Major League Fishing’s EVP and General Manager, Kathy Fennel, has been diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer and will take a leave of absence from the organization as she pursues treatment.

“This all transpired very quickly, and I’m still processing the diagnosis, but what I know for certain is that I will fight, and that I am loved,” Fennel said. “The outpouring of support I’ve already received is overwhelming. Our team at Major League Fishing is the best in the world, and they will continue to provide the highest level of service to our anglers, sponsors and fans as I work toward defeating this indiscriminate disease.”

Fennel has served Major League Fishing, the largest tournament-fishing organization worldwide, and its predecessors, Fishing League Worldwide and Operation Bass, since 1982. She was inducted into the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame in 2015, the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame in 2022, and the Legends of the Outdoors Hall of Fame in 2023. She was named to Sports Business Journal’s 2023 class of Game Changers: Women in Sports Business and received the American Sportfishing Association’s prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award in 2025.

In addition to her position at Major League Fishing, Fennel serves on the American Sportfishing Association board of directors, the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation board of directors and the Kentucky Lake Economic Development board of directors.

“This diagnosis is heartbreaking for everyone who knows Kathy,” said Major League Fishing President and CEO Boyd Duckett. “She is universally loved and admired by everyone who has ever met her. She is strong and empathetic, always looking out for those around her. Those same qualities will help guide her through this diagnosis and the treatments to come. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.”

Anyone who would like to wish her well may send correspondence to:

Major League Fishing
ATTN: Kathy Fennel
30 Gamble Lane
Benton, KY 42025

To email, send to information@majorleaguefishing.com, and they will be forwarded.

 Images courtesy Major League Fishing