Major League Fishing, FLW Announce 2021 Toyota Series Schedule

BENTON, Ky. (Sept. 1, 2020) – Major League Fishing (MLF) and FLW announced today the 2021 Toyota Series schedule, highlighted by a smaller Championship field while continuing to offer a $200,000 first-place payout and $10,000 bonuses to the highest-finishing pro from each division.

Anglers who finish in the top 25 in each division’s Angler of the Year (AOY) standings will qualify for the no-entry-fee Toyota Series Championship for a shot at winning $200,000 cash, plus lucrative contingency bonuses like the $35,000 FLW Phoenix bonus offered this season. The winning co-angler at the championship earns a $33,500 Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat (or comparable model) with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard. The win-and-you’re-in format guarantees that anglers are never out of contention to qualify for the Championship – if they win a Toyota Series tournament, they will be on their way to the Championship along with the top 25 pros and co-anglers from each division.

“We’re really excited about the schedule for our Toyota Series anglers. We truly feel we’ve offered an exceptional lineup of fisheries at optimal times for competitive events with big fish,” said Kathy Fennel, FLW Executive Vice President and General Manager.

The 2021 Toyota Series will feature six divisions, which is down from eight in 2020 but up from five in 2019.

“Last year we aggressively expanded the Toyota Series from five divisions to eight based on demand from anglers and sponsors,” Fennel commented. “Coming off a difficult 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we will run six divisions in 2021 to ensure substantial and sustainable opportunities for anglers nationwide.”

The 2021 Toyota Series Championship field will be smaller due to the reduction in divisions, but the event will still feature $10,000 bonuses for the highest-finishing pro from each of the six U.S. Toyota Series divisions and the International division.

Toyota Series entry fees will remain the same at $1,700 pro and $550 co-angler per tournament and top payouts in each event remain $75,000 for pros, including a $35,000 FLW Phoenix Bonus, and a $33,500 Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat (or comparable model) with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard for co-anglers. As field sizes increase, so do payouts, with top awards reaching $100,000, including a $35,000 FLW Phoenix Bonus, for pros and $33,500 Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat (or comparable model) with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard plus $5,000 for co-anglers at 260 boats, with awards extending through 65th place. The Strike King Angler of the Year in each division receives $5,000 and the Co-angler of the Year in each division earns $2,000. Complete payout details are listed below.

Registration for the 2021 Toyota Series will open in early November. Rules and registration dates will be announced soon.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Toyota Series on FLW’s social media outlets at FacebookTwitterInstagram, and YouTube.

2021 Toyota Series Schedule:

Central Division

Feb. 16-18*                 Lake Guntersville – Guntersville, Ala., hosted by Marshall County CVB

March 31-April 2**    Dale Hollow Lake – Byrdstown, Tenn., hosted by Byrdstown-Pickett County COC

May 20-22                   Lake Chickamauga – Dayton, Tenn., hosted by Fish Dayton-Rhea Economic Tourism Council

Northern Division

July 15-17                   Lake Champlain – Plattsburgh, N.Y., hosted by City of Plattsburgh & Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau

Aug. 26-28                  St. Lawrence River – Massena, N.Y., hosted by Town of Massena

Sept. 16-18                  Potomac River – Marbury, Md., hosted by Charles County Board of Commissioners

 

Plains Division

March 4-6                   Lake of the Ozarks – Osage Beach, Mo., hosted by Tri-County Lodging Association

April 8-10                   Grand Lake – Grove, Okla., hosted by City of Grove & Grove Convention & Tourism Bureau

May 6-8                       Lake Dardanelle – Russellville, Ark, hosted by Russellville Advertising & Promotion Commission

 

Southern Division

Feb. 4-6                       Lake Toho – Kissimmee, Fla., hosted by Experience Kissimmee-Kissimmee Sports Commission

March 16-18*             Harris Chain of Lakes– Leesburg, Fla., hosted by Visit Lake

May 6-8                       Lake Seminole – Bainbridge, Ga., hosted by Bainbridge CVB

 

Southwestern Division

Jan. 28-30                    Sam Rayburn Reservoir – Brookeland, Texas, hosted by Jasper-Lake Sam Rayburn COC

March 25-27               Lake Texoma – Durant, Okla. & Madill, Okla., hosted by Discover Durant, Marshall County Chamber & Choctaw Nation Tourism

April 28-30**             Sam Rayburn Reservoir – Brookeland, Texas, hosted by Jasper-Lake Sam Rayburn COC

 

Western Division

Jan. 28-30                    Lake Shasta – Redding, Calif., hosted by Redding CVB

May 13-15                   California Delta – Oakley, Calif., hosted by City of Oakley

Sept. 23-25                  Clear Lake – Lakeport, Calif., hosted by TBD

 

Toyota Series Championship

TBA                            Watch FLWFishing.com for details

* Tuesday – Thursday event
** Wednesday – Friday event

2021 Toyota Series Payouts:

Qualifying Event:

Place                                       Pro            FLW Phoenix Bonus *                               Co-angler                               

                                      $40,000                        $35,000                                                   $33,500 Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat

                                                                                                                                                 (or comparable model), 115 HP Outboard

                                        15,500                                                                                              5,000

3                                         12,000                                                                                              4,000

4                                         10,000                                                                                              3,500

5                                           9,000                                                                                              3,000

6                                           8,000                                                                                              2,500

                                          7,000                                                                                              2,000

                                          6,000                                                                                              1,750

9                                           5,000                                                                                              1,500

10                                         4,000                                                                                              1,250

11                                         3,750                                                                                              1,000

12                                         3,500                                                                                              1,000

13-15                                    3,000                                                                                              1,000

16-20                                   3,000                                                                                                 800

21-25                                   2,750                                                                                                 700

26-30                                   2,500                                                                                                 600

31-40                                   2,000                                                                                                 550

Berkley Big Bass                 300                                                                                                 200

 

Entry Fee                         $1,700                                                                                               $550

Payback is based on the number of paid entries for each tournament, scaling up for every 20 boats over 160 and scaling down for every boat below 160.

 

Toyota Series Championship:

Place                                       Pro            FLW Phoenix Bonus*                               Co-angler                               

                                    $200,000                       $35,000                                                   $33,500 Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat

                                                                                                                                                  (or comparable model), 115 HP Outboard

                                        40,000                                                                                          12,500

3                                         30,000                                                                                          10,000

4                                         25,000                                                                                             7,500

5                                         20,000                                                                                             5,000

6                                         14,000                                                                                             4,000

                                        13,000                                                                                              3,500

                                        12,000                                                                                             3,000

9                                         11,000                                                                                             2,500

10                                       10,000                                                                                              2,000

11-15                                    4,500                                                                                              1,500

16-20                                    3,500                                                                                             1,000

21-25                                    3,000                                                                                                900

26-30                                    2,500                                                                                                800

31-40                                    2,000                                                                                                700

Central Bonus                10,000

Northern Bonus             10,000

Plains Bonus                   10,000

Southern Bonus             10,000

Southwestern Bonus    10,000

Western Bonus              10,000

International Bonus     10,000

* FLW Phoenix Bonus listed is based on 2020 awards. Final 2021 FLW Phoenix Bonus payouts will be set by Phoenix Boats.

Payback is based on an average of 160 boats in qualifying tournaments.

Strike King Angler of the Year:   

  • $5,000 in each division

Co-angler of the Year:            

  • $2,000 in each division