Every MLF Bass Pro Tour angler has an onboard Boat Official who weighs and records every qualifying fish. Every fish is immediately released. Anglers are required to use special care. If a bass ever touches the floor of the boat or is not released correctly, the angler is penalized and must stop fishing for two minutes. It is the hockey equivalent of being sent to the penalty box. (Photo: Richard Simms)
The Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour continues its 2025 season next week, May 1-4, with the Stage 4 event on Chickamauga and Nickajack Lakes.
Hosted by Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Fish Tennessee, the four-day tournament, which begins on Chickamauga before transitioning to Nickajack for the Knockout and Championship Rounds, will feature 66 of the world’s top professional anglers competing for a $150,000 top prize.
The tournament will feature the MLF catch, weigh, immediate-release format, in which anglers catch as much weight as they can each day while also feeling the pressure and intensity of the SCORETRACKER leaderboard. It is being filmed for broadcast later this year on Discovery. Television coverage of Stage 4 at Chickamauga and Nickajack Lakes will premiere as a two-hour episode starting at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Oct. 11, on Discovery, with the Championship Round premiering on Saturday, Oct. 18. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on Discovery, with re-airings on Outdoor Channel.
The full field of anglers will compete in the two-day Qualifying Round on Thursday and Friday on Lake Chickamauga. After the two-day Qualifying Round is complete, the pro with the heaviest two-day total will advance directly to Sunday’s Championship Round on Nickajack Lake. Anglers that finish 2nd through 20th will advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round on Nickajack Lake. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed, and the remaining anglers compete to finish in the top nine to advance to Sunday’s Championship Round. In the final-day Championship Round, weights are zeroed, and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $150,000.
