BROOKELAND, Texas (Feb. 3, 2026) – The Major League Fishing (MLF) Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats will continue its 2026 season in Brookeland, Texas, next week, Feb. 12-14, with the first event of the Southwestern division – the Toyota Series at Sam Rayburn Reservoir Presented by Suzuki Marine.

The three-day tournament, hosted by the Jasper-Lake Sam Rayburn Area Chamber of Commerce, will feature a roster of the region’s best bass-fishing pros and co-anglers competing for a top prize of up to $100,000 in the pro division and a new Phoenix 518 Pro boat with a 115-horsepower outboard motor plus $5,000 in the co-angler division.

“It’s Sam Rayburn – I’m sure this one is going to be good,” said Bass Pro Tour angler Marshall Hughes of Hemphill, Texas . “The lake is really low, but I don’t think that’s going to hurt the fish a whole lot. Rayburn’s one of those places that can still show out even when conditions aren’t perfect.”

One noticeable change from past winters is the lack of vegetation, which Hughes believes could push competitors toward more traditional wintertime patterns. With limited grass growth across much of the reservoir, anglers are likely to focus their efforts offshore and along key staging areas as bass begin moving toward the prespawn.

“Since there’s not a whole lot of grass this year, I think it’ll be more of an offshore deal,” Hughes explained. “That prespawn stuff – tapering drains and areas like that, is what I’d be looking at.”

As for what anglers will have tied on, Hughes expects a familiar Rayburn playbook to come into play, built around bottom-contact baits and reaction lures that excel in colder water.

“Definitely a crankbait,” Hughes said. “An A-rig, a Carolina rig like always, and dragging a jig around. That’s usually hard to beat this time of year.”

The event will also be one of the first Toyota Series tournaments contested under new forward-facing sonar guidelines, and Hughes believes those limits will influence strategy in a meaningful way.

“It’ll definitely play a role,” Hughes said. “Guys aren’t going to be able to use forward-facing sonar all day, so they’re going to have to drag something around offshore. It’ll be really interesting to see how it plays out.”

Despite the lower water levels, Hughes expects the field to spread out across the massive reservoir, noting that big bites are always in play no matter where anglers choose to fish.

“Rayburn’s one of those places you’re liable to catch a 10-pounder anywhere,” Hughes said. “The lake being low might group guys up a little, but there’s still plenty of water for people to spread out.”

When it comes to winning weight, Hughes anticipates solid but not outrageous numbers, with consistency being the key over three days of competition.

“I’d guess that about 21 pounds a day will likely win this thing,” Hughes said. “Rayburn will always throw some big bags, but I don’t know if there’ll be as many as usual. Still, if you can average around that, you’ll be right there at the end.”

Anglers will begin each day at 7 a.m. CT, launching from the Umphrey Family Pavilion, located at 5438 Sam Rayburn Parkway in Brookeland. Weigh-ins will take place at the Umphrey Family Pavilion and will start at 3 p.m. daily. Fans are invited to attend in person and can also stay connected by following the “MLF Live” weigh-in broadcasts and daily updates on  MajorLeagueFishing.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 up to $75,000, if Phoenix MLF Bonus qualified. Co-anglers cast for the top prize of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard (valued at $33,500). With a 260-boat field, pros fish for a top award of up to $100,000, if Phoenix MLF Bonus qualified. Co-anglers cast for the top prize of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard plus $5,000 cash.

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.

Proud sponsors of the 2026 MLF Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, Cigars International, Epic Baits, Grizzly, Lew’s, Mercury, MillerTech, OFF! Deep Woods, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, PirahnO2, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, VOSKER,  YETI and Yuengling.

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.

About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery, Outdoor Channel, VICE, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network, RFD-TV and Game & Fish TV, and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 20 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.