CLEWISTON, Fla. (Jan. 20, 2026) –The 2026 Major League Fishing (MLF) Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats kicks off in Clewiston, Florida, next week, Jan. 29-31, with the first event of the 2026 Southern division – the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats at Lake Okeechobee.
The three-day tournament, hosted by Hendry County Tourism Development, will feature a roster of the region’s best bass-fishing pros and co-anglers competing for a top 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.
Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit pro Christian Greico, formerly of Florida but now residing in New Bern, North Carolina, notched a win on Lake Okeechobee in 2021 and has amassed multiple top 10’s on the fishery throughout his fishing career. Greico is on the water in Florida this week, preparing for competition, and said Lake Okeechobee’s success next week will hinge largely on one thing – the weather.
“The lake is fishing good, but it’s really weather-dependent right now,” Greico said. “If it warms up, the bite will be really good. If it gets cold, it can get pretty tough. It really just depends on how the weather plays out over the next week.”
Greico said he expects competitors to rely on a familiar Okeechobee playbook – with a few modern twists.
“It should be a lot of the typical Okeechobee stuff – flipping, throwing ChatterBaits and popping frogs,” Greico explained. “But we’ve got the added factor of getting up into some of the canals and live-scoping with forward-facing sonar. That’ll be a big player, especially if conditions get tougher.”
As for what it will take to win, Greico anticipates solid springtime weights and from what he’s seen so far, conditions are lining up well for the upcoming event.
“The lake’s looking pretty good,” Greico said. “There’s a lot of clean water and a lot of grass. I expect it to take an average of low twenties per day for the win – the winning weight will probably be in the mid to high 60’s.”
Anglers will begin each day at 7 a.m. ET, launching from Roland and Mary Ann Martin’s Marina and Resort at 920 E. Del Monte Avenue in Clewiston. Weigh-ins will take place at the same location, starting at 3 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. 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. 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 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 2027. The winning co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard. The 2026 Toyota Series Championship will be held Nov. 5-7 on Pickwick Lake in Counce, Tennessee, and is hosted by Explore Pickwick Lake & Hardin County Tourism.