GROVE, Okla. (April 19, 2022) – The Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. Plains Division will continue its 2022 season next week in Grove, Oklahoma, Apr. 28-30, with the Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. at Grand Lake Presented by Outlaw Ordnance. Hosted by the City of Grove, the three-day tournament is the second event of the season for the Toyota Series Plains Division anglers and will feature the region’s best bass-fishing pros and Strike King co-anglers casting for a top prize of up to $75,000.
Local pro James Elam of Tulsa, Oklahoma said Grand Lake makes for fun fishing in the spring and this event should be an exciting time for anglers to be out on the water.
“We’ve had a bit of a later year in terms of fish spawning, due to a warmer winter,” said Elam. “You might think that would make the fish spawn earlier, but we really need a hard, cold winter to signal winter-time to the fish, then a solid warming trend to move them up. That seems to make for a bigger bang for the spawn, and we just didn’t get that this year.”
Elam said some of the fish have been up at the bank for a long time, due to the unusual weather patterns, but anglers should still be able to catch them right in the heart of the spawn next week.
“We’ve had a lot of cold nights around here, and the fish are all ready to be spawning at the same time, but it’s been an odd season because of the low temperatures at night. We should see a couple warm nights right before the tournament begins and that’s definitely going to change things and make for better fishing.”
Elam said anglers should expect to see a lot of numbers caught during the event, but that will require them to continually adapt on the water.
“I expect to see a lot of junk fishing at the current stage of the spawn,” continued Elam. “Depending on where guys are fishing, they’ll have to figure out the 5 to 6 rods to have on their deck and I expect it will be junkier than it was a month or so ago. Things are changing every day – hour by hour – so adapting to that will be crucial and guys will have to mix it up quite a bit to stay on top.”
Elam said it’s hard to predict weights at this point in the spring, especially with the pressure this lake has gotten and the number of guys that will be practicing and fishing.
“With all those factors in play, I think it will be difficult to catch the 22- to 24-pound bags that Grand Lake is known for,” said Elam. “I expect we’ll see one or two of those big bags, but I think an average of 20 pounds per day can win the event.
“It’s definitely going to take consistency and mixing it up a little bit though. I don’t think you can do the same thing every single day and catch 20 pounds per day.”
Anglers will take off daily at 6:30 a.m. CT from Wolf Creek Park, located at 963 N. 16th Street in Kingston. Weigh-ins will also be held at the park and will begin at 2:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend the event or follow the action online through the “MLF Live” weigh-in broadcasts and daily coverage at 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 $40,000, plus an extra $35,000 if Phoenix MLF Bonus qualified. Strike King co-anglers cast for the top prize of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard (valued at $33,500). With a 260-boat field, pros fish for a top award of $65,000, plus an extra $35,000 if Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus qualified. Strike King co-anglers cast for the top prize of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard (valued at $33,500) plus $5,000 cash.
The 2022 Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. consists of six divisions – Central, Northern, Plains, Southern, Southwestern and Western – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International and Wild Card divisions. Anglers who fish in any of the six divisions and finish in the top 25 – or the top 12 from the Wild Card division – will qualify for the no-entry-fee Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. Championship for a shot at winning up to $235,000 cash. The winning Strike King co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard. The 2022 Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. Championship will be held Nov. 3-5 on Lake Guntersville in Guntersville, Alabama, and is hosted by Marshall County Tourism and Sports.
Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, AFTCO, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Outlaw Ordinance, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X and YETI.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the MLF Toyota Series on the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube .
