FLW announced today the complete professional angler roster of 171 for the upcoming 2016 FLW Tour season. The schedule consists of six regular-season tournaments, along with the addition of two fall Invitational tournaments, with competition kicking off Feb. 4-7 at Lake Okeechobee in Clewiston, Fla.
The Top 100 pros and top 10 co-anglers from the 2015 FLW Tour, the Top 10 pros from each of the five 2015 FLW Series divisions, the 2015 TBF National Champion and the 2015 All-American boater champion all received priority invitations to join the Tour.
“We couldn’t be more excited to kick off our FLW Tour season in just six short weeks at Lake Okeechobee,” said Kathy Fennel, FLW president of operations. “We have a fantastic mix of anglers and the race for the 2016 Forrest Wood Cup is going to be more exciting than ever.”
In addition to the $125,000 pro paycheck ($100,000 plus $25,000 if Ranger Cup eligible) that is awarded to FLW Tour winners, FLW will pay out at least $10,000 to pros down to 50th place and $4,000 to pros and $700 to co-anglers based on one additional payout per boat over a 160-boat field. The season opener on Lake Okeechobee, scheduled to fish 171 boats, will pay out 61 places.
The 2016 FLW Tour roster is headlined by 2015’s Angler of the Year (AOY) Scott Martin of Clewiston, Fla, and Forrest Wood Cup champion Brad Knight of Lancing, Tenn.. Martin and Knight will be joined by fellow FLW Tour AOY winners Andy Morgan (2013, 2014), David Dudley (2008, 2011, 2012), Bryan Thrift (2010), Clark Wendlandt (1997, 2000, 2009), Jay Yelas (2002, 2007), Anthony Gagliardi (2006), Shinichi Fukae (2004), Dan Morehead (2003) and Peter Thliveros (1996).
Eight former Forrest Wood Cup champions will also be competing on Tour this season: David Fritts (1997), Darrel Robertson (1999), Dudley (2003), Scott Suggs (2007), Martin (2011), Jacob Wheeler (2012), Gagliardi (2014) and Knight. (2015).
The Tour will also feature such bass fishing legends such as Larry Nixon, Jimmy Houston and Gary Yamamoto. The list of newcomers includes brothers Cory and Chris Johnston, who've dominated Canadian competition in recently years.
Here's a look at the roster in alphabetical order:
> Jason Abram -- Piney Flats, Tenn.
> Tracy Adams -- Wilkesboro, N.C.
> Keith Amerson -- Selmer, Tenn.
> Matt Arey -- Shelby, N.C.
> Scott Ashmore -- Broken Arrow, Okla.
> Todd Auten -- Lake Wylie, S.C.
> Clayton Batts -- Macon, Ga.
> Chris Baumgardner -- Gastonia, N.C.
> Zack Birge -- Blanchard, Okla,
> Daryl Biron -- South Windsor, Conn.
> Randy Blaukat -- Joplin, Mo.
> Stetson Blaylock -- Benton, Ark.
> Greg Bohannan -- Bentonville, Ark.
> Terry Bolton -- Paducah, Ky.
> Mike Boyles -- Kimberling City, Mo.
> Christopher Brasher -- Longview, Texas
> Jimmy Brewer -- Marshall, Texas
> Chase Brooks -- Iraan, Texas
> Troy Broussard -- Beaumont, Texas
> Glenn Browne -- Ocala, Fla.
> Scott Canterbury -- Springville, Ala.
> Ryan Chandler -- Hebron, Ind.
> Glenn Chappelear -- Acworth, Ga.
> Brandon Cobb -- Greenwood, S.C.
> Ramie Colson Jr. -- Cadiz, Ky.
> Dalton Cooksey -- New Concord, Ky.
> Rick Cotton -- Guntersville, Ala.
> John Cox -- Debary, Fla.
> Shirley Crain -- Fort Smith, Ark.
> Mark Daniels Jr. -- Tuskegee, Ala.
> Alex Davis -- Albertville, Ala.
> Darrell Davis -- Dover, Fla.
> Tony Davis -- Williston, Fla.
> Bill Day -- Frankfort, Ky.
> John Devere -- Berea, Ky.
> Tommy Dickerson -- Orange, Texas
> Jim Dillard -- West Monroe, La.
> Robbie Dodson -- Harrison, Ark.
> Kurt Dove -- Del Rio, Texas
> David Dudley -- Lynchburg, Va.
> Tony Dumitras -- Winston, Ga.
> Luke Dunkin -- Lawrenceburg, Tenn.
> Richie Eaves -- Nauvoo, Ill.
> Gene Eisenmann -- Frisco, Texas
> Charlie Evans -- Berea, Ky.
> Marc Evans -- Angola, Ind.
> Austin Felix -- Eden Prairie, Minn.
> Travis Fox -- Rogers, Ark.
> Tim Frederick -- Leesburg, Fla.
> David Fritts -- Lexington, N.C.
> Shinichi Fukae -- Palestine, Texas
> Anthony Gagliardi -- Prosperity, S.C.
> Nick Gainey -- Charleston, S.C.
> Troy Gibson -- Mountain Home, Ark.
> Shawn Gordon -- Russellville, Ark.
> Matt Greenblatt -- Port St Lucie, Fla.
> Buddy Gross -- Ringgold, Ga.
> Jeff Gustafson -- Keewatin, Ont.
> Michael Hall -- Annandale, Va.
> Bradley Hallman -- Norman, Okla.
> Randy Haynes -- Counce, Tenn.
> Sven Hilland -- Sanford, Fla.
> Joe Holland -- Jefferson, Me.
> Todd Hollowell -- Fishers, Ind.
> Jamie Horton -- Centerville, Ala.
> Jimmy Houston -- Cookson, Okla.
> Rex Huff -- Corbin, Ky.
> Brandon Hunter -- Benton, Ky.
> Charlie Ingram -- Centerville, Tenn.
> Eric Jackson -- Walling, Tenn.
> Jason Johnson -- Gainesville, Ga.
> Kevin Johnson, Surprise, Ariz.
> Chris Johnston -- Peterborough, Ont.
> Cory Johnston -- Cavan, Ont.
> Jim Jones -- Big Bend, Wis.
> George Kapiton -- Inverness, Fla.
> Cody Kelley -- Conway, Ark.
> Powell Kemp -- Scotland Neck, N.C.
> Jay Kendrick -- Grant, Ala.
> JT Kenney -- Palm Bay, Fla.
> Mike Kernan -- Wylie, Texas
> Rob Kilby -- Hot Springs, Ark.
> Brad Knight -- Lancing, Tenn.
> Jason Lambert -- Pickwick Dam, Tenn.
> Brian Latimer -- Belton, S.C.
> Jerry Lawler -- Athens, Ala.
> Shane Lehew -- Mooresville, N.C.
> Craig Livesay -- Johnson City, Tenn.
> Richard Lowitzki -- Hampshire, Ill.
> Kyle Mabrey -- McCalla, Ala.
> Tim Malone -- Gatlinburg, Tenn.
> Scott Martin -- Clewiston, Fla.
> Lendell Martin Jr. -- Nacogdoches, Texas
> Chris McCall -- Brookeland, Texas
> Bill McDonald -- Greenwood, Ind.
> Tim McDonald -- Prestonsburg, Ky.
> Brandon McMillan -- Clewiston, Fla.
> Shane Melton -- Kokomo, Ind.
> Jason Meninger -- Gainesville, Ga.
> Cody Meyer -- Auburn, Calif.
> Kerry Milner -- Bono, Ark.
> Kurt Mitchell -- Milford, Del.
> Tom Monsoor -- La Crosse, Wis.
> Drew Montgomery -- Maiden, N.C.
> Kyle Monti -- Okeechobee, Fla.
> Harry Moore -- Valley, Ala.
> Dan Morehead -- Paducah, Ky.
> Andy Morgan -- Dayton, Tenn.
> Bob Morin -- Seymour, Tenn.
> Troy Morrow -- Eastanollee, Ga.
> Jim Moynagh -- Carver, Minn.
> Shawn Murphy -- Nicholasville, Ky.
> Michael Neal -- Dayton, Tenn.
> Chris Neau -- New Orleans, La.
> Jonathan Newton -- Rogersville, Ala.
> Blake Nick -- Adger, Ala.
> Larry Nixon -- Bee Branch, Ark.
> Jordan Osborne -- Longview, Texas
> Stephen Patek -- Dallas, Texas
> Robert Pearson -- Herndon, Va.
> Pete Ponds -- Madison, Miss.
> Nick Prvonozac -- Warren, Ohio
> Jayme Rampey -- Liberty, S.C.
> Tom Redington -- Royse City, Texas
> Clark Reehm -- Huntington, Texas
> Jimmy Reese -- Witter Springs, Calif.
> Jason Reyes -- Huffman, Texas
> Curtis Richardson -- Belleville, Ont.
> Darrel Robertson -- Jay, Okla.
> Mark Rose -- West Memphis, Ark.
> Zell Rowland -- Montgomery, Texas
> Bryan Schmitt -- Deale, Md.
> Larry Schroeder -- Clayton, Ohio
> Colby Schrumpf -- Highland, Ill.
> Terry Segraves -- Kissimmee, Fla.
> Braxton Setzer -- Auburn, Ala.
> William (Billy) Shelton III -- La Crosse, Va.
> Blake Smith -- Lakeland, Fla.
> David Smith -- Del City, Okla.
> Gerald Spohrer -- Gonzales, La.
> Jeff Sprague -- Point, Texas
> Matthew Stefan -- Junction City, Wis.
> Wesley Strader -- Spring City, Tenn.
> James Stricklin Jr -- Fort Smith, Ark.
> Scott Suggs -- Alexander, Ark.
> Mike Surman -- Boca Raton, Fla.
> Bill Terrell -- Memphis, Tenn.
> Austin Terry -- San Angelo, Texas
> Peter Thliveros -- Saint Augustine, Fla.
> Rodney Thomason -- Maumelle, Ark.
> Timmy Thompkins -- Myrtle Beach, S.C.
> Bryan Thrift -- Shelby, N.C.
> Rusty Trancygier -- Hahira, Ga.
> Jim Tutt -- Longview, Texas
> Andrew Upshaw -- Sapulpa, Okla.
> John Voyles -- Petersburg, Ind.
> James Watson -- Nixa, Mo.
> Joshua Weaver -- Macon, Ga.
> Clark Wendlandt -- Leander, Texas
> Charlie Weyer -- West Hills, Calif.
> Jacob Wheeler -- Indianapolis, Ind.
> Chris Whitson -- Louisville, Tenn.
> Scott Wiley -- Bay Minette, Ala.
> Michael Williamson -- Fort Smith, Ark.
> Barry Wilson -- Birmingham, Ala.
> Matt Wittekiend -- Angleton, Texas
> Kenneth (Boo) Woods -- London, Ky.
> Michael Wooley -- Collierville, Tenn.
> Gary Yamamoto -- Palestine, Texas
> Jay Yelas -- Corvallis, Ore.
> Andrew Young -- Mound, Minn.
