OKEECHOBEE, Fla. (Feb. 16, 2025) – Hopes were high going into the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Southern Division event on Lake Okeechobee, and through two days, the lake lived up to the hype. But on Saturday’s Day 3, with a strong southern wind blowing out many key areas, things started to fall apart.

Entering with a comfortable lead after two great days, Robert Branagh almost stumbled as well. But, with the rest of the field struggling, 16 pounds, 13 ounces for a 73-1 total was enough for the win and $44,000.

The victory is Branagh’s second Toyota Series title on Okeechobee, which is not a common feat. Branagh also set the three-day Toyota Series weight record for the fishery, bumping the top weight up to 73-1, a bit more than the previous high-water mark of 72-9 that Jessie Mizell set in 2024.

As the vegetation in Okeechobee has deteriorated in recent years, the frequency of success off the lake has increased. Now, it’s pretty well-known that the various canals and ditches around the edge of the lake can kick out winning weight. Still, old habits die hard, and the bulk of the weight and the bulk of the pressure remains in the lake.

Though Branagh did spend some practice time there, he made the canals his primary focus, and it worked.

“I saw what the wind was going to do for the first two days and then the third day,” said the Florida pro. “That’s why I targeted something out of the ordinary. I knew that the water would stay clean and the wind wouldn’t affect it, and it paid off.

“Now that there’s no grass in the lake to clean the water, I knew the water would get muddy right up to the hard line. And I knew fish were going to spawn. They spawn in the canals just like they spawn in the lake. Just so happens, I found them spawning on rocks. No grass, no nothing; but they were spawning on the rocks.”

Branagh found two key areas where bass were bedding on rock and the hard-bottom areas around it.

“I started in practice,” he explained. “I caught a few on a Senko, and then I picked up the Bruiser Baits Bullet, and I caught a couple of better ones. So, I went to another spot in another canal and did the same thing and caught an 8. So, I knew that was the plan going in.”

Branagh never used his forward-facing sonar. He simply fished very methodically, picking apart his zones foot by foot and using his Power-Poles every inch of the way.

“I’d ease up, I’d say, about 5 feet off the bank,” he said. “The fish were actually out about 3 foot from the from the actual rock piles. I would parallel the rocks, put it on the rocks, and just slow roll it out, ticking the top of the rocks. When you felt it tick the rock, sometimes it was rock, and sometimes it was a fish swimming out with your bait.”

Branagh basically only those needed two areas to win – one was responsible for his weight on Day 1, and his backup spot was the place to be on Day 2 and Day 3.

“I was going to try to save my second spot for today and not burn it up yesterday,” he explained. “But I went in there yesterday and should’ve had over 30 pounds again and lost a double-digit. So, I went in there today and just expanded on it.”

Branagh’s victory was not without flaw – he did lose some key fish. But, it turned out not to matter, and he was thrilled on stage after a grueling Day 3.

“Man, I was sick to my stomach for the last two hours,” he said. “Now, I’m freaking stoked.”

The top 10 pros at the Toyota Series at Lake Okeechobee finished:

1st:        Robert Branagh, Malabar, Fla., 15 bass, 73-1, $44,000
2nd:       Steve Lopez, Oconomowoc, Wis., 15 bass, 65-8, $17,000
3rd:       Parker Knudsen, Minnetonka, Minn., 14 bass, 59-8, $13,750 (includes $1,000 Phoenix Bonus)
4th:        Kyle Glasgow, Guin, Ala., 15 bass, 56-1, $10,750
5th:        Michael Venditto, Boca Raton, Fla., 15 bass, 53-14, $9,750
6th:        Hunter Weston, Palm City, Fla., 15 bass, 53-10, $8,375
7th:        Dillon McMillan, Palm Bay, Fla., 15 bass, 52-2, $7,300
8th:        Kyle Monti, Okeechobee, Fla., 15 bass, 51-10, $6,300
9th:        Travis Pitt, Niceville, Fla., 15 bass, 50-1, $5,300
10th:     Michael Catt, Jacksonville, Fla., 15 bass, 49-9, $4,200

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Pro Brian Haseotes of West Newton, Massachusetts, earned Thursday’s $500 Berkley Big Bass Award with a bass weighing 9 pounds, 2 ounces. On Friday, pro David Sheffield of Davie, Florida, brought an 8-pound, 5-ounce largemouth to the scale to earn the $500 award.

Alan Hults of Gautier, Mississippi, won the Strike King Co-angler Division Saturday with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 45 pounds, 11 ounces. Hults earned the top co-angler prize package worth $34,000, including a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard motor.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers at the Toyota Series at Lake Okeechobee finished:

1st:        Alan Hults, Gautier, Miss., 15 bass, 45-11, Phoenix 518 Pro boat w/115-hp Mercury outboard
2nd:       Rich Frey, Guntersville, Ala., 15 bass, 41-5, $5,375
3rd:       Ray Ruiz, Boca Raton, Fla., 15 bass, 38-13, $4,300
4th:        Brady Lunsmann, Citrus Springs, Fla., 13 bass, 38-5, $3,650
5th:        Roger Phillips, Delta, Ala., 15 bass, 36-11, $3,150
6th:        Garrett Vick, Lake Worth, Fla., 10 bass, 36-8, $2,650
7th:        Jeffery Baffa, Estero, Fla., 14 bass, 36-0, $2,150
8th:        Grant McPeters, Marion, N.C., 11 bass, 35-9, $1,825
9th:        Grayson Honeycutt, Temple, Texas, 15 bass, 35-2, $1,530
10th:     Michael Leach, Shenandoah, Texas, 12 bass, 34-10, $1,290

Strike King Co-angler Greg Shaughnessy of Miami, Florida, earned Thursday’s $150 Berkley Big Bass co-angler award with an 8-pound, 15-ounce bass, while Friday’s Day 2 $150 co-angler award went to Shannon Pike of Sarasota, Florida, who weighed in an 8-pound, 9-ounce largemouth bass.

The Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats at Sam Rayburn Reservoir was hosted by the Hendry County Tourism Development Council. It was the first of three regular-season tournament for the Toyota Series Southern
Division. The next event for the Toyota Series Southern Division will be March 27-29 on the Harris Chain of Lakes in Leesburg, Florida. For a complete schedule of events, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The 2025 Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats consists of five divisions – Central, Northern, Plains, Southern and the 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 a qualification to REDCREST 2026. The winning Strike King co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard. The 2025 Toyota Series Championship will be held Nov. 6-8 on Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma, and is hosted by the City of Grove Convention & Tourism Bureau.

Proud sponsors of the 2025 MLF Toyota Series include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, Deep Dive App, E3 Sports Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Humminbird, Lew’s, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.

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 Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network 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.