21-Year-Old Hayden Marbut Claims Toyota Series Championship on Wheeler Lake
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (Nov. 9, 2024) – At just 21 years old, Hayden Marbut from Birmingham, Alabama, proved his prowess on the professional bass fishing stage by capturing the 2024 Toyota Series Championship Presented by Bass Boat Technologies on Wheeler Lake.
Marbut, a rising star and former college angler at Auburn University, led from Day 1 and maintained his momentum, ultimately finishing with a three-day total of 57 pounds, 12 ounces to secure the win. Marbut’s impressive performance earned him a $235,000 prize, an invitation to the prestigious REDCREST Championship on his home waters of Lake Guntersville, and a total of $345,555 in Toyota Series winnings for 2024.
Consistent Strategy and Composure on Championship Waters
Despite tough competition, including a strong showing from Bass Pro Tour angler Keith Poche, Marbut’s strategy and focus paid off. Poche dropped a massive 27-pound bag on Day 2, briefly threatening Marbut’s lead, but Marbut responded with calm precision. “It’s unbelievable,” Marbut said, reflecting on his win. “I told myself during practice, ‘I want this one. I want to make REDCREST,’ and for it all to come together like it did is just unbelievable.”
Throughout the championship, Marbut exhibited a unique balance of confidence and adaptability. “The first two days, I just felt like I was out there having fun. It didn’t feel like a tournament, and everything was falling into place. I cannot believe it,” he added, emphasizing how he managed to stay calm and focused throughout the competition.
Mastering the Patterns on Wheeler Lake’s Bluffs
Marbut’s winning strategy centered on targeting Wheeler Lake’s bluffs near the mouth of the Elk River. This pattern had previously served him well, including during his earlier Toyota Series Central Division victory on Lake Guntersville, where he also fished along bluffs. However, for this championship, Marbut adapted his approach to the specific conditions at Wheeler Lake, which proved critical to his success.
“Honestly, I pretty much figured it out the first day I came out here in pre-practice,” he said. “Three weeks ago, I was out here and had like 20 pounds when the water was colder, and there were more fish on it. It was what I love to fish, and it was similar to how I won at Guntersville.” Though other anglers were focusing on brush and flats, Marbut stayed true to the bluffs and channel swings, choosing high-percentage areas where current would naturally draw feeding smallmouth bass.
“I understand current and how it affects different parts of the lake,” he explained. “I looked for big channel swings, points that stick out into the river, anywhere a smallmouth could just pull up and feed.” Many competitors concentrated on the clearer water near the dam, but Marbut chose the more stained water near the Elk River, noting that the fish there were less pressured and more responsive.
Meticulous Preparation and Effective Gear Choice
In addition to his well-chosen areas, Marbut’s precise presentations and refined tackle setup contributed to his success. To match the smallmouth’s quick movements, Marbut used a Picasso Tungsten Ball Head jig, primarily in a 3/16-ounce size, with various minnows. His choice of rod, a 6-foot, 10-inch medium-light G. Loomis NRX+ spinning rod, allowed for sensitivity and control in the rocky bluff areas.
In the electronics department, Marbut deployed a 16-inch Garmin 1643xsv, set to the amber color palette with a 90-foot side range, which provided him with a high-definition view of the water. This setup allowed him to precisely track fish movement along the bluffs and make adjustments accordingly. “The 16-inch screen gave me so much clarity,” he shared. “I used a 12-inch ECHOMAP at Guntersville and upgraded to the 16 here, which really helped me fine-tune my presentations.”
A Winning Decision on the Final Day
Though his bluff pattern had been productive all week, Marbut encountered challenges on the final day, as the bite began to slow. Relying on his intuition, he decided to check a brush pile he had marked during pre-practice, which had produced a fish for him weeks earlier. This last-minute adjustment paid off with a crucial 4-pound kicker bass, which he credits for helping him maintain his lead.
“I was running all around the lake when I thought, maybe I should hit that brush pile,” Marbut said. “So, I pulled over there, and I caught that 4-pounder. I couldn’t even see it in there, I was just working my bait through it, and all of a sudden, it loaded up. That one settled me down a lot.” Not knowing that Poche had not followed up his Day 2 success, Marbut continued to cover water aggressively.
The level of detail and planning that went into Marbut’s final day extended beyond his fishing. In pre-practice, he had timed his runs to the minute. “The last day of pre-practice, I launched at Ditto and ran all the way to the dam. I put a stop sign every 10 minutes so I knew exactly how much time I needed. I wanted a bulletproof system where I wasn’t going to screw anything up,” Marbut explained.
A Rising Star with Big Dreams
Marbut’s Toyota Series Championship win is not just a personal victory, but a mark of his promise as a competitive angler. Earning a spot in REDCREST, picking up a significant cash prize, and having gained invaluable experience, he is well-positioned to build on his impressive early success. For Marbut, though, the accomplishment is about more than the money.
“I’m just in it because I love it,” Marbut said. “I’m here for the fishing, for the thrill of competing. To make REDCREST on Guntersville and have it all come together on Wheeler Lake, it’s a dream come true.”
From his college days at Auburn to now, Marbut has made a habit of meeting challenges head-on, blending skill, strategy, and passion to carve his place among the fishing elite. With his eyes on the future, it’s clear that Marbut’s story is only beginning.
The top 25 pros at the 2024 Toyota Series Championship Presented by Bass Boat Technologies on Wheeler Lake finished:
1st: Hayden Marbut, Birmingham, Ala., 15 bass, 57-12, $235,000
2nd: Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., 15 bass, 52-10, $50,300
3rd: Laker Howell, Guntersville, Ala., 15 bass, 50-4, $30,000
4th: Austin Swindle, Parrish, Ala., 15 bass, 48-12, $35,000
5th: Ethan Fields, Breese, Ill., 15 bass, 46-11, $30,000
6th: Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., 15 bass, 44-4, $14,000
7th: Brock Reinkemeyer, Warsaw, Mo., 15 bass, 44-3, $13,000
8th: Levi Thibodaux, Thibodaux, La., 15 bass, 42-10, $22,000
9th: Zane Parker, Kingwood, Texas, 15 bass, 42-9, $11,000
10th: Kennie Steverson, Umatilla, Fla., 15 bass, 41-4, $20,000
11th: Mike Raber, Elkhart, Ind., 15 bass, 40-15, $14,500
12th: Jeremy Gordon, Rutledge, Tenn., 14 bass, 40-11, $4,500
13th: Dillon Falardeau, Hixson, Tenn., 13 bass, 40-4, $4,500
14th: Britt Myers Jr., Lake Wylie, S.C., 15 bass, 40-0, $4,500
15th: Caleb Kuphall, Mukwonago, Wis., 15 bass, 39-15, $4,500
16th: Matteo Turano, Puryear, Tenn., 15 bass, 38-6, $3,500
17th: Chad Mrazek, Montgomery, Texas, 15 bass, 38-1, $3,500
18th: Jack Daniel Williams, Kingsport, Tenn., 12 bass, 37-2, $3,500
19th: Mitchell Robinson, Landrum, S.C., 12 bass, 37-1, $3,500
20th: Mickey Beck, Lebanon, Tenn., 13 bass, 36-6, $3,500
21st: Fisher, Anaya, Eva, Ala., 11 bass, 31-3, $3,000
22nd: Philip Dutra, Arab, Ala., 11 bass, 31-0, $3,000
23rd: Ryan Kirkpatrick, Benton, Ky., 12 bass, 30-6, $3,000
24th: Andrew Campbell, Rama, Ontario, 10 bass, 28-13, $13,000
25th: Jake Lawrence, Buchanan, Tenn., 10 bass, 28-3, $3,000
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The top-finishing boater from each division (not including the winner) earned a $10,000 bonus for placing highest in the event. Those anglers included:
Central: Austin Swindle, Parrish, Ala., 4th place, $10,000
Northern: Mike Raber, Elkhart, Ind., 3rd place, $10,000
Plains: Ethan Fields, Breese, Ill., 5th place, $10,000
Southern: Kennie Steverson, Umatilla, Fla., 10th place $10,000
Southwestern: Levi Thibodaux, Thibodaux, La., 8th place, $10,000
Western: Todd Kline, San Clemente, Calif., 32nd place, $10,000
Wild Card Bonus: Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., 2nd place, $10,000
International: Andrew Campbell, Rama, Ontario, Canada, 24th place $10,000
Overall, there were 94 bass weighing 235 pounds, 5 ounces caught by 23 of the final 25 boaters on Saturday. The catch included 16 five-bass limits.
David Bozarth of Montgomery, Texas, brought four bass to the scale weighing 10 pounds, 9 ounces, to win the Strike King co-angler division of the 2024 Toyota Series Championship and earn a new Phoenix 518 pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard engine, worth $33,500. Bozarth’s three-day total of 10 bass weighing 29-4 earned him the victory by a slim 1-ounce margin over second-place co-angler Keith Honeycutt of Temple, Texas, who weighed in 15 bass weighing 29-3 over the three days of competition, good for the second-place prize of $12,500.
The top 25 Strike King co-anglers at the 2024 Toyota Series Championship Presented by Bass Boat Technologies on Wheeler Lake finished:
1st: David Bozarth, Montgomery, Texas, 10 bass, 29-4, Phoenix 518 pro w/115-hp outboard
2nd: Keith Honeycutt, Temple, Texas, 15 bass, 29-3, $12,500
3rd: Tyler Nekolny, Coral Springs, Fla., 14 bass, 26-15, $10,150
4th: Jeffrey Hamm, Thomasville, Ga., 13 bass, 24-13, $7,500
5th: Brock Blazier, Dunlap, Ill., 14 bass, 24-2, $5,000
6th: Casey Dunn, North Highlands, Calif., 12 bass, 22-8, $4,000
7th: Pop Catalin, Cookeville, Tenn., 12 bass, 22-8, $3,500
8th: Justin Parchman, Oologah, Okla., 14 bass, 22-3, $3,000
9th: Rich Frey, Guntersville, Ala., 12 bass, 20-3, $2,500
10th: Joe Lee, Midlothian, Texas, 10 bass, 19-15, $2,000
11th: Darren Kelly, Wartburg, Tenn., nine bass, 19-13, $1,800
12th: William Lisenby, Centreville, Va., 13 bass, 19-10, $1,500
13th: Stephen Draghi, Sparrow Bush, N.Y., 10 bass, 19-9, $1,500
14th: Jonathan Green, San Pablo, Calif., 10 bass, 19-7, $1,500
15th: Rabih Itani, Granville, Australia, 11 bass, 18-15, $1,500
16th: Steven Schantz, Alexandria, Va., 10 bass, 18-2, $1,000
17th: Matt Krekovich, Granite City, Ill., nine bass, 18-0, $1,000
18th: Justin Hoffman, Hindsville, Ark., seven bass, 17-13, $1,000
19th: Alejandro Morales, San Pedro Garza Garcia, Mexico, eight bass, 17-7, $1,000
20th: Mike Urbania, Mentor, Ohio, nine bass, 16-9, $1,000
21st: Dennis Young, Olathe, Kan., eight bass, 14-12, $900
22nd: Eric White, Cullman, Ala., six bass, 14-11, $900
23rd: Will Lancett, Jacksonville, Ark., eight bass, 14-7, $900
24th: Jerry Armstrong, Shelbyville, Tenn., seven bass, 14-2, $900
25th: James Steve Burgess, Killen, Ala., nine bass, 13-14, $900
The 2024 Toyota Series Championship Presented by Bass Boat Technologies at Wheeler Lake was hosted by the Huntsville-Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Madison County Commission and the Huntsville Sports Commission. The three-day, no entry championship event featured more than 404 pros and co-anglers from around the world, competing for the top cash award of up to $235,000, plus numerous contingency bonuses.
The 2024 Toyota Series Championship Presented by Bass Boat Technologies will premiere on CBS Sports in 2025.
The full field of anglers competed on Days 1 and 2 of the event, with the top 25 pros and top 25 Strike King co-anglers based on cumulative weight from the first two days continuing to the third and final day. The 2024 Toyota Series champions were determined by the heaviest three-day total weight.
The 2024 Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats consisted of six divisions – Central, Northern, Plains, Southern, Southwestern and Western – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International division and the Wild Card. 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 2024 Toyota Series Championship field featured the top 25 pros, top 25 Strike King co-anglers and tournament winners from each of the six 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 of the six Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Regionals 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 Australia, Canada, Italy, Mexico, South Africa, Spain and Zimbabwe.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Toyota Series include: 7 Brew Coffee, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, FX Custom Rods, General Tire, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak Fishing, Onyx, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, REDCON1, Simms, 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 updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, 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 13 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.
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