Major League Fishing Begins Year with Alexandria

In a new series that’s been compared to Amazing Race meets pro fishing, Major League Fishing (MLF) hopes to highlight new areas throughout the country for their new show. Alexandria will be its featured location in the first six shows set to appear on the Outdoor Channel December 31st through February 4th.

_{Fishermen gathered their teams prior to setting out on Lake Le Homme Dieu on the first morning of competition. Each morning around 6:15am the caravan of top-tier boats left the parking lot of the Holiday Inn of Alexandria on their way to unknown waters. Bass Pro Tour Angler of the Year (2021 & 2022) Jacob Wheeler, got his instrumentation ready before launching their boat onto Lake Le Homme Dieu.}

27 of the world’s best pro anglers were in Alexandria this fall looking to score big with some Minnesota bass. They wrapped up their production the first weekend in October at the General Tire Team Series Lucas Oil Qualifier presented by B& W Hitches.

The event, hosted by Explore Alexandria Tourism, and filmed entirely for television broadcast, was shot over six days and featured nine teams of three anglers competing to finish in the top three to advance to the General Tire Team Series Championship.

Central Minnesota and Alexandria have played host to numerous bass-fishing tournaments over the years, however, this event will mark the first time that MLF has visited Alexandria with an event that showcases the catch, weigh, immediate-release tournament format.

The six-episode, two-hour series features the professional anglers visiting the Alexandria area to compete on Lake Le Homme Dieu or Lake Ida on each day of competition. The anglers do not learn where they are competing until they arrive to the launch ramp each morning of competition, creating a reality-based television episode that showcases how the top anglers in the world break down new and unfamiliar waters.
The MLF General Tire Team Series Lucas Oil Qualifier presented by B&W Trailer Hitches will air on the Outdoor Channel as six, two-hour original episodes each Saturday afternoon starting Dec. 31, 2022, airing from 1 to 3 p.m. CST.

Here is the upcoming air schedule for this event. New episodes will premiere each Saturday afternoon, from 2p-4p ET on the Outdoor Channel:

*12/31 – Match 1 (Lake Le Homme Dieu Chain)

*1/7 – Match 1 (Lake Le Homme Dieu Chain)

*1/14 – Match 2 (Lake Ida)

*1/21 – Match 2 (Lake Ida)

*1/28 – Match 3 (Lake Le Homme Dieu Chain)

*2/4 – Match 3 (Lake Le Homme Dieu Chain)

The full television schedule can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com/tv-schedule.

The winning three-man team in the General Tire Team Series Championship will claim the $300,000 top prize. The second-place team will earn $60,000, and the third-place team will win $30,000. Teams 4-9 in the championship will each earn $15,000 prize. All anglers receive $3,000 for participating in the no-entry fee Qualifying Events.

The Holiday Inn of Alexandria served as the host site for the pros and was also the site for all indoor interviews and programs. Breakfast sandwiches were supplied by The Corral Saloon and Eatery, with a special effort by its owner Sue Hawkinson to make it happen for these early risers.

The nine teams that competed in the General Tire Team Series Lucas Oil Qualifier presented by B&W Trailer Hitches in Alexandria, Minnesota, are:

Team B&W Trailer Hitches:
Mark Davis, Mount Ida, Ark.
Gary Klein, Mingus, Texas
Cliff Pace, Petal, Miss.

Team Builders FirstSource:
Stephen Browning, Hot Springs, Ark.
Jeff Kriet, Ardmore, Okla.
Timmy Horton, Muscle Shoals, Ala.

Team Crockett Creek:
Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn.
Dylan Hays, Hot Springs, Ark.
Jason Lambert, Michie, Tenn.

Team Ferguson:
Shinichi Fukae, Osaka, Japan
Fletcher Shryock, Guntersville, Ala.
Marty Robinson, Lyman, S.C.

Team Fox Rent A Car:
James Elam, Tulsa, Okla.
Brent Chapman, Lake Quivira, Kan.
Jonathan VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich.

Team Knighten Industries:
Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn.
Scott Suggs, Alexander, Ark.
Mike McClelland, Blue Eye, Mo.

Team Kubota:
Greg Vinson, Wetumpka, Ala.
Bradley Roy, Lancaster, Ky.
Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala.

Team Smokey Mountain:
Josh Bertrand, Queen Creek, Ariz.
Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn.
Brandon Coulter, Knoxville, Tenn.

Team Starbrite:
Alton Jones, Jr., Waco, Texas
Britt Myers, Lake Wylie, S.C.
Roy Hawk, Lake Havasu City, Ariz.

For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

For a quick video preview at the boats getting ready to start the day on Monday, September 26th, 2022, click on this YouTube link.