Major League Fishing (MLF) officials are proud to announce that the second-annual General Tire World Championship, presented by Bass Pro Shops, will begin airing this Saturday, June 23, on CBS Television Network and will run for six consecutive weeks.The 12 anglers vying for the 2018 World Championship title are: Kevin VanDam, Mike Iaconelli, Skeet Reese, Edwin Evers, Aaron Martens, Jeff Kriet, Ish Monroe, Mike McClelland, Andy Montgomery, Greg Hackney, Takahiro Omori and Bobby Lane, the reigning World Champion. The lineup consists of the Top 12 MLF Cup anglers based on MLF cumulative two-year final point standings of the 2017-2018 competitions.
The show’s return to CBS Network for a second season repeats the precedent set last year when the airing marked the largest stage ever for a consecutive six-week bass fishing series on national broadcast television.
“What better way to kickoff the first official weekend of summer than with exciting competition among the country’s greatest anglers trying to outdo one another in pursuit of America’s favorite game fish, the bass,” said MLF General Manager Jim Wilburn. “The CBS airing puts the sport in front of a huge audience nationwide, exposing the thrill of fishing to many households that might not otherwise be watching the activity. General Tire and Bass Pro get a lot of the credit for making this amazing outreach a reality.”
The 2018 World Championship features a format change that allows the top angler from the first two rounds to immediately punch a ticket to the Sudden Death Round, rather than making all anglers compete in elimination. Fishing took place on multiple famed bass waters around Indian River County, Fla., with the championship round being held on Lake Kenansville.
“I can assure you each of the six one-hour episodes is packed full of exciting challenges,” teased MLF show executive producer Randy White. “Not only will viewers be entertained by the action, everyone will also have the opportunity to improve their own fishing knowledge by watching these guys adjust constantly to keep the fish biting.”
The World Championship will air each Saturday during the six-week run on CBS, beginning June 23, at 2 p.m. EDT. Re-airs will be available throughout the week on CBS Sports Network.
“Not everyone has the inspirations to become a professional bass angler, but a big part of the general population enjoys fishing at some level and the MLF format for viewer entertainment resonates well with family members of all ages,” said Travis Roffler, director of marketing for General Tire. “We’re pleased to be the title sponsor of the World Championship and encourage you to tune in to see who will be crowned as the 2018 world’s best angler.
CBS Network, with more than 200 television stations and affiliates, reaches virtually every home in the United States. CBS reports that its total network lineup was watched by more than 114 million people a week during the 2017-2018 season.
For more information on MLF and its sponsors, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.