Major League Fishing, FLW Announce 2021 Toyota Series Schedule
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BENTON, Ky. (Sept. 1, 2020) – Major League Fishing (MLF) and FLW announced today the 2021 Toyota Series schedule, highlighted by a smaller Championship field while continuing to offer a $200,000 first-place payout and $10,000 bonuses to the highest-finishing pro from each division.
Anglers who finish in the top 25 in each division’s Angler of the Year (AOY) standings will qualify for the no-entry-fee Toyota Series Championship for a shot at winning $200,000 cash, plus lucrative contingency bonuses like the $35,000 FLW Phoenix bonus offered this season. The winning co-angler at the championship earns a $33,500 Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat (or comparable model) with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard. The win-and-you’re-in format guarantees that anglers are never out of contention to qualify for the Championship – if they win a Toyota Series tournament, they will be on their way to the Championship along with the top 25 pros and co-anglers from each division.
“We’re really excited about the schedule for our Toyota Series anglers. We truly feel we’ve offered an exceptional lineup of fisheries at optimal times for competitive events with big fish,” said Kathy Fennel, FLW Executive Vice President and General Manager.
The 2021 Toyota Series will feature six divisions, which is down from eight in 2020 but up from five in 2019.
“Last year we aggressively expanded the Toyota Series from five divisions to eight based on demand from anglers and sponsors,” Fennel commented. “Coming off a difficult 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we will run six divisions in 2021 to ensure substantial and sustainable opportunities for anglers nationwide.”
The 2021 Toyota Series Championship field will be smaller due to the reduction in divisions, but the event will still feature $10,000 bonuses for the highest-finishing pro from each of the six U.S. Toyota Series divisions and the International division.
Toyota Series entry fees will remain the same at $1,700 pro and $550 co-angler per tournament and top payouts in each event remain $75,000 for pros, including a $35,000 FLW Phoenix Bonus, and a $33,500 Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat (or comparable model) with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard for co-anglers. As field sizes increase, so do payouts, with top awards reaching $100,000, including a $35,000 FLW Phoenix Bonus, for pros and $33,500 Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat (or comparable model) with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard plus $5,000 for co-anglers at 260 boats, with awards extending through 65th place. The Strike King Angler of the Year in each division receives $5,000 and the Co-angler of the Year in each division earns $2,000. Complete payout details are listed below.
Registration for the 2021 Toyota Series will open in early November. Rules and registration dates will be announced soon.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Toyota Series on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
2021 Toyota Series Schedule:
Central Division
Feb. 16-18* Lake Guntersville – Guntersville, Ala., hosted by Marshall County CVB
March 31-April 2** Dale Hollow Lake – Byrdstown, Tenn., hosted by Byrdstown-Pickett County COC
May 20-22 Lake Chickamauga – Dayton, Tenn., hosted by Fish Dayton-Rhea Economic Tourism Council
Northern Division
July 15-17 Lake Champlain – Plattsburgh, N.Y., hosted by City of Plattsburgh & Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau
Aug. 26-28 St. Lawrence River – Massena, N.Y., hosted by Town of Massena
Sept. 16-18 Potomac River – Marbury, Md., hosted by Charles County Board of Commissioners
Plains Division
March 4-6 Lake of the Ozarks – Osage Beach, Mo., hosted by Tri-County Lodging Association
April 8-10 Grand Lake – Grove, Okla., hosted by City of Grove & Grove Convention & Tourism Bureau
May 6-8 Lake Dardanelle – Russellville, Ark, hosted by Russellville Advertising & Promotion Commission
Southern Division
Feb. 4-6 Lake Toho – Kissimmee, Fla., hosted by Experience Kissimmee-Kissimmee Sports Commission
March 16-18* Harris Chain of Lakes– Leesburg, Fla., hosted by Visit Lake
May 6-8 Lake Seminole – Bainbridge, Ga., hosted by Bainbridge CVB
Southwestern Division
Jan. 28-30 Sam Rayburn Reservoir – Brookeland, Texas, hosted by Jasper-Lake Sam Rayburn COC
March 25-27 Lake Texoma – Durant, Okla. & Madill, Okla., hosted by Discover Durant, Marshall County Chamber & Choctaw Nation Tourism
April 28-30** Sam Rayburn Reservoir – Brookeland, Texas, hosted by Jasper-Lake Sam Rayburn COC
Western Division
Jan. 28-30 Lake Shasta – Redding, Calif., hosted by Redding CVB
May 13-15 California Delta – Oakley, Calif., hosted by City of Oakley
Sept. 23-25 Clear Lake – Lakeport, Calif., hosted by TBD
Toyota Series Championship
TBA Watch FLWFishing.com for details
* Tuesday – Thursday event
** Wednesday – Friday event
2021 Toyota Series Payouts:
Qualifying Event:
Place Pro FLW Phoenix Bonus * Co-angler
1 $40,000 $35,000 $33,500 Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat
(or comparable model), 115 HP Outboard
2 15,500 5,000
3 12,000 4,000
4 10,000 3,500
5 9,000 3,000
6 8,000 2,500
7 7,000 2,000
8 6,000 1,750
9 5,000 1,500
10 4,000 1,250
11 3,750 1,000
12 3,500 1,000
13-15 3,000 1,000
16-20 3,000 800
21-25 2,750 700
26-30 2,500 600
31-40 2,000 550
Berkley Big Bass 300 200
Entry Fee $1,700 $550
Payback is based on the number of paid entries for each tournament, scaling up for every 20 boats over 160 and scaling down for every boat below 160.
Toyota Series Championship:
Place Pro FLW Phoenix Bonus* Co-angler
1 $200,000 $35,000 $33,500 Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat
(or comparable model), 115 HP Outboard
2 40,000 12,500
3 30,000 10,000
4 25,000 7,500
5 20,000 5,000
6 14,000 4,000
7 13,000 3,500
8 12,000 3,000
9 11,000 2,500
10 10,000 2,000
11-15 4,500 1,500
16-20 3,500 1,000
21-25 3,000 900
26-30 2,500 800
31-40 2,000 700
Central Bonus 10,000
Northern Bonus 10,000
Plains Bonus 10,000
Southern Bonus 10,000
Southwestern Bonus 10,000
Western Bonus 10,000
International Bonus 10,000
* FLW Phoenix Bonus listed is based on 2020 awards. Final 2021 FLW Phoenix Bonus payouts will be set by Phoenix Boats.
Payback is based on an average of 160 boats in qualifying tournaments.
Strike King Angler of the Year:
- $5,000 in each division
Co-angler of the Year:
- $2,000 in each division