Neely Henry Lake to Host Toyota Series Southeastern Division Finale
GADSDEN, Ala. – The 2020 Toyota Series Southeastern Division will wrap up their season with a tournament next week in Gadsden, Alabama, Sept. 2-4, with the Toyota Series at Neely Henry Lake. Hosted by Greater Gadsden Area Tourism and the City of Gadsden, the three-day tournament will feature the region’s best bass-fishing pros and co-anglers casting for a top prize of up to $65,000, plus a $35,000 bonus if the winner is a qualified Phoenix Boat owner.
“The key to doing well in this tournament will be to find a few different areas where you can catch a combination of largemouth and spotted bass,” said Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit pro Barry Wilson of Birmingham, Alabama, who has 22 top-10 finishes in FLW competition. “In a three-day event, it’s very tough to rely on just one or the other.
“Guys are going to be able to choose between two different styles of fishing,” Wilson continued. “If you fish down the lake, you’ll be targeting grass, ledges and boat docks. If you fish up the river, it’ll be laydowns and current-related structure. It’s getting to be that time of the year when the bass are really feeding on the shad, so they’ll follow them back into the creeks doing that.”
Wilson said that he expects topwater baits to be a big player, especially early in the days. Other baits that he mentioned could play a role include swimjigs, spinnerbaits, flipping jigs and soft plastics and ChatterBaits.
“We could see some big bags – 21 to 22 pounds – but a guy is going to need to be consistent over three days to get the win,” Wilson went on to say. “A good average would be 17 to 18 pounds a day – I predict the three-day winner will need 52 to 54 pounds.”
Anglers will take off daily at 6:30 a.m. CDT from the Coosa Landing, located at 200 Lake St. in Gadsden. Weigh-ins will also be held at the landing and will begin at 2:30 p.m. Attendance is limited to competing anglers and essential staff only. Fans are encouraged to follow the event online through the “FLW Live” weigh-in broadcasts and daily coverage at FLWFishing.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 $40,000, plus an extra $35,000 if FLW PHOENIX BONUS qualified. Co-anglers cast for the top prize of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard (valued at $33,500). With a 260-boat field, pros fish for a top award of $65,000, plus an extra $35,000 if FLW PHOENIX BONUS qualified. Co-anglers cast for the top prize of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard (valued at $33,500) plus $5,000 cash.
The Toyota Series consists of eight divisions – Central, Eastern, Northern, Plains, Southeastern, Southern, Southwestern and Western – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International division. Anglers who fish all three qualifiers in any of the eight divisions and finish in the top 25 will qualify for the no-entry-fee Toyota Series Championship for a shot at winning $235,000 cash, including a $35,000 FLW PHOENIX Bonus for qualified anglers. The winning co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard. The 2020 Toyota Series Championship will be held Dec. 3-5 on Lake Cumberland in Burnside, Kentucky, and is hosted by the Somerset Tourist & Convention Commission and the Burnside Tourism Commission.
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.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, FLW and its partners conduct more than 290 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Namibia, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, and Zimbabwe.
FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show while Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. Acquired by Major League Fishing in late 2019, FLW is expanding its programming in 2020 to the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel as well as on-demand at MyOutdoorTV (MOTV).
For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
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