Cole Breeden Wins Toyota Series at Lake of the Ozarks in Brutally Tough Conditions
OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (March 2, 2025) – Pro angler Cole Breeden of Lebanon, Missouri, emerged victorious at the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Plains Division event at Lake of the Ozarks, being the only competitor to catch a five-bass limit across all three days. Weighing in at 13 pounds, 7 ounces on the final day, Breeden secured a total weight of 40 pounds, 13 ounces, to claim the win in what was an exceptionally tough fishing tournament.
For his victory, which marks his second Toyota Series title, Breeden earned $33,727 and an automatic qualification for the Toyota Series Championship on Grand Lake this fall—the same venue where he won the 2021 Abu Garcia College Fishing National Championship.
Finishing as runner-up, Andy Newcomb of Camdenton, Missouri, surged from 11th place with a final-day catch of 20 pounds, 11 ounces, totaling 39 pounds, 1 ounce. Brad Jelinek of Lincoln, Missouri, took third place with 37 pounds, 5 ounces.
A Tough Bite on Lake of the Ozarks
Despite his expertise with forward-facing sonar, Breeden faced the same challenges as his fellow anglers—an abundance of wary fish, frigid water temperatures, and a significant shad die-off that made for incredibly tough conditions. Many competitors reported seeing bass ignore their lures or shake free after brief hooksets.
The difficulty of the tournament was evident, as 43 pro anglers recorded double zeros over two days, including seasoned names like Dennis Berhorst, Casey Martin, Eric Olliverson, and legendary angler Rick Clunn.
Given these conditions, Breeden’s ability to consistently bring in limits made his performance all the more impressive. His success stemmed from a well-executed strategy of targeting bass on flat secondary points, creek channels, and submerged brush piles in 12- to 18-foot depths.
Breeden’s Winning Approach
Breeden refined his pattern as the event progressed, covering new water that matched the areas where he had initially found fish.
“I practiced for three half-days, and by the third day, I started seeing groups of 10 to 30 bass on a spot, which was crazy,” said Breeden. “I knew it was going to be a tough tournament, but I felt pretty good about just making a check or possibly a Top 10.”
His primary bait was a Berkley Stunna 112+1 and a Berkley Stunna 112 in a worn-out Table Rock color. He fished these with a 6-foot, 10-inch, medium-light Abu Garcia Fantasista X rod, an 8.3:1 Abu Garcia Zenon MG-X reel, and 10-pound Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon line.
Breeden noted that most bass sat at the bottom of the brush piles, and coaxing them to bite required patience and precision.
“If I threw my jerkbait in there and got the attention of one fish, the whole school would often come up. But the first few fish to rise wouldn’t eat it—it was usually one from behind that would commit.”
The Final-Day Adjustment
On the last day, Breeden introduced a float ‘n’ fly rig into his strategy. Using a homemade bucktail jig on a 1/8-ounce Picasso head with a slip bobber, he landed a crucial 5-pounder that secured his victory.
“I hadn’t thrown it all week because I wanted to be as efficient as possible, but I knew there were bigger fish where I was fishing, so I needed something to trigger a bite,” he said.
His co-angler witnessed the moment firsthand, watching the bobber go down several seconds before Breeden felt the bite and set the hook.
A Milestone Victory
Despite previously viewing Lake of the Ozarks as a challenging venue, Breeden’s win proved his ability to triumph against some of the best anglers in the region.
“The guys here always catch them, and they catch big ones,” he said. “I usually catch about 13 pounds a day, take my check, and go home. This time, it was just a bigger check.”
With a victory on one of the most historic fisheries and a boost to his confidence, Breeden looks forward to using the momentum to fuel a busy season ahead.
“Finally getting a big win against this level of competition feels amazing. It’s a great start to the year, and I can definitely use this as momentum. And, man, I’m fishing so many tournaments this year that my bank account was looking a little thin!”
Top 10 Pro Anglers:
- Cole Breeden, Lebanon, Mo. – 15 bass, 40-13, $33,727
- Andy Newcomb, Camdenton, Mo. – 14 bass, 39-1, $14,069 (includes $1,000 Phoenix Bonus)
- Brad Jelinek, Lincoln, Mo. – 13 bass, 37-5, $10,118
- Adam Boehle, Warrenton, Mo. – 10 bass, 36-12, $8,432
- Travis Fox, Rogers, Ark. – 11 bass, 35-7, $7,589
- Jordan Hirt, Council Bluffs, Iowa – 12 bass, 34-14, $6,745
- Michael Harlin, Sunrise Beach, Mo. – 13 bass, 33-11, $5,902
- Justin Luetkemeyer, Osage Beach, Mo. – 10 bass, 32-1, $5,559
- Nathen Luce, Claremore, Okla. – 11 bass, 30-12, $4,216
- Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill. – 11 bass, 28-10, $3,373
Co-Angler Champion: Mark Sloan
In the Co-angler Division, Mark Sloan of Harrison, Arkansas, secured the win with a three-day total of five bass weighing 16 pounds, 15 ounces. Sloan took home a Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard, valued at $34,050.
Upcoming Events
The Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats at Lake of the Ozarks was hosted by the Tri-County Lodging Association. It was the first of three regular-season tournaments for the Toyota Series Plains Division.
The next event for the division is scheduled for April 8-10 on Kentucky and Barkley Lakes in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. For a full schedule, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The 2025 Toyota Series Championship will take place Nov. 6-8 on Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma. The top 25 anglers from each division will qualify, with a chance to win up to $235,000 and a spot at REDCREST 2026.
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 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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