FLW nixes co-anglers from Tour events

In 2019, Fishing League Worldwide will eliminate co-angler competition in FLW Tour bass tournaments.

FLW recently announced that marshals will accompany boaters in FLW Tour events instead of with co-anglers. FLW said in a statement that the change will allow FLW to focus more media attention on its top anglers.

From the inception of the FLW Tour, co-anglers were paired with boaters and competed against other co-anglers for smaller prizes. Co-anglers will continue to fish in FLW’s subordinate circuits, such as its Costa Series, which account for 144 other tournaments and provide $3.9 million in cash awards for co-anglers, FLW said.

Co-anglers will continue to win as much as $32,000 in each of 15 Costa FLW Series tournaments, plus $6,550 in Co-angler of the Year awards in each of five U.S. FLW Series divisions.

Co-angler entry fees for these tournaments will be $575.

The T-H Marine Bass Fishing League will offer co-anglers 96 tournaments in which to earn a $3,000 top award for a $125 entry fee, and another 24 Super Tournaments with a top award of $4,500 for a $175 entry fee.

Additionally, co-anglers can win a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard in each of six no-entry-fee BFL regionals, and $60,000 cash in the no-entry-fee All-American. FLW said that other circuits have supplanted the role that the co-angler division once filled on the FLW Tour.

“Fishing the FLW Tour as a co-angler is not the stepping stone to the professional ranks that it once was,” FLW said in a news release. “Today anglers with professional aspirations start out in High School Fishing, continue through FLW College Fishing and then advance to the FLW Series or directly to the FLW Tour.”