BROOKELAND, Texas (Feb. 14, 2026) – Pro Nick LeBrun of Bossier City, Louisiana, launched his boat on Championship Saturday at Sam Rayburn Reservoir in ninth place and nearly 5 pounds off the lead, but he still felt like he had a chance to win the first Southwestern Division event of the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats season. This was Sam Rayburn, after all – big bags and big swings on the leaderboard have become the norm on the legendary Texas fishery.
A few hours later, he wasn’t feeling so confident. LeBrun figured he would need a 30-pound limit to erase his deficit, and the spot he’d leaned on during the first two days of competition yielded just one small spotted bass.
“My primary spot that I weighed in a lot of fish off of, just fishing, it was non-existent today,” LeBrun said. “It was not happening. So, I bounced around, fished a few different areas, and just was kind of getting spun out, to be totally transparent. I could feel it slipping a little bit.”
So, LeBrun decided to abandon the areas he’d been fishing and headed for brand-new water. With Sam Rayburn fishing different than most years due to low water and transitioning fish, that proved to be the perfect game plan.
LeBrun didn’t quite get to 30 pounds, but his five-bass limit of 26 pounds, 2 ounces brought his three-day total to 60-15, which earned him the win by 2-13 over Corrigan, Texas, pro Wyatt Frankens. His final-day bag was the biggest weighed by any angler all week and the heaviest of the final day by more than 3 1/2 pounds. For the win, he earned $31,127 plus a spot in the Toyota Series Championship at Pickwick Lake in November.
With Toyota Series anglers restricted to just three hours per day using forward-facing sonar as of this year, a lot of the chatter at this event centered on maximizing that screen time. LeBrun chalked up his win to his electronics, but not necessarily forward-facing sonar.
After the Louisiana pro found his first few spots barren, he went to the windiest main-lake areas he could find and started graphing. At his second stop, he spied a school of bass relating to a piece of main-lake structure outside a spawning pocket – typical prespawn staging habitat. The first one he caught was “solid white and fat,” which told LeBrun that these were fresh fish moving in from deep water.
“I idled over them with Lowrance StructureScan, and I could see probably 10 or 12 of them,” he said. “I idled upwind from them and started bombing out there, just fishing, and caught two 5s back-to-back, and basically caught a 19-pound bag right there.”
LeBrun did most of his damage without forward-facing sonar throwing a Buckeye football mop jig, which he paired with a 4-inch Yamamoto Yama Craw. After he’d worked over that school, he turned on his Lowrance ActiveTarget and picked up a 6-inch Yamamoto Hinge Minnow on a Buckeye G-Stroll head. He added a 6-pounder and another over 5 to seal the deal.
While the prevailing strategy on Sam Rayburn seemed to be using forward-facing sonar first thing each morning then heading shallow as temperatures warmed, LeBrun said he preferred to use his ActiveTarget during sunny conditions. While the sun never emerged Saturday, saving it turned out to be beneficial, as he didn’t have to waste any of his three-hour window while he searched for new fish.
“I’ve been using it when the sun has been out, but today, I knew we weren’t going to have any sun,” he explained. “I just saved it out of desperation. I said, well, I’m going to fish as long as I can and use ‘Scope last. I just didn’t expect to have 19 pounds before I turned it on.”
The only Bass Pro Tour angler in this field, LeBrun’s win certainly paid off his decision to fish the event, even though he has to make a long drive to Lake Hartwell on Sunday (Monday is the first day of practice for Bass Pro Tour Stage 2). And while he’s no stranger to the winner’s circle, LeBrun’s voice shook as he addressed the crowd from the stage at Umphrey Family Pavillion.
LeBrun launched his career by winning $100,000 at the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American in 2018. He took down back-to-back Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit victories in 2022. But he hadn’t hoisted a trophy since then. LeBrun said that three-plus-year gap, plus the fact that he topped a field loaded with local hammers, made this win special.
“I got kind of emotional because it’s been a while since I’ve won anything,” he said. “And to win against this group of guys, it means the world to me. I’m very honored. This is one of the toughest crowds in the nation when it comes to just straight hammers. To win against these guys is very special to me.”
The top 10 pros at the Toyota Series at Sam Rayburn Reservoir finished:
1st: Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La., 15 bass, 60-15, $31,127
2nd: Wyatt Frankens, Corrigan, Texas, 15 bass, 58-2, $11,965
3rd: Kaden Mueck, Livingston, Texas, 15 bass, 57-7, $9,263
4th: Alec Morrison, Peru, N.Y., 15 bass, 56-5, $7,719
5th: Barrett Bennefield, San Augustine, Texas, 15 bass, 55-5, $7,447
6th: Bryant Martin, Crowley, La., 15 bass, 53-4, $6,175
7th: Chad Mrazek, Montgomery, Texas, 15 bass, 52-12, $6,403 (includes $1,000 Phoenix MLF bonus)
8th: River Lee, Diboll, Texas, 15 bass, 52-9, $4,632
9th: Randy Despino, Colfax, La., 15 bass, 52-2, $3,860
10th: Walt Stevens, Bernice, La., 15 bass, 51-11, $3,588
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Pro Walt Stevens of Bernice, Louisiana, earned Thursday’s $500 Berkley Big Bass Award with a bass weighing 9 pounds, 1 ounce, while pro Barrett Bennefield of San Augustine, Texas, won Friday’s $500 Berkley Big Bass, weighing in a 7-pound, 11-ounce bass to earn the $500 award.
Justin Swayze of Gurdon, Arkansas, won the co-angler division Saturday at Sam Rayburn Reservoir with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 47 pounds even. Swayze earned the top co-angler prize package worth $33,500, including a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard motor.
The top 10 co-anglers at the Toyota Series at Sam Rayburn Reservoir finished:
1st: Justin Swayze, Gurdon, Ark., 15 bass, 47-0, Phoenix 518 Pro boat w/115-hp Mercury outboard
2nd: Arturo Baquera, Noble, Okla., 15 bass, 34-8, $3,945
3rd: Robert Chavers, Knoxville, Ark., 15 bass, 34-8, $3,156
4th: Alan Bernicky, Dardanelle, Ark., 15 bass, 33-7, $2,962
5th: Buddy Rudolph, Hot Springs, Ark., 14 bass, 33-6, $2,367
6th: Al Longoria, Pottsboro, Texas, 13 bass, 32-1, $1,973
7th: Rusty Helms, Sapulpa, Okla., 14 bass, 31-14, $1,578
8th: Carter Lanclos, Sulphur, La., 12 bass, 31-12, $1,381
9th: Robert Jacuzzi, Mount Ida, Ark., 14 bass, 31-11, $1,184
10th: Kevin Carter, Spring, Texas, 14 bass, 31-10, $986
Co-angler Alvin Williams of Hartman, Arkansas, earned the first Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of the week on Thursday with a 6-pound, 6-ounce bass to earn the $150 prize, while Friday’s Day 2 $150 co-angler award went to Justin Swayze of Gurdon, Arkansas, who weighed in a bass totaling 10 pounds, 2 ounces.
The three-day Toyota Series at Sam Rayburn Reservoir Presented by Suzuki Marine was hosted by the Jasper-Lake Sam Rayburn Area Chamber of Commerce. It was the first of three regular-season tournaments for the Toyota Series Southwestern Division. The next event for Toyota Series Anglers will be the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats at Lake Guntersville, Feb. 18-20 in Guntersville, Alabama. For a complete schedule of events, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The 2026 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.
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.