Lake Guntersville Readies to Host Toyota Series Event
Category: article
Feb 10th, 2021 by Keith Worrall
Modified Feb 10th, 2021 at 11:05 AM
Lake Guntersville Readies to Host Toyota Series Event
GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. (Feb. 9, 2021) – The Toyota Series presented by A.R.E. Central Division will kick off its 2021 season with a tournament next week in Guntersville, Alabama, Feb. 16-18, with the Toyota Series presented by A.R.E. at Lake Guntersville presented by Googan Baits . Hosted by the Marshall County Convention and Visitors Bureau, 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 $65,000, plus an additional $35,000 bonus if the winner is a qualified Phoenix Boat owner.
“I’m really looking forward to fishing a bigger tournament on my home lake,” said Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit angler Jacob Wall of New Hope, Alabama. “I’ve fished many small tournaments there, but this will be the biggest tournament and one of my favorite times of year to fish on Guntersville, so I’m really excited.”
Although a major cold front has swept across most of the U.S., Wall said he doesn’t expect that to alter the Alabama fishery much.
“Lake Guntersville isn’t as affected by cold fronts as other bodies of water”, he continued. “The bass hold up pretty well to colder weather. If anything, the cold will make them group up more and make fishing pretty good.
“The hard part isn’t really finding them, it’s staying on them because they move around from day to day. Typically this time of year, the eel grass is where anglers will find good, quality fish. Good, clean milfoil, new growth milfoil or even older, dried black hydrilla is definitely going to be a big player. If an angler can find a really good grassy area and stay on them, they should be able to catch a pretty good limit.”
Wall said he expects 63 to 64 pounds will put anglers near the top of the leaderboard on Lake Guntersville next week.
“I figure anglers will be fishing in 10 foot of water or less and most of the field will be fishing a lipless crankbait like a (Bill Lewis) Rat-L-Trap. A chatterbait will probably come into play and a jerkbait could also definitely be a player, as long as we don’t get a lot of rain.”
Anglers will take off daily at 6:30 a.m. CT from Lake Guntersville State Park in Guntersville. Weigh-ins will also be held at the park and will begin at 2:30 p.m. Attendance is limited to competing anglers and essential staff only. Fans are 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 BIG5 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 BIG5 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 2021 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 division. Anglers who fish all three qualifiers in any of the eight divisions and finish in the top 25 will qualify for the no-entry-fee Toyota Series presented by A.R.E. Championship for a shot at winning $235,000 cash, including a $35,000 Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus for qualified anglers. The winning Strike King co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard. The 2021 Toyota Series Championship presented by A.R.E. will be held Oct. 28-30 on Pickwick Lake in Counce, Tennessee, and is hosted by the Hardin County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Toyota Series presented by A.R.E. on the MLF BIG5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
About MLF BIG5
MLF BIG5 is part of MLF, the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization. It provides anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money across five tournament circuits featuring a five-biggest-fish format. Headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with offices in Benton, Kentucky, MLF and its partners conduct more than 290 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Namibia, Portugal, South Africa, Spain and Zimbabwe.
MLF tournaments are broadcast on Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel, World Fishing Network, MyOutdoorTV, Discovery and CBS Sports while MLF Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros to the world’s most avid bass anglers.