LAKEPORT, Calif. (Feb. 28, 2024) – The Major League Fishing (MLF) Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats is set to visit Lakeport, California, next week, March 6-8, for the 2024 Western Division Presented by Tackle Warehouse season opener – the Toyota Series at Clear Lake.
The three-day tournament, hosted by the Konocti Vista Casino Resort & Marina, 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 $75,000 in the pro division and a new Phoenix 518 Pro boat with a 115-horsepower outboard motor in the co-angler division.
“I am super excited for this event – after seeing how well the local team tournaments have been doing the last month, I expect that we are going to see some giant weights,” said Rancho Santa Margarita, California, pro Kyle Grover, who has four career top-10 finishes and a 2019 win on Clear Lake in Toyota Series competition. “I think it’s going to take 85 to 100 pounds over the three days to win this one. I can’t wait to get there.”
Grover said the water levels on Clear Lake are extremely high, and with more rain and even a little bit of snow being forecast for this upcoming weekend, he expects anglers are going to have to slow down and work hard to locate the biggest schools.
“Clear Lake is a pretty simple fishery, and they usually always bite the same stuff,” Grover said. “The key is finding them – we call it the biomass. The fish there like to group up, and when you find those big schools you can usually get on that one spot and smash them. Most of the time it’s a one-boat, one-cast type deal.
“You’ll be able to tell who found the schools pretty quickly,” Grover continued. “There will be a handful of guys at the top of the leaderboard that weigh in some massive limits, and then you’ll see the weights taper off pretty quickly.”
With schools of fish being the key Grover said that he expects forward-facing sonar to play a big role in this tournament, although not with the minnow-type soft plastics that are winning events across the south.
“The fish here like the bigger baits, so I think we’ll see a lot of swimbaits, umbrella rigs, (Lucky Craft) LV 500s – I think the tournament will likely be won on one of those three baits,” Grover went on to say. “But there will be guys catching them on the south end of the lake, too, throwing crankbaits and big jigs.”
Anglers will launch at 6:30 a.m. PT each day from the Konocti Vista Casino Resort & Marina, located at 2755 Mission Rancheria Road in Lakeport. 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 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/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Madison County Commission, and 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, FX Custom Rods, General Tire, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota 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.
