Second Stop of 2022 Season Showcases 158 Professional Anglers Competing Over Four Days for Top Prize of $135,000 and Season Purse of More Than $6 Million
LEESBURG, Fla. (March 8, 2022) – Major League Fishing (MLF) is set to return to Lake County, Florida, this week, March 13-16, for the second event of the 2022 MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Fuel Me regular-season – the Bass Boat Technologies Stop 2 on the Harris Chain of Lakes Presented by Frogg Toggs.
Hosted by Visit Lake County, the four-day tournament marks the second of six regular-season Pro Circuit events, the sport’s premier five-fish-limit tournament circuit. The event will feature 158 of the top anglers from around the country – including 19 pros from Florida – competing for a total purse of more than $850,000, and valuable points to qualify for the 2022 Tackle Warehouse TITLE Presented by Mercury, the Pro Circuit Championship, and the coveted Pro Circuit Angler of the Year (AOY) title.
The event will mark the fourth time the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit (formerly the FLW Tour) has competed on the Harris Chain of Lakes. When the Circuit last visited Leesburg in February 2020, local pro Laramy Strickland of Bushnell, Florida, fishing in his rookie season, won the weather-shortened event with a three-day total of 61 pounds, 4 ounces. Strickland won by flipping a Reaction Innovations Spicy Beaver throughout a 600-acre duck marsh in Lake Griffin. This time around, Strickland says that he expects the bass to be in multiple different phases, and anglers will be able to fish their strengths and do well with numerous different baits and tactics.
“The key to doing well in this tournament is going to be picking an area where the fish are coming and going,” said Strickland. “I think we’re going to see fish in all three stages of the spawn – pre-spawn, spawning and post-spawn. I think the majority of fish have spawned already, but we’ll still catch fish from all three stages and you can expect to see everything in this tournament.
“The (Harris) Chain has been beat up a little bit with the number of tournaments there the past few weeks, but it still is fishing really well,” Strickland continued. “It’s going to take at least 75 to 80 pounds to win this one, no doubt.”
The Harris Chain of Lakes includes Lake Harris, Lake Apopka, Lake Griffin, Lake Eustis, Lake Dora, Lake Carlton, Horseshoe Lake, Little Lake Harris, Lake Denham and Lake Beauclair. In all, the pros have the run of 10 lakes, plus the residential canals, rivers and backwaters that spread out from them.
“I imagine that the field will be pretty spread out,” Strickland said. “Most of the guys in the field will have had experience here and will be spread all over the map. That being said, it’s still Florida-fishing and we’re going to see some areas that are pretty popular. I think Banana Cove in Lake Harris will be a big player.”
Strickland said that he expects the standard Florida-fare of baits to be popular choices amongst tournament competitors.
“Guys are going to catch them on ChatterBaits and (Zoom) Speed Worms. I think we’ll see some topwater fish play. We’re going to see some flipping fish. Lipless crankbaits. With all three phases of the spawn in play, we’ll be able to catch them pretty much however we feel most comfortable.”
In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of 158 anglers compete in the two-day opening round on Sunday and Monday. The top 50 pros based on their two-day cumulative weight will advance to Tuesday. Only the top 10 pros, based on cumulative weight from the first three days, will continue competition on Championship Wednesday, where weights will be zeroed and anglers will compete in a one-day shootout for the grand prize of up to $135,000, including the lucrative $35,000 Phoenix MLF Bonus for qualified anglers.
Anglers will take off at 7:30 a.m. ET, Sunday through Wednesday, from the Ski Beach at the Venetian Gardens, located at 201 E. Lake Harris Drive in Leesburg. Weigh-ins will also be held at the Ski Beach daily at 3:30 p.m. Fans are encouraged to attend the morning take offs and afternoon weigh-ins, and also follow the live on-the-water action all four days of competition online on MLF NOW! beginning at 8 a.m. ET at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Bass Boat Technologies Stop 2 on the Harris Chain of Lakes Presented by Frogg Toggs will feature live on-the-water coverage and a two-hour action-packed television show that will premiere on the CBS Sports Network on Saturday, July 16 from 7 to 9 a.m. ET.
The 2022 season culminates with the Tackle Warehouse TITLE Presented by Mercury, the Pro Circuit Championship, where the top 48 pros in the points standings, along with the 2021 TITLE Champion and 2021 Angler of the Year, will compete for a top prize of $235,000. The 2022 TITLE will be on the St. Lawrence River in Massena, New York, Aug. 16-21, and is hosted by the Town of Massena.
Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X and YETI.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit on the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.