Destin, Florida: With some of the top names in the world of professional bass angling, Fish Monkey has recently announced the 2022 lineup which will represent the brand on the BASS and Major League Fishing tournament circuits. Here’s a closer look at each pro.
Timmy Horton — Major League Fishing
Hometown: Muscle Shoals, Alabama
Career earnings $1,907,403
Officially the very first MLF Bass Pro Tour angler – he was the first pro to sign when the league was created in the summer of 2018 – Timmy Horton made a splash in his very first year as a professional bass angler: he won the Bassmaster Elite Series Angler of the Year title his rookie year in 2000. Horton has six wins in his career. He is host of Timmy Horton Outdoors airing on Pursuit Network.
Randy Howell — Major League Fishing
Hometown: Guntersville, Alabama
Career Earnings: $1,935,551.33 (BASS) ; $118,996 (MLF)
Total: $2,054,547
In early 2022, Howell broke the Major League Fishing Bass Pro Series all-time single fish weight record with a massive 10-pound, 11-ounce largemouth bass on the Caney Creek Reservoir in Louisiana. Winner of the 2014 Bassmaster Classic winner, when he’s not on the water Howell enjoys playing basketball and hunting with his boys, going to church and hanging with family.
“I represent products that I really believe in and I use them myself before I ever approach them for a business relationship. With Fish Monkey, I tried different gloves but never felt like they were made by people who really understood what an angler needs and designed gloves to have a second-skin fit. Then I bought a few pairs of Fish Monkey gloves and I was sold. They have a glove for every situation in fishing and now even in hunting.”
Randall Tharp — Major League Fishing
Hometown: Port St. Joe, Florida
Career Earnings $2,246,525 (MLF, FLW, BASS and PAA) *as of 09/15/21
Randall Tharp entered professional tournament bass fishing in 2008 and has pocketed $2,203,563 in tournament winnings alone. In that time, he has had two MLF Redcrest qualifications, five Forrest Wood Cup and five Bassmaster Classic qualifications. He has had victories at every level that he has competed in during his 10-year career. His FLW Tour win at Lake Okeechobee was one of the most memorable due to a 23-9-pound margin of victory. The highlight of Randall’s FLW Tour career was winning the Forrest Wood Cup in 2013 at the Red River. During his time at BASS, he has added three Bassmaster Open victories to his resume and captured his first Bassmaster Elite Series victory in 2016. 2019 marked a historical time for tournament fishing with the inaugural season of the Bass Pro Tour and Major League Fishing format. Randall makes up one of the 80-angler field that hopes to take professional tournament bass fishing to the next level.
Mark Davis — Major League Fishing
Hometown: Mount Ida, Arkansas
Career Earnings: $2,457,310
One of the original Major League Fishing anglers, Mark Davis is also one of only a handful of pros in history to win the Bassmaster Classic and the BASS Angler of the Year title in the same year (1995). Davis also claimed BASS Angler of the Year honors in 1998 and 2001, and has racked up six wins, 65-plus top 10 finishes and $2.3 million in career winnings. In 2019, Davis was inducted into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame.
“I’m excited about working with Fish Monkey gloves. I’ve been wearing their gloves for quite a while now and I really like the sensitivity they give me while protecting me from the sun. I wear gloves and faceguards that have a built in SPF of 50-plus so I feel better about spending so much time in the sun.
I also love that they brought out Hunt Monkey Gloves. You can tell that they have put a lot of thought into the design and materials to make them work for people who hunt, just as they have done with the fishing gloves. I like the Chilly Willy and hunted in them a lot this winter. When you’re ready to take a shot they easily and quietly flip up and stay in place with a magnetic clasp. They are really perfect for so many outdoor activities.”
Gerald Spohrer — Major League Fishing
Hometown: Gonzales, Louisiana
Career Winnings – $346,824
Gerald Spohrer traces his fishing roots to early childhood trips with his grandfather in pursuit of the abundant redfish and speckled trout in the bayous of Louisiana. After cutting his teeth in Bassmaster Opens and Elite Series events and qualifying for his first Bassmaster Classic in 2019, Spohrer made the move to the MLF Bass Pro Tour during its inaugural season. Spohrer feels that the willingness to listen to your own instincts can separate good anglers from great ones and will be leveraging Seaguar fluorocarbon and braided lines in pursuit of tournament victories this season.
Joey Nania – BASS
Hometown: Cropwell, Alabama
Nania fishes the Bassmaster Open Series and has qualified for the 2022 Bassmaster Classic. He also hosts Sweetwater, a fishing show airing on Sportsman Channel. A multi-talented, high-energy angler, Nania won the 2021 Bassmaster Open at Pickwick Lake, Tennessee and nearly repeated the performance at the Bassmaster Open at Lake Norman, North Carolina a few months later.
Todd Kline
Hometown: San Clemente, CA
Tours: Kline fishes the Toyota series which is one of the Major League Fishing tiers
Todd Kline was born and raised in South Florida, where he developed a passion for fishing as a kid. As a teenager, Todd’s new passion became surfing, and he began surfing more than fishing. Todd turned his surfing passion into a profession at the age of 18. He made a living surfing for seven years, competing around the world and achieving four World Qualifying Event Wins. He then parlayed his surfing career into a marketing position with his current sponsor at the time, Quiksilver, and rode that wave for 17 years, finishing up as a marketing director. He now works as a commentator for the broadcasts of World Surf League Championship Tour events. When not on the road, Kline loves fishing now more than ever. He says it gives him the same feeling he got at the age of 5 back in Florida. That sense of escape and the connection with nature is why he began fishing and surfing. Just like with surfing, Todd loves competing in fishing tournaments against the best anglers. He lives by a simple creed: always have fun, make sure the people around you are having fun, and give thanks to Jesus every day.
About
Fish Monkey is the industry’s leading line of performance gloves designed specifically for all fishing enthusiasts: freshwater, saltwater or even on the ice. With a wide range of gloves for cold weather as well as for warm weather and sun protection, Fish Monkey has you covered with professional-grade protection for your hands in any environment. For product or dealer information, contact sales@fishmonkeygloves.com or visit FishMonkey.com.