EUFAULA, Ala. (May 5, 2026) – The Major League Fishing (MLF) Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats will continue the 2026 season next week with the Central Division’s third and final tournament, May 13-15, at Lake Eufaula in Eufaula, Alabama – the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats at Lake Eufaula.

The three-day tournament, hosted by the Eufaula Barbour County 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.

Boater Justin Barnes of Ellaville, Georgia, is local to Eufaula, and when a big tournament rolls into town, he’s always a threat. In this event, he thinks the fishing should be getting good, as there should be lots of fish headed offshore to brush and summertime ledges.

“The lake is in a super funk right now. I don’t know why, but I kind of think it’s from pressure,” he said. “There was a big tournament this past weekend, and it took 21 pounds to win it. But 10th place was like 12 pounds.

“The way it was fishing, if you don’t catch them the first couple hours on the shad spawn, it gets bad. But the water temperature is hovering around 80 to 81 degrees – they’re going to make that move any day now. Brush piles will play in this one for sure, but I think we’ll see some schools, too.”

Though Barnes predicts a good offshore bite, you can never really count out the shallow bite at Eufaula. And finding a productive shad spawn could be extremely important.

“There should be a shad spawn going on, if somebody lands on the right shad spawn, they could catch a bigger bag,” he said. “I know there have been some anglers up in the river hammering them, but I don’t know how much longer it is going to last. There should be a good frog bite too, if the water level is normal.”

Offshore at Eufaula, the whole gamut of baits will work – from more precise offerings for forward-facing sonar, to crankbaits and Carolina rigs. Spinnerbaits also get a lot of play on Eufaula, and if the fishing is stingy, Barnes thinks a drop-shot rig will do well. He’s also planning on bringing some other old-school accessories.

“It’s going to be a little tricky with the rules. If you pick the wrong hour to use your forward-facing, you really could ruin your whole day,” he said. “It’s definitely going to add a layer of strategy to it. I definitely will dust off the marker buoys.”

In 2023, at almost the same time as this event, pro Justin Lucas won the Toyota Series event on Eufaula with 51 pounds, 13 ounces, mostly catching his fish on a shad spawn. In the 2024 Tackle Warehouse Invitationals event on Eufaula,  Jake Lawrence won with 59-10, and Barnes thinks that is about the mark to shoot for.

“I think 20 to 21 (pounds) a day will be real strong,” Barnes went on to say.

Anglers will take off each day at 6 a.m. CT, launching from Lakepoint Resort State Park, located at 104 Lakepoint Drive in Eufaula. Weigh-ins will also take place at the state park, starting at 2 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 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 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: 7 Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Buffalo, BUBBA, Cigars International, Epic Baits, Grizzly, Mercury, MillerTech, OFF! Deep Woods, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, PirahnO2, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, 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 on 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, World Fishing Network, RFD-TV, Game & Fish TV and Rumble, 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.