Yamaha announced that it has joined Major League Fishing (MLF) as an official outboard sponsor of the 2019 Bass Pro Tour, Bass Pro Tour Championship and MLF NOW!’s live streaming broadcast, which will feature more than 350 hours of coverage.
In addition, Yamaha V MAX SHO outboards will power 19 professional angler boats during 53 episodes aired on Discovery Channel, Sportsman Channel, CBS and CBS Sports. All episodes are also available on-demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV).
“The professional fishing industry and tournament structure continues to evolve as the sport grows,” said David Ittner, Manager, Tournament, Sponsorship and Pro Staff for the Yamaha U.S. Marine Business Unit. “Yamaha will support our pro team members competing during the 2019 MLF season. We are excited for the additional exposure through the MLF broadcast.”
Founded in 2011, MLF brings the high-intensity sport of competitive bass fishing into America’s living rooms. With real-time scoring from officials in every boat, MLF offers a unique competition format designed to showcase the skills of the top bass anglers in the country. The 80-angler MLF Bass Pro Tour field includes Bassmaster Classic champions, FLW Forrest Wood Cup winners, Anglers of the Year and top tour performers in competitive bass fishing.
The 2019 Bass Pro Tour season opened Jan. 29 in Kissimmee, Fla., and concludes with a championship event in August. Each Bass Pro Tour event will result in a two-hour television show that will air on Sportsman Channel in the fourth quarter of 2019, and will repeat in the first and second quarters of 2020.
“We’re thrilled to announce this support from Yamaha, one of the most dependable and well-known brands on the water,” said Jim Wilburn, president and CEO of Major League Fishing. “To have Yamaha’s involvement in the Bass Pro Tour is tremendous. The brand will be well represented during the competitions, as a fourth of the field will run Yamaha power. We’re happy to have them on board for 2019.”
This season, 19 Yamaha Pro Anglers will compete in MLF tournaments around the nation, including Cliff Crochet, Mark Davis, Todd Faircloth, Mike Iaconelli, Alton Jones, Russ Lane, Bobby Lane, Jordan Lee, Matt Lee, Justin Lucas, Ish Monroe, Takahiro Omori, Brandon Palaniuk, Marty Robinson, Terry Scroggins and Randall Tharp.
