BROOKELAND, Texas – The 2020 Toyota Series Southwestern Division will wrap up their season with a tournament next week in Brookeland, Texas, Oct. 15-17, with the Toyota Series at Sam Rayburn Reservoir. Hosted by the Jasper-Lake Sam Rayburn Area Chamber of Commerce, 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.

“Bait fish are plentiful on Rayburn, so the majority of the bass are chasing shad right now,” said Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit angler Troy Roder of Brookeland, Texas. “However, the lake is transitioning from summer to fall, so the bigger fish have been a little more difficult to consistently find.

“The reservoir is currently between 3- to 4-foot below normal pool, but has been at that level for a while,” Roder continued. “The lake and the weather in the area has been stable, so I don’t expect that to affect the fishery much.”

Roder said there are two strategies he believes will come into play– fishing shallow or off-shore deep-structure-fishing. He said he’s been burned on the fishery by going after the wrong strategy.

“You can either fish wood and brush piles with a big worm, a football jig or a crankbait, or fish shallow in the grass and hydrilla,” Roder said. “Typically, you’d expect to find the larger fish deep-structure-fishing off-shore, but I’ve had a difficult time finding a steady amount of large bass out there.”

Roder said he is excited to return to Toyota Series competition and expects it will take a 45- to 48-pound bag over three days to win the tournament.

“I definitely put more pressure on myself during the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit events when I’m fishing for points,” said Roder. “I’m looking forward to being more laid-back and enjoying myself a little more during this tournament.”

Anglers will take off daily at 7:30 a.m. CDT from the Umphrey Family Pavilion in Brookeland. Weigh-ins will also be held at the pavilion and will begin at 3:30 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 2020 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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