| Local pro Alec Morrison of Peru, New York, will be among the 160+ anglers competing in next week’s Major League Fishing Toyota Series at Lake Champlain Presented by Suzuki Marine. |
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (July 2, 2024) – The Major League Fishing (MLF) Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats is set to continue its season in Plattsburgh next week, July 11-13, for the second event of the Northern Division – the Toyota Series at Lake Champlain Presented by Suzuki Marine. The three-day tournament, hosted by the City of Plattsburgh and the Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau, will feature the northeastern United States’ best bass-fishing pros and Strike King co-anglers competing for a top prize of up to $105,000 in the pro division and a new Phoenix 518 Pro boat with a 115-horsepower outboard motor in the co-angler division. “The fish are biting good and expect to see some good weights in this one – even a little bit bigger than the (Tackle Warehouse) Invitational that was here a couple of weeks ago,” said pro Alec Morrison of Peru, New York, who has seven top-10 finishes on Lake Champlain in MLF competition. “The fish are going to be a little further ahead in their cycle – more into their summertime patterns. There are a lot of fish still mid-range, but the majority are moving out deep. “I think the smallmouth will reign supreme, as usual,” Morrison continued. “But there have been some big largemouth weighed recently, not only in the Invitational but also in some local tournaments as well. I think we’ll see quite a few big largemouth in this one – more so than the Toyota Series event we had last year.” Morrison said that he doesn’t think that anglers would be able to target and catch big largemouth for three days in a row, but that an angler could absolutely bring a limit of green bass to the scale. “I think the angler who potentially can catch a good bag of smallmouth early – around 20 pounds – and then hunt for a big largemouth the rest of the day will likely be leading on the first day,” Morrison said. Morrison predicts the standard smallmouth tactics to be strong, with a lot of drop-shot and jigging minnow presentations to be popular tactics. He mentioned that he would mix in a topwater and jerkbait for some shallow-water fish. For largemouth, Morrison said that he expects it to be a game of flipping grass, and maybe throwing a glide bait or a jig around docks. “As a competitor, you have to go into a tournament at Champlain knowing that you’ll always need at least 20 pounds a day in order to be there at the end,” Morrison went on to say. “I think for this one it’ll take upwards of 63 pounds over three days to win. The top end weights will be similar to the Invitationals. But I expect the cutline weight to be a little higher for this one – maybe even a pound more.” Anglers will launch at 6 a.m. ET each day from the Plattsburgh City Marina, located at 5 Dock Street in Plattsburgh. Weigh-ins will also be held at the marina and will begin at 2 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/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, Fishing Clash, FX Custom Rods, General Tire, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, PowerStop Brakes, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters, 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. |
