The Major League Fishing (MLF) Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats is set to visit Lake Guntersville and Scottsboro, Alabama from Feb. 16-18, for the Central Division opener – the Toyota Series at Lake Guntersville. The three-day tournament, hosted by the Mountain Lakes Chamber of Commerce, will feature a roster of the region’s best bass-fishing pros and Strike King co-anglers competing for a top prize of up to $100,000 in the pro division and a new Phoenix 518 Pro boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard motor in the co-angler division.
“Lake Guntersville is fishing so strong right now, so healthy,” said Bass Pro Tour angler Fletcher Shryock of Guntersville, Alabama. “I emceed a local tournament on the lake with Boyd Duckett this past weekend, and the lake is really starting to take off. There was around 20 bags over 20 pounds, and a lot of big fish caught. It was a really good event, and I expect that the lake will continue to show out for this Toyota Series event.”
Shryock said that he expects reaction bites to be strong.
“You’re going to see a lot of lipless crankbaits – the (Bill Lewis) Rat-L-Trap is a staple there, and emceeing that tournament I heard guy after guy saying they were catching them on a ¼- or ½-ounce red Trap,” Shryock said. “I think a (Z-Man) ChatterBait (Jack Hammer) is going to play well – I’d be throwing the Fire Craw color with a Yamamoto Zako Fire Craw trailer. Possibly some jerkbaits could be in the mix, and of course the Alabama rig might be a factor as well.
“The big question for this event is going to be how the lake is affected by the three days of pressure,” Shryock went on to say. “The lake is fishing well, so I predict that the winner of this one is going to need 65 pounds to get it done.”
Anglers will take off each day at 6:30 a.m. CT from the Goose Pond Colony Marina, located at 417 Ed Hembree Drive in Scottsboro. Weigh-ins will also be held at the Marina and will begin at 2:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend and encouraged to follow the event online through the “MLF Live” weigh-in broadcasts and daily coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
In Toyota Series regular-season competition, payouts are based on the number of participants competing in the event, scaling up for every 20 boats over 160 and scaling down for every boat below 160. With a 160-boat field, pros fish for a top prize of $40,000, plus an extra $35,000 if Phoenix MLF Bonus qualified. Strike King co-anglers cast for the top prize of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard (valued at $33,500). With a 260-boat field, pros fish for a top award of $65,000, plus an extra $35,000 if Phoenix MLF Bonus qualified. Strike King co-anglers cast for the top prize of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard (valued at $33,500) plus $5,000 cash.
The 2023 Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats consists of six divisions – Central, Northern, Plains, Southern, Southwestern and the Western Division Presented by Tackle Warehouse – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International and Wild Card divisions. Anglers who fish in any of the six divisions or the Wild Card division and finish in the top 25 will qualify for the no-entry-fee Toyota Series Championship for a shot at winning up to $235,000 and a qualification to REDCREST 2024. The winning Strike King co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard. The 2023 Toyota Series Championship will be held Nov. 2-4 on Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri, and is hosted by ExploreBranson.com.
Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF Toyota Series include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Black Rifle Coffee Company, E3, Favorite Fishing, Fox Rent a Car, General Tire, Gill, Grundéns, Lew’s, Lowrance, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Wiley X and YETI.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Toyota Series updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
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