Dyar Leads by 13-Ounce Margin in the Competition for up to $235,000

COUNCE, Tenn. (Nov. 5, 2026) – After an excruciating three-hour fog delay, Day 1 of the 2026 Toyota Series Championship Presented by Phoenix Boats on Pickwick Lake finally got underway at 9:40 a.m. For some, that meant very little time to fish, and the allotted three hours of forward-facing sonar use loomed large for many.

On the pro side, Logan Dyar took the early lead with 20 pounds, 13 ounces. He’s followed by Landon Lawson in second place with an even 20, and four pros behind them caught 19 pounds or better. In fact, there’s barely more than 2 pounds separating the Top 10, and clearly a lot of drama left to unfold.

On the co-angler side, Jason Sandidge took the lead with three bass for 12-6, while Jordan Claytonmanaged three for 9-3, and Jakob LaBelle is in third with 7-15. Only 70 co-anglers weighed fish on Day 1, and it’s anyone’s game the rest of the way.

Hosted by Explore Pickwick Lake – Hardin County Tourism and Bill Dance Signature Lakes , the three-day, no-entry-fee championship caps off the 2026 Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats season, a five-division circuit that launches anglers toward the 2027 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the Bass Pro Tour.

Link to Hi-Res Photo of Toyota Series Championship Day 1 Leader Logan Dyar
Link to Morning Photo Gallery: A foggy start to the Toyota Series Championship on Pickwick Lake
Link to Photo Gallery of Toyota Series Championship Day 1 Highlights

Always a threat in the Toyota Series Central Division, Dyar makes the Top 10 in about a third of the events he fishes with Major League Fishing (MLF), and he knocked out a Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) win last March on Lake Guntersville. Still, considering where he stood late in the afternoon, he was thrilled with the day.

“I’m pretty excited considering at 2:30 I had one 3-pounder,” Dyar said. “The day turned around pretty quick.”

Dyar ran a complex game plan that finally started to work for him later in the day.

“I ran to Bay Springs this morning and spent probably an hour and a half there without catching a bass,” he said. “I ran back and cut my LiveScope on. I knew I was going to be doomed without a good ‘Scope period. I caught a 3-pound smallmouth, and honest to God, I went probably another two hours catching catfish – they trick me on this lake for some reason. Then, I pulled into one bay, and it seemed like 80% of the bass I threw at were biting. Hopefully they’ll be biting again tomorrow, we’ll see.”

In the last hour or so, Dyar whipped up over 20 pounds, including a 6-pounder for a kicker, making him look like a genius at the weigh-in. Due to the fog delay, none of the anglers were able to effectively utilize their forward-facing sonar during the morning bite, but if there’s less fog on Day 2, there could be an opportunity for some pros to make different moves and change up their game plan.

However, waiting worked out well for Dyar, who had a fairly late draw on Day 1.

“I saved my ‘Scope for the last three hours – pretty much as soon as I cut it off, I had to come back in,” he said. “I’m targeting fish chasing bait and a couple on structure. Three of the ones I weighed-in came on stumps, two were floating. I feel like I can replicate a 17- to 18-pound bag tomorrow, but without that kicker, I don’t know.”

The top 20 pros after Day 1 on Pickwick Lake are:

1st:         Logan Dyar, Cleveland, Ala., five bass, 20-13
2nd:        Landon Lawson, Jonesborough, Tenn., five bass, 20-0
3rd:         Jackson Bennett, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 19-9
4th:         Tallis Morrison, Canon, Ga., five bass, 19-3
5th:         Eric Panzironi, Longwood, Fla., five bass, 19-1
6th:         Jack Dice, Lynchburg, Va., five bass, 19-0
7th:         Chance Shelby, Denham Springs, La., five bass, 18-10
8th:         Hayden O’Barr, Scottsboro, Ala., five bass, 18-9
9th:         Blake Davenport, Jemison, Ala., five bass, 18-5
10th:       Matthew Knopp, Mercer, Pa, five bass, 18-3
11th:       Matteo Turano, Puryear, Tenn., five bass, 18-1
12th:       Clayton Ellis, Saltillo, Miss., five bass, 17-14
13th:       Westin Moss, Jasper, Tenn., five bass, 17-10
14th:       Preston Kolisek, Loretto, Tenn., five bass,17-8
14th:       Daylon Milam, Newnan, Ga., five bass, 17-8
14th:       Banks Shaw, Harrison, Tenn., five bass, 17-8
17th:       Brenner Lynn, San Diego, Calif., five bass, 17-6
18th:       Cal Lane, Grant, Ala., five bass, 17-3
19th:       Dylan Quilatan, Windermere, Fla., five bass, 17-2
20th:       Drake Hemby, Brentwood, Tenn., five bass, 17-0

For a full list of results visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Overall, there were 514 bass weighing 1,524 pounds even caught by 160 pros Thursday. The catch included 50 five-bass limits.

The 2026 Toyota Series Championship will determine not only the overall champion, but also determine which anglers will receive the final three spots in REDCREST 2027. Representing the college ranks, Lander University teammates Matthew Knopp and Logan Russell are in a head-to-head race for one of the coveted REDCREST berths. Knopp is off to a strong start in 10th place after catching a limit for 18-3, while Russell sits in 150th with 2-7. In the International Division, Nathan Wickham of Leraatsfontein, South Africa, leads the global contingent competing for REDCREST advancement after weighing 12-1 on Day 1. That has him in 56th place – a promising start in his first Toyota Series Championship appearance.

Jason Sandidge of Centerton, Arkansas, leads the co-angler division with three bass weighing 12 pounds, 6 ounces, followed by Jordan Clayton of Archer City, Texas , who weighed three bass totaling 9-3 to end the day in second place. Co-anglers are competing for a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard.

The top 20 co-anglers after Day 1 on Pickwick Lake are:

1st:         Jason Sandidge, Centerton, Ark., three bass, 12-6
2nd:        Jordan Clayton, Archer City, Texas, three bass, 9-3
3rd:         Jakob LaBelle, Hinesburg, Vt., three bass, 7-15
4th:         Kenny Garand, Holiday, Fla., three bass, 7-10
5th:         Giuseppe Teofilo, Richmond Hill, Ontario, three bass, 7-8
6th:         Richard Williams, Sutherland, Va., two bass, 7-3
7th:         Brent Cook, Trussville, Ala., three bass, 7-0
8th:         Carson Stone, Tuscola, Texas, two bass, 6-15
9th:         Alan Hults, Gautier, Miss., two bass, 6-9
10th:       Tim Curran, Huntsville, Ala., two bass, 6-8
11th:       Tyson Giesbrecht, Gurley, Ala., two bass, 5-10
12th:       Colegan Stiner, Wellsboro, Pa., two bass, 5-9
13th:       Blake DeFoor, Waldron, Ark., two bass, 5-8
14th:       David Zapatero Mula, Las Rozas, Spain, one bass, 5-7
15th:       Joseph Casale, Nutley, N.J., two bass, 5-4
16th:       Todd Mowery, Madison, Ala., two bass, 5-1
17th:       Red Calvert, Perdido Key, Fla., one bass, 4-13
18th:       Kade Wesner, Lancaster, Pa., two bass, 4-11
19th:       Dylan Casazza, Tampa, Fla., one bass, 4-10
20th:       Jonathan Forrest, Sanford, Fla., two bass, 4-5

Anglers will take off daily at 6:30 a.m. CT from Pickwick Landing State Park, located at 120 Playground Loop, in Counce. Weigh-ins will be held at the park and will begin at 2:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend the daily takeoffs and weigh-ins and also follow the action online through daily “MLF Live” weigh-in broadcasts and daily coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The MLFNOW! broadcast team of Chad McKee and Rob Newell will break down the extended action live on Championship Saturday from 7 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. CT. MLFNOW! is live steamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MLF app, MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) and Rumble. The 2026 Toyota Series Championship Presented by Phoenix Boats will air on VICE Sports Dec. 13 at 9 p.m. ET.

The full field of anglers will compete on Days 1 and 2, with the top 25 pros and top 25 co-anglers based on cumulative weight from the first two days continuing to the third and final day. The 2026 Toyota Series champions will be determined by the heaviest three-day total weight.

Pros and co-anglers can qualify for multiple contingency awards based on final standings in the championship, including the lucrative $35,000 Phoenix MLF Bonus for pros. The winning co-angler will earn a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard motor.

The 2026 Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats consisted of five divisions – Central, Northern, Plains, Southern and Southwestern – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International and Wild Card divisions. The highest finishing pro from each division at the championship will claim a $10,000 bonus. The bonus will go to the second-highest finishing pro in the division represented by the overall champion.

The 2026 Toyota Series Championship field features the top 25 pros, top 25 co-anglers and tournament winners from each of the five U.S. Toyota Series divisions; the top 25 pros and 25 co-anglers from the Wild Card division plus tournament winners; the highest finishing boater and co-angler from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Regional and the TBF at the All-American; the top three teams from the College Fishing National Championship; High School Fishing National Champions; TBF National Champions; and MLF International anglers from Canada, China, Eswatini, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Mozambique, Namibia, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

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 Nicotine Pouches, Mercury, MillerTech, OFF! Deep Woods, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, PiranhO2, 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 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.