Former Auburn College Fishing Angler Leads by 1-Pound, 9-Ounce Margin After Opening Day of Competition
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (Nov. 7, 2024) – Well known for being one of the more fickle lakes on the Tennessee River, Wheeler Lake produced a tightly packed leaderboard on Day 1 of the 2024 Toyota Series Championship at Wheeler Lake Presented by Bass Boat Technologies. It took nearly 17 pounds to crack the Top 10, and 24 pros managed more than 14 pounds – not terrible by any means.
That said, Hayden Marbut of Birmingham, Alabama, was the star of the show. The only man to catch more than 20 pounds, the Alabama native waylaid 21-6 for the lead. In second, Mike Raber of Elkhart, Indiana, caught 19-13 on Day 1, and Ethan Fields of Breese, Illinois, edged into third with 18-5.
Link to Photo Gallery of Toyota Series Championship Day 1 Highlights
Catching his two kickers on nearly back-to-back casts at his first stop, Marbut may have been leading the event since about 7:45 Thursday morning.
“It was a good day for sure,” said Marbut. “I didn’t really know what to expect coming into the day. I had a good first day of practice and pretty much stopped fishing after that and just looked around. But I spent a lot of time out here in pre-practice and tried to make myself as much like a local as I could, and it worked out today.”
A standout in college for Auburn and an impressive performer in the Central Division this year, Marbut is one of many new-school anglers who are lighting things up at a young age. Weighing four smallmouth and one fish of indeterminate species, Marbut had a hot start and then a slow afternoon.
“I didn’t catch a ton of fish today, but they were the right size,” he said. “So, I’m excited to get back out there tomorrow. I probably caught caught 10 or 12, but probably nine keepers, and I culled a couple of times. But other than that, it was really slow, and it happened pretty fast this morning.”
One thing is for sure: Marbut is all-in on this. He’s got his eye on the $235,000 top prize and the REDCREST berth that comes with it. In 2025, MLF’s championship event is on Guntersville.
“I mean, I’m always all-in, but there’s definitely some extra juice with REDCREST on the home pond,” he said. “In pre-practice, I was grinding out here.”
The long-running bass-fishing championship, hosted by the Huntsville-Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Madison County Commission and the Huntsville Sports Commission, features the nation’s best Toyota Series pros and international anglers, and is the culmination of the 2024 Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats season.
The top 20 pros after Day One on Wheeler Lake are:
1st: Hayden Marbut, Birmingham, Ala., five bass, 21-6
2nd: Mike Raber, Elkhart, Ind., five bass, 19-13
3rd: Ethan Fields, Breese, Ill., five bass, 18-5
4th: Jack Daniel Williams, Kingsport, Tenn., five bass, 17-10
5th: Austin Swindle, Parrish, Ala., five bass, 17-9
6th: Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., five bass, 17-7
7th: Chad Mrazek, Montgomery, Texas, five bass, 17-5
8th: Jake Lawrence, Buchanan, Tenn., five bass, 17-4
9th: Levi Thibodaux, Thibodaux, La., five bass, 17-2
10th: Buddy Benson, Dahlonega, Ga., five bass, 16-15
10th: Phillip Dutra, Arab, Ala., five bass, 16-15
10th: Laker Howell, Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 16-15
13th: Donavan Carson, Bluff City, Tenn., five bass, 16-11
14th: Brady Duncan, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 16-5
15th: Dillon Falardeau, Hixson, Tenn., five bass, 15-15
16th: Brad Vice, Tanner, Ala., five bass,15-14
17th: Donny Beck, Killen, Ala., five bass, 15-13
18th: Ty Faber, Pagosa Springs, Colo., five bass, 15-11
19th: Nicholas Hoinig, Port Saint Lucie, Fla., five bass, 15-10
20th: Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., five bass, 15-8
20th: Blake Schroeder, Whitehouse, Texas, five bass, 15-8
20th: Zane Parker, Kingwood, Texas, five bass, 15-8
For a full list of results visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 845 bass weighing 1,877 pounds, 15 ounces caught by 193 pros Thursday. The catch included 140 five-bass limits.
Eric White of Cullman, Alabama, leads the Strike King co-angler division with five bass weighing 13 pounds, 12 ounces, followed by Stephen Draghi of Sparrow Bush, New York , who weighed five bass totaling 12-13 to end the day in second place. Co-anglers are competing for a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard.
Back in February, both Marbut and White won their respective divisions in the Central Division event on Lake Guntersville. So, moving down the chain by one dam wasn’t enough to trip either of them up.
The top 20 Strike King co-anglers after Day One on Wheeler Lake are:
1st: Eric White, Cullman, Ala., five bass, 13-2
2nd: Stephen Draghi, Sparrow Bush, N.Y., five bass, 12-13
3rd: Steven Schantz, Alexandria, Va., five bass, 12-8
4th: Joe Lee, Midlothian, Texas, five bass, 12-3
5th: Alejandro Morales, San Pedro Garza Garcia, Mexico, five bass, 11-6
6th: Johnny Suratt, Lawrenceburg, Tenn., five bass, 10-13
7th: Jonathan Green, San Pablo, Calif., five bass, 10-3
7th: Tim McGlenn, Welcome, Md., five bass, 10-3
9th: Jerry Armstrong, Shelbyville, Tenn., five bass, 9-15
10th: Matt Krekovich, Granite City, Ill., five bass, 9-12
11th: Jerry Pyles, Middletown, Md., five bass, 9-9
11th: Casey Dunn, North Highlands, Calif., five bass, 9-9
13th: Dennis Young, Olathe, Kan., five bass, 9-8
14th: Lenny Bays, Dayton, Ky., three bass, 9-5
15th: Oliver Siebert, Fenton, Mo., five bass, 9-4
16th: Patrick Brown, Swainsboro, Ga., two bass, 9-3
17th: Rabih Itani, Granville, Australia, five bass, 9-2
17th: George Malcolm, Gainesville, Fla., four bass, 9-2
19th: Keith Honeycutt, Temple, Texas, five bass, 8-13
20th: Jeremy Smith, Arbela, Mo., five bass, 8-11
Anglers will take off daily at 7 a.m. CT from Ditto Landing, located at 293 Ditto Landing Road, in Huntsville. Weigh-ins will also be held at the landing and will begin at 3 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend the daily takeoffs and weigh-ins and also follow the action online through the “MLF Live” weigh-in broadcasts and daily coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com. The 2024 Toyota Series Championship Presented by Bass Boat Technologies will premiere on CBS Sports in 2025.
The MLFNOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee and Rob Newell will break down the extended action live on the final day of competition from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. CT. MLFNOW!® is live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app and Rumble.
The full field of anglers compete on Days 1 and 2 of the event Thursday and Friday, with the top 25 pros and top 25 Strike King co-anglers based on cumulative weight from the first two days continuing to the third and final day on Saturday. The 2024 Toyota Series champions will be determined by the heaviest three-day total weight.
Pros and co-anglers can qualify for multiple contingency awards based on final standings in the championship, including the lucrative $35,000 Phoenix MLF Bonus for pros and an invitation to REDCREST 2025 – MLF’s most prestigious event. The winning Strike King co-angler will earn a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard motor.
The 2024 Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats consisted of six divisions – Central, Northern, Plains, Southern, Southwestern and Western – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International division and the Wild Card. The highest finishing pro from each division at the championship will claim a $10,000 bonus. The bonus will go to the second-highest finishing pro in the division represented by the overall champion.
The 2024 Toyota Series Championship field features the top 25 pros, top 25 Strike King co-anglers and tournament winners from each of the six divisions; the top 25 pros and 25 co-anglers from the Wild Card division plus tournament winners; the highest finishing boater and co-angler from each of the six Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Regionals and the TBF at the All-American; the top three teams from the College Fishing National Championship; High School Fishing National Champions; TBF National Champions; and MLF International anglers from Australia, Canada, Italy, Mexico, South Africa, Spain and Zimbabwe.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Toyota Series include: 7 Brew Coffee, 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.
