SCOTTSBORO – The final regular-season event of the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Central Division casts off today from Goose Pond Colony Resort in Scottsboro.
The Toyota Series at Lake Guntersville Presented by Suzuki Marine, a three-day bass tournament hosted by the Mountain Lakes Chamber of Commerce, will showcase the region’s top bass-fishing boaters and co-anglers competing for a grand prize of up to $100,000 in the pro division and a new Phoenix 518 Pro boat with a 115-horsepower outboard motor plus $5,000 in the co-angler division.
“This one’s shaping up to be a full-on ledge tournament,” said 21-year-old pro Hayden Marbut of Birmingham, who won the event at Lake Guntersville last year. “We’re at the very end of the postspawn. There might be a few guys still looking for and fishing beds, but most of the fish – and most of the anglers – are going to be offshore, targeting schools.”
While some isolated structure may factor in, Marbut believes the winning pattern will revolve around timing and location on offshore ledges.
“Out there right now, I don’t think anybody’s going to have much to themselves,” Marbut said. “So, to be successful, you’ll probably need to find something a little off the wall and mix in a couple key schools and hope you can manage them. The offshore spots on Guntersville just aren’t that big, and with all the locals in this event it’s going to get crowded fast.”
Still, despite the anticipated pressure, Marbut expects Lake Guntersville to show out.
“There’s going to be a ton of 20-pound bags, for sure,” he said. “Last week in a local tournament there were a couple of 25s and the Nutt brothers, who are fishing in this event, weighed in 30. I’m not sure we’ll see multiple 30-pound days with the boat traffic, but someone’s definitely going to hit a big one.
“If you can average 25 a day, you’ll be in the mix,” Marbut said. “But it could take even more. It just depends on what you can get on and how well you can manage it over three days.”
When it comes to baits, Marbut said his plan is to keep it classic.
“Big cranks, hair jigs, flutter spoons – your usual ledge stuff,” he said. “There’ll also be big worms, football jigs, and of course, some minnow baits with how forward-facing sonar plays now. I’ll definitely be slinging some of the new Nomad Design minnows in this one.”
Anglers head out today through Friday at 6 a.m., launching from the Goose Pond Colony Resort, 417 Ed Hembree Drive. Weigh-ins at the resort start at 2 p.m. Fans are invited to attend in person and can also stay connected by following the “MLF Live” weigh-in broadcasts and daily updates on MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The series consists of five divisions – Central, Northern, Plains, Southern and the Southwestern – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International and Wild Card divisions.
In 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 up to $75,000, if Phoenix MLF Bonus qualified. Co-anglers cast for the top prize of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard (valued at $33,500).
With a 260-boat field, pros fish for a top award of up to $100,000, if Phoenix MLF Bonus qualified. Co-anglers compete for the top prize of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard plus $5,000 cash.
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