The 2016 TBF of Michigan State Championship is scheduled for Sunday, July 17 on Lake St. Clair after confirmation by FLW Outdoors that they will let us use the trailer that day after the BFL on Detroit River.
The state team from this event will go October 1 and 2 THIS year (2016) to fish against Ohio on Sandusky Bay in the new National Semi Final tournament where we trade off every year now with Ohio and Michigan only to save money.
Also not confirmed but likely, entry fee for the state championship will be $125 for boaters and $75 for co-anglers as the format has changed to boater / co-angler format now instead of a draw tournament. Boater controls the front of the boat and fishes against the other boaters. Co-angler fishes against the other co-anglers from the back of the boat as all other events starting with the new National Semi Finals are boater / co-angler format too.
The top 6 boaters and top 6 co-anglers will advance to the National Semi Final this year in October.
For this season only we'll be sending 4 persons to the 2017 National Championship next spring. It will be the top boater and co-angler from the September 2016 Regional that last year's state team qualified for, and the top boater and co-angler from this October's National Semi Final. Everyone will fish a couple days at the national championship next year out of their own boats and then the top boater and co-angler from each state will finish the national championship fishing out of Ranger Boats as before once they've paired it down from 4 for each state to the top 2.