GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. – The final weigh-in of the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Central Division event on Lake Guntersville was can’t-miss. Out of the gate, Jimmy Neece Jr. roared into the lead from 22nd with 28 pounds, 11 ounces. In full command of the hot seat, Neece was finally bumped by Benjamin Travis, who dropped 25-13 for a 70-10 total to take over the lead, with only Day 2 leader Kane Weekley left.
Needing his biggest bag of the week to get it done, Weekley didn’t disappoint. He weighed 25-7 for a 70-11 total to win by an ounce.
The event, which was presented by Suzuki Marine and hosted by Marshall County Tourism & Sports, was only Weekley’s fifth tournament with MLF. For the win, the 21-year-old earned $50,500 plus locked in his spot in the Toyota Series Championship on nearby Pickwick Lake this fall.
Diverse game plan puts Weekley on top
Going into the tournament, most everyone expected that it would take a mix of tactics to win. While Guntersville is a great lake to fish traditionally, it’s also a great place to use LiveScope, and given the rules in the Toyota Series this year, this seemed like a perfect event for an all-around angler to triumph.
As it turned out, Weekley made the mix work to perfection. On Day 1, he weighed all fish caught from grass; on Day 2 he weighed all fish caught in his three-hour LiveScope period; and on the final day, he weighed four ‘Scope fish and caught the winning 5-pounder on his last cast with a lipless crankbait.
Weekley leaned on two areas about 30 miles apart – one that he ‘Scoped in the morning, and the other that he worked over with a lipless and a ChatterBait in the afternoon.
“In the area where I was LiveScoping, it was a grass edge, but there were a lot of fish on bait balls and just suspended maybe 100 to 200 feet from the grass edge,” he said. “I knew the area was getting better and better day by day, and nobody knew about it – I was alone all week. I found the fish in practice when they were just starting to get there. Day 2 and Day 3, it just kept getting better and better – more fish pulling up in there, bigger fish pulling up in there.”
For his ‘Scope fish, Weekley used a 5-inch Big Bag Outdoors Gyotaku Shad on 3/32- and 1/8-ounce heads with a 7-foot, 1-inch U-Call Midnight Series rod. Notably, he put serious effort into finding the right area.
“I ‘Scoped 90% of my practice probably, just trying to find a good area where I could catch 20 or 25 pounds,” he said. “I know you can get right quick on this lake if you have the right area. You can catch 25 pounds in 40 minutes, maybe even less.”
That proved true on the final day.
“Today, they were just in there,” he said. “I had 24 1/2 pounds in there, and it was pretty stupid. I started on the grass edge, and then saw some birds diving, and they were just everywhere. I couldn’t tell you why, but they were just biting. It was crazy.”
In the grass, which provided all his weight on Day 1 plus the winning bite, Weekley knew what he wanted.
“Grass fishing comes natural to me – throwing a ChatterBait, throwing a Rat-L-Trap. Growing up in Florida, I wasn’t too worried about that,” he said. “I only had one grass area, but I knew it was the right type of grass – it had to be good, green grass, and hydrilla was better than eelgrass, obviously.”
In the grass, his primary bait was a 1/2-ounce BOOYAH One Knocker in ghost, and he added in a red one on Day 3. He also used a 3/8- and 1/2-ounce Z-Man Evergreen ChatterBait JackHammer. He used a fire craw with a green pumpkin Gambler Komodo trailer in the 1/2-ounce size, and his 3/8 model was Hite’s hot craw, which he matched with the same trailer.
Confidence leads to early success
With only a year of fishing triple-A events under his belt and no highly decorated college fishing run, Weekley took on a full plate in 2026, and he’s already made it pay off.
“I fished the (Bassmaster) Opens last year, and I fished the Toyota Series on Lake Seminole, and I loved fishing it,” he said. “It felt like a fun tournament, so I decided to fish the Southern and Central divisions this year – they’re close to me.”
He came into Guntersville with high hopes.
“Lake Guntersville is a grass lake. I figured I’d do pretty good because it was a grass lake, and I ended up catching them ‘Scopin’,” he said. “I was excited for it. I practiced five days, and this place is just amazing. Monday and Tuesday I didn’t catch much; it was a little tough. But early and on the weekend, I caught ‘em pretty dang good.”
On stage, after edging ahead by an ounce, Weekley was finally able to breathe.
“This week has been so stressful the last three days, I’ve been going to bed stressing every night. It was just a weight lifted off my shoulders,” he said. “The biggest thing is confidence, believing you can do it. Being in the right mindset, the right headspace, is a huge thing in bass fishing, and really anything. Going out there and basically knowing you’re going to win before you win. A lot of times it doesn’t happen, but if you believe it, it can happen. If you’re thinking you’re not going to win, you’re probably not going to win.”
After this, it ought to be even easier for Weekley to believe he’s going to win in the next one, which could make him pretty dangerous when he launches the boat at the Kissimmee Chain on March 4.
Top 10 pros
1. Kane Weekley – 70 – 11 (15) – $50,500
2. Benjamin Travis – 70 – 10 (15) – $20,250
3. Jimmy Neece Jr. – 68 – 4 (15) – $15,250 (includes $1,000 Phoenix Bonus)
4. Cal Lane – 64 – 4 (15) – $12,250
5. Matteo Turano – 63 – 14 (15) – $11,250
6. Andrew Jeffers – 63 – 10 (15) – $9,125
7. Austin Pemberton – 63 – 0 (15) – $7,900
8. Logan Dyar – 61 – 11 (15) – $6,900
9. Gavin Cloutier – 61 – 4 (15) – $6,100
10. Hunter Keller – 61 – 2 (15) – $4,500