The Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats is set to close out the Southern Division next week in Summerton, South Carolina, Sept. 12-14, with the third and final event of the season – the Toyota Series at Santee Cooper Lakes Presented by Suzuki Marine.
The three-day tournament, hosted by the Clarendon County 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 outboard motor plus $5,000 in the co-angler division.
“I have been looking forward to this one. For the first time that I can recollect, we’re having a Toyota Series event here in late summer,” said pro Wade Grooms of Bonneau, South Carolina, who has five Top-10 finishes on Santee Cooper in MLF competition. “Typically, the majority of tournaments here are held in the early spring, so fishing is always the same. The event being held this time of the year makes things extremely different. We’re going to see totally different patterns and strategies.”
With water levels high, and water temperatures still hovering in the upper 80s, the fish are still being found in their summertime patterns.
“There is a lot of grass right now, which is really going to help some people and really going to hurt some people,” Grooms said. “It spreads the fish out and makes them pretty hard to find. But if you can find the right area, it can definitely create a lot of opportunities.”
Grooms said that he expects he will be fishing a mix of grass and stumps.
“It’s going to be a lot like Florida fishing,” Grooms said. “An early morning topwater fish is going to be extremely important in this tournament. Everyone will have limits, but if you can have four keeper fish and one larger than average fish, that will really shoot you up the leaderboard.”
Even though Grooms lives on the south end of the fishery, he struggled to make a weight prediction for this tournament.
“I live here, and normally I’m pretty good and can predict within a pound or two of the winning weight, but I’m struggling with this one because there are so many unknown variables,” Grooms said. “There is a cool front coming, water levels could be dropping at any time, there is so much grass – and we don’t know if it will help the fishing or make it tougher. I think we’ll see a few limits in the low 20s the first day, but that’s hard to maintain. I think 18 pounds a day, over three days, will be extremely strong in this event.”
Anglers will launch at 7 a.m. ET each day from John C. Land III Landing, located at 4404 Greenall Road in Summerton. Weigh-ins will also be held at the landing and will begin at 3 p.m. each day. 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 up to $75,000, 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 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. Strike King co-anglers cast for the top prize of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard plus $5,000 cash.
The 2024 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 2025. The winning Strike King co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard. The 2024 Toyota Series Championship will be held Nov. 7-9 on Wheeler Lake in Huntsville, Alabama, and is hosted by the Huntsville Sports Commission.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Toyota Series include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, FX Custom Rods, General Tire, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak Fishing, Onyx, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, REDCON1, Simms, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters 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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