky Lake Gilbertsville, Ky. Kentucky Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau
• May 9-11 Table Rock Lake Branson, Mo. Explore Branson
• Oct. 10-12 Lake of the Ozarks Osage Beach, Mo. Lake of the Ozarks Tri-County Lodging Association
Northern Division
• July 18-20 Lake Champlain Plattsburgh, N.Y. City of Plattsburgh/Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau
• Aug. 22-24 Potomac River Marbury, Md. Charles County Board of Directors
• Sept. 19-21 St. Lawrence River Massena, N.Y. Town of Massena
Southeastern Division
• Jan. 31 – Feb. 2 Lake Okeechobee Clewiston, Fla. Hendry County Tourist Development Council/Martin & Mary Ann Martin’s Marina
• March 21-23 Lake Chickamauga Dayton, Tenn. Fish Dayton/Rhea County Economic and Community Development
• April 25-27 Santee Cooper Summerton, S.C. Clarendon County Chamber of Commerce
Southwestern Division
• Jan. 3-5 Lake Amistad Del Rio, Texas Del Rio Chamber of Commerce
• June 13-15 Grand Lake Grove, Okla. City of Grove
• Oct. 3-5 Sam Rayburn Reservoir Brookeland, Texas Jasper-Lake Sam Rayburn Area Chamber of Commerce
Western Division
• Feb. 28 – March 2 Lake Mead Las Vegas, Nev. City of Henderson Department of Cultural Arts and Tourism
• May 16-18 Clear Lake Lakeport, Calif. Konocti Vista Casino Resort, Marina & RV Park
• Sept. 26-28 California Delta Bethel Island, Calif. Russo’s Marina & Sugar Barge Resort, Marina & RV Park
Costa FLW Series Championship
• Oct. 31 – Nov. 2 Lake Cumberland Burnside, Ky. Somerset Tourist and Convention Commission/Burnside Tourism Commission
The full schedule and details for each fishery will be posted at FLWFishing.com.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com.
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 2018 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW and their partners conduct 286 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Portugal, South Africa and Spain. 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