Georgia pro leads by 5-ounce margin, Top 25 set for final day in the competition for up to $235,000

 COUNCE, Tenn. (Nov. 6, 2026) – Given a full day to fish, weights were much improved on Day 2 of the 2026 Toyota Series Championship Presented by Phoenix Boats on Pickwick Lake – especially on the co-angler side where more limits came to the scale, and despite the wind, plenty of fish were caught.

Moving up from fourth to take the lead on the pro side, Tallis Morrison of Canon, Georgia, weighed 20 pounds, 2 ounces to get to a two-day total of 39-5. Right behind him, Hayden O’Barr of Scottsboro, Alabama, sacked up 20-7 to move from eighth to second with an even 39 pounds. In third, Clayton Ellis of Saltillo, Mississippi, also bagged more than 20 pounds and sits in striking position with 38-1.

Entering the final day, the Top 25 are all over the 30-pound mark, so there is sure to be plenty of shuffling. But given the consistency of the top three, it’s going to take something special for someone farther down the field to surge to a win and the $235,000 top prize.

Link to Hi-Res Photo of Toyota Series Championship Day 2 Leader Tallis Morrison
Link to Morning Photo Gallery: Blasting off on Day 2 of the Toyota Series Championship
Link to Photo Gallery of Toyota Series Championship Day 2 On-the-Water Highlights
Link to Weigh-In Photo Gallery: Top 25 roster set after Day 2 weigh-in at the Toyota Series Championship

A graduate from Erskine University, Morrison isn’t a local to Pickwick Lake – he calls Georgia home, works full time for J&S Shorelines, and herring-eaters are his forte. But having now made three cuts on the Tennessee River this year after competing in the Central Division, it looks like he’s fitting in just fine.

The first day, a 6-pounder keyed the bag for Morrison.

“Day 1 was pretty cool; I didn’t really know what was there on this little hole,” he said. “I pulled up, and my first cast was a 6-9. It buggered me all up, because I lost two good ones on back-to-back casts. I had to recover and only caught seven fish, but that big one saved me.”

On Day 2, he played things perfectly, waiting for a clear shot at his best area and then striking hard.

“Today was pretty good. I had some trouble getting on my starting spot, but I figured I’d be patient and let some people move around,” he said. “I threw an Alabama rig around and caught one, and then, sure enough, my spot opened up. I jumped on it, turned my LiveScope on, and probably in about 30 minutes, I had 18 1/2 pounds and culled up from there. I left them biting, so we’ll see for tomorrow.”

Morrison weighed four smallmouth on Day 2, and from the sounds of it, he might do it again tomorrow. But even being boat No. 1 at takeoff, he has a fluid game plan.

“I don’t know if I’m going to start there – I’ve got a topwater hole,” he said. “I caught some good smallmouth on it in practice, and I haven’t had the right conditions. Looking at (the forecast) now, I think I’m going to get them. I didn’t start ‘Scoping until about 9 this morning, and I think the later bite is definitely a little better. I could be wrong, but I think I’m going to hit my topwater hole and then run up and see what’s happening.”

Even with a huge payday and a berth in the REDCREST on the line, Morrison is taking it easy – for now.

“It hasn’t really set in yet,” he said. “I was in second going into the final day at Guntersville and didn’t make it happen. So, I’ve been here before – but not nearly as big a payout. I’m sure it will set in tonight, and in the morning, I’ll be ready to throw up.”

The top 25 pros that advanced to the Championship Round on Pickwick Lake are:

1st:         Tallis Morrison, Canon, Ga., 10 bass, 39-5
2nd:        Hayden O’Barr, Scottsboro, Ala., 10 bass, 39-0
3rd:         Clayton Ellis, Saltillo, Miss., 10 bass, 38-1
4th:         Logan Dyar, Cleveland, Ala., 10 bass, 36-7
5th:         Riley Harris, Orange, Texas, nine bass, 35-11
6th:         Matteo Turano, Puryear, Tenn., 10 bass, 35-9
7th:         Landon Lawson, Jonesborough, Tenn., 10 bass, 35-2
8th:         Brenner Lynn, San Diego, Calif., 10 bass, 34-13
9th:         Zeke Gossett, Pell City, Ala., 10 bass, 34-2
10th:       Daylon Milam, Newnan, Ga., 10 bass, 34-0
11th:       Dylan Quilatan, Windermere, Fla., 10 bass, 33-9
12th:       Hayden Marbut, Grant, Ala., 10 bass, 33-6
13th:       Blake Davenport, Jemison, Ala., nine bass, 33-1
14th:       Broderick Luckey, Lynchburg, Va., 10 bass, 32-7
15th:       Drake Hemby, Brentwood, Tenn., 10 bass, 32-6
16th:       Eric Panzironi, Longwood, Fla., nine bass, 32-3
17th:       Matthew Knopp, Mercer, Pa., 10 bass, 32-3
18th:       Chance Shelby, Denham Springs, La., 10 bass, 32-0
19th:       Preston Kolisek, Loretto, Tenn., 10 bass, 31-8
20th:       Banks Shaw, Harrison, Tenn., 10 bass, 31-5
21st:       Cal Lane, Grant, Ala., nine bass, 31-3
22nd:      Walker Brown, Loretto, Tenn., 10 bass, 31-0
23rd:       Alec Morrison, Peru, N.Y., 10 bass, 30-15
24th:       Aaron Johnson, Shreveport, La., nine bass, 30-10
25th:       Lee Black, Moulton, Ala., nine bass, 30-7

For a full list of results visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Overall, there were 493 bass weighing 1,450 pounds even caught by 138 pros Friday. The catch included 59 five-bass limits.

After Day 2, two of the three REDCREST 2027 berths up for grabs at this event were officially decided. Yuma Ejiri of Tokyo, Japan, secured the MLF International Division title with a 75th-place finish, earning a $10,000 bonus and a coveted spot in the field next April. On the collegiate side, Lander University’s Matthew Knopp of Mercer, Pennsylvania, clinched his own REDCREST qualification as the highest-finishing member of the College Fishing National Championship team, wrapping up Day 2 in 17th place. Both anglers will now advance to compete against the sport’s best at Logan Martin Lake in Birmingham, Alabama, next spring, representing their divisions – and the next generation of Major League Fishing talent – on bass fishing’s most prestigious platform.

Jason Sandidge of Centerton, Arkansas, maintains his lead in the co-angler division with a two-day total of 19-14. In second, Chris McClellan of De Soto, Missouri, has 19-9 to his credit, and Carson Stone of Tuscola, Texas, ended the day in third place with 17 pounds even.

The top 25 co-anglers that advanced to the Championship Round on Pickwick Lake are:

1st:          Jason Sandidge, Centerton, Ark., six bass, 19-14
2nd:        Chris McClellan, De Soto, Mo., seven bass, 19-9
3rd:         Carson Stone, Tuscola, Texas, five bass, 17-0
4th:         Gerald Dam, Pine Plains, N.Y., six bass, 16-14
5th:         Dustin Maxwell, Fairway, Kan., six bass, 16-8
6th:         Richard Williams, Sutherland, Va., five bass, 15-11
7th:         Matt Krekovich, Granite City, Ill., four bass, 15-7
8th:         Kade Wesner, Lancaster, Pa., five bass, 14-0
9th:         David Zapatero Mula, Las Rozas, Spain, four bass, 13-11
10th:       Enrico Zancanaro, Rovigo, Italy, five bass, 13-8
11th:       Randy Wiggins, Birmingham, Ala., five bass, 12-15
12th:       Ryan Yarian, Kissimmee, Fla., three bass, 11-13
13th:       Ryan Hendricks, Bixby, Okla., four bass, 11-11
14th:       Chase Johnson, Quincy, Ill., four bass, 11-6
15th:       Kenny Garand, Holiday, Fla., four bass, 11-6
16th:       Jordan Clayton, Archer City, Texas, four bass, 10-15
17th:       John Morales, Plainfield, Ill., three bass, 10-11
18th:       Colegan Stiner, Wellsboro, Pa., four bass, 10-6
19th:       Blake DeFoor, Waldron, Ark., four bass, 10-6
20th:       Kevin Carter, Spring, Texas, three bass, 10-5
21st:       Jakob LaBelle, Hinesburg, Vt., four bass, 10-3
22nd:      Giuseppe Teofilo, Richmond Hill, Ontario, four bass, 10-2
23rd:      Jeff Moss, Oronogo, Mo., four bass, 9-14
24th:      Porter Laird, Blacksburg, Va., four bass, 9-11
25th:      Todd Mowery, Madison, Ala., three bass, 9-6

The final 25 pros and co-anglers will take off Saturday at 6:30 a.m. CT from Pickwick Landing State Park, located at 120 Playground Loop, in Counce. Saturday’s Championship weigh-in 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 the MLFNOW! broadcast and daily coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Hosted by Explore Pickwick Lake – Hardin County Tourism and Bill Dance Signature Lakes , the three-day, no-entry-fee championship features nearly 400 pros and co-anglers from around the world, competing for a top cash award of up to $235,000. The field is now cut to just the top 25 pros and co-anglers heading into the final day of competition on Championship Saturday, the culmination of the 2026 Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats season.

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 streamed 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 competed on Days 1 and 2 of the event Thursday and Friday, 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 on Saturday. 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.