JASPER, Texas (Jan. 14, 2025) – Who’s ready to go fishing? The Major League Fishing (MLF) Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats is kicking off the 2025 season in Texas next week, Jan. 23-25, with the first event of the Southwestern division – the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats at Sam Rayburn Reservoir.
The three-day tournament, hosted by the Jasper-Lake Sam Rayburn Area Chamber of Commerce, will showcase the region’s top bass-fishing pros and Strike King co-anglers. Competitors will vie for a grand 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.
The top-end weights in this tournament at Big Sam are likely to be extremely impressive. Already this year, Wyatt Frankens dropped 29 pounds, 1 ounce on the scales there in the opening Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) event, and the lake has kicked out some impressive limits in other events.
Seemingly always in the hunt on Rayburn, pro Marshall Hughes of Hemphill, Texas, thinks we’re in for a good event.
“I’m feeling like it’s going to take a lot to win it,” Hughes said. “As far as making a Top 10, I don’t think it’ll take anything crazy. The month of January has always been iffy for me personally as far as catching a mega bag. But, it seems like the colder it gets, the better it gets up until the water hits the 40s, which, really don’t see any 40-degree water temps normally. In the low 50s, those bigger fish, they just want to eat for some reason.”
Last year in the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals event on the lake, Hughes put together a limit weighing 38 pounds, 7 ounces on Day 2. It was a highlight of the season.
“It went down in probably, I don’t know, maybe 20 minutes,” Hughes said. “It’ll happen that quick. I’ve had days where it’ll take me ‘til noon to build a 30-pound bag. But, normally, when guys catch those 30-plus-pound bags, it happens quick, and they’re together. This time of year, when you do land on them like that, it’s a group of them.”
For baits, Hughes recommends a few staples.
“A Bill Lewis Scope Stick, or any jerkbait, of course will be good,” he said. “And an [umbrella rig] is a player since we can throw it. And a Rat-L-Trap, it’s still a player with no grass.”
Anglers will begin each day at 7:30 a.m. CT, launching from the Umphrey Family Pavilion at 5438 RR 255 in Brookeland. Weigh-ins will take place at the same location, starting at 3:30 p.m. daily. Fans are invited to attend in person and can also stay connected by following the “MLF Live” weigh-in broadcasts and daily updates on 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 2025 Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats consists of five divisions – Central, Northern, Plains, Southern and the Southwestern – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International and Wild Card divisions. Anglers who fish in any of the five 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 2026. The winning Strike King co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard. The 2025 Toyota Series Championship will be held Nov. 6-8 on Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma, and is hosted by the City of Grove Convention & Tourism Bureau.
Proud sponsors of the 2025 MLF Toyota Series include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, Deep Dive App, E3 Sports Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Humminbird, Lew’s, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Vosker, 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.
