The Major League Fishing (MLF) Toyota Series presented by A.R.E. is set for an event in Scottsboro on Lake Guntersville, Feb. 22-24, with the Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. at Lake Guntersville. Hosted by the Mountain Lakes Chamber of Commerce, the three-day tournament will feature the region’s best bass-fishing pros and Strike King co-anglers casting for a top prize of up to $115,000 in the pro division and a $46,000 prize package, including a new Phoenix 518 pro boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard motor, in the co-angler division.
“I’m really looking forward to getting back out on one of the best fisheries in the country at the best time of the year,” said pro Jimmy Washam of Covington, Tennessee, who won the 2021 Toyota Series tournament on Lake Guntersville. “It looks like we’ve got a little bit of warmer weather coming in the forecast, and that’s going to make the big females want to bite, but it also is going to scatter the fish and put more fish in the creeks and spread them out. The key is going to be figuring out how to maximize your time covering water to find those quality bites.”
Washam said that he expects that the bass will still be in their late-winter and early-spring prespawn phase.
“I think a lot of guys are going to be throwing the Profound Outdoors Azuma Shaker Z (lipless crankbait),” Washam continued. “I threw the Aztec color when I won last year, and that baits has been sold out dang near everywhere since I won. I think we could get surprised if someone finds the deeper fish as well – we could see the Azuma Z-Boss 20 (crankbait) play. I also think we’ll see quite a few bladed jigs, and maybe even some swimjigs.
“It would surprise me if it didn’t take at least 60 pounds to win this event,” Washam went on to say. “With the warming trend, if a guy can get a big bite in two out of the three days he’ll be right there. I think I’d want 61½ pounds – if I can have that weight after three days, I would be content and think that I had a good chance at earning another win.”
Anglers will take off daily 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 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). At Lake Guntersville, pros fish for a top award of $80,000, plus an extra $35,000 if Phoenix MLF Bonus qualified. Strike King co-anglers cast for the top prize of a $46,000 prize package, including new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard.
The 2022 Toyota Series presented by A.R.E. consists of six divisions – Central, Northern, Plains, Southern, Southwestern and Western – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International and Wild Card divisions. Anglers who fish in any of the six divisions and finish in the top 25 – or the top 12 from the Wild Card division – will qualify for the no-entry-fee Toyota Series presented by A.R.E. Championship for a shot at winning up to $235,000 cash. The winning Strike King co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard. The 2022 Toyota Series presented by A.R.E. Championship will be held Nov. 3-5 on Lake Guntersville in Guntersville, Alabama, and is hosted by Marshall County Tourism and Sports.
Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, AFTCO, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Outlaw Ordnance, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X and YETI.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the MLF Toyota Series on the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, the Discovery Channel, the Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, the World Fishing Network, and on-demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with offices in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 13 countries. In 2019, MLF expanded its portfolio of catch, weigh, and immediately release events to include the sport’s strongest five-biggest-fish format tournament circuits. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams, and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement, and fish care.
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