Two-man teams of Bass Pro Tour anglers to compete on unknown fisheries in second event of season, all six days of competition livestreamed on MLFNOW! and filmed for broadcast on Outdoor Channel
NEENAH, Wis. (Aug. 5, 2024) – Major League Fishing (MLF) is set to visit the Fox Cities and Neenah, Wisconsin, next week, Sept. 15-20, for the second event of the 2024 General Tire Team Series Presented by Bass Pro Shops – the Knighten Industries Heritage Cup Presented by Berkley.
Hosted by the Fox Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Knighten Industries Heritage Cup Presented by Berkley will feature 12 two-man teams of professional anglers from the Bass Pro Tour competing at fisheries in the region that are unknown to the competitors until they arrive to the launch ramp each morning.
“We are truly honored to welcome Major League Fishing and some of the best anglers in the world next week to the Fox Cities of Wisconsin,” said Matt Ten Haken, Director of Sports Marketing for the Fox Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau. “We are excited to see the competitors take their talents to our diverse fisheries and experience the incredible fall beauty of Wisconsin.”
The General Tire Team Series is livestreamed daily, meaning every cast and every catch is covered live and fans can watch teammates work together to break down a new body of water in real time. The MLFNOW! broadcast is livestreamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MLF and MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) apps and on Rumble. The broadcast team of Chad McKee and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action live all six days of competition at the Heritage Cup from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. CT.
In keeping with traditional MLF Cup protocols, Neenah, Wisconsin, was not revealed to Team Series anglers until 30 days prior to the start of the tournament. All fishable waters within 60 miles of Neenah then went off limits to anglers. Fans watching the MLFNOW! livestream will find out the day’s competition waters right along with the anglers each morning, and then watch all the action unfold live as teams work together and share their knowledge as they compete for the Heritage Cup and to claim a part of a season-long purse of more than $720,000.
“This is going to be a fun event to watch,” said Junction City, Wisconsin, pro Matthew Stefan, who competed as a part of Team Coign in the first Team Series event held in late August. “Off of the top of my head, within 60 miles of Neenah, there are probably 100 bodies of water where these guys could be going. And most of them are pretty good.
“Another x-factor is that fall fishing in Wisconsin is so fishery-dependent,” Stefan continued. “The deep, clear water lakes fish very differently than the local rivers and pop-up lakes that they could be competing on. So it’s going to be cool to see where these guys end up going, and how they decide to approach things.”
Stefan said that he enjoyed competing in the General Tire Team Series and it offers fans a great opportunity to watch exactly how these anglers break down the unknown fisheries.
“Nobody has any knowledge of the fisheries that you’re going to, so it creates this very unique environment. And then when you have two anglers in the same boat, working together and talking through their thought processes, as a viewer you get to hear what these guys are saying,” Stefan said. “That’s something that you don’t get when you watch a traditional, individual tournament. The Team Series is a really great format and a lot of fun for both the viewers and the anglers.”
The 12 teams that will compete in the General Tire Team Series Knighten Industries Heritage Cup Presented by Berkley in Neenah, Wisconsin are:
Team 7 Brew Coffee:
Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla.
Ryan Salzman, Guntersville, Ala.
Team B&W Trailer Hitches:
Nick Hatfield, Greeneville, Tenn.
Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala.
Team Builders FirstSource:
Alton Jones, Sr., Lorena, Texas
Alton Jones, Jr., Waco, Texas
Team Coign:
Jeff Sprague, Wills Point, Texas
Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C.
Team Ferguson:
Marshall Robinson, Landrum, S.C.
Marty Robinson, Lyman, S.C.
Team Knighten Industries:
Kelly Jordon, Flint, Texas
Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala.
Team Kubota:
Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif.
Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif.
Team REDCON1:
Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn.
Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C.
Team Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff & Pouches:
Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C.
Terry Scroggins, San Mateo, Fla.
Team Star Tron:
Grae Buck, Green Lane, Pa.
Martin Villa, Charlottesville, Va.
Team U.S. Air Force:
Matt Lee, Cullman, Ala.
Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala.
Team WIX Filters:
David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va.
Dave Lefebre, Erie, Pa.
The MLF General Tire Team Series Knighten Industries Heritage Cup Presented by Berkley will also air on Outdoor Channel as six two-hour original episodes each Saturday afternoon starting Feb. 15, 2025, airing from 2 to 4 p.m. EDT. The complete television schedule for the 2024 General Tire Team Series on Outdoor Channel will be posted at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Proud sponsors of the MLF General Tire Team Series include: 7 Brew Coffee, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Barbasol, Bass Boat Technologies, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, BUBBA, Builders FirstSource, C-MAP, Coign, Epic Baits, Ferguson, Fishing Clash, General Tire, Knighten Industries, Kubota, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Nitro Boats, Onyx, Plano, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Rapala Baits, REDCON1, Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff, Star brite, Toyota, USAA, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the General Tire Team Series Presented by Bass Pro Shops, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.