Isaac Peavyhouse Claims First Toyota Series Victory at Lake Guntersville
SCOTTSBORO, Ala. (May 16, 2025) – Isaac Peavyhouse of Jamestown, Tennessee, emerged victorious at the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats on Lake Guntersville. Leading the field going into Championship Friday with over a 4-pound advantage, Peavyhouse feared he might have let the win slip away after a challenging final day. But his three-day total of 73 pounds, 13 ounces narrowly secured the title by just 15 ounces, earning him a $40,000 payday.
Peavyhouse impressed early in the event with a Day 1 haul of 28 pounds, 6 ounces, placing him second. On Day 2, he delivered 24-8 to move into first. Despite catching 20-15 on the final day, he was unsure it would hold up as Alabama’s Hayden O’Barr brought in a massive 28-8 limit.
“Coming in, with the weight I had, I thought I gave it away, honestly,” Peavyhouse admitted.
Ultimately, his consistency prevailed. O’Barr recorded his third second-place finish in a Toyota Series event in the last three months.
Offshore Strategy Pays Off
Known for his success on Tennessee’s Dale Hollow Lake, Peavyhouse entered Guntersville with limited experience and had never competed there in the postspawn. Anticipating an offshore bite on the lake’s river channel ledges, he spent practice idling and marking schools.
“All three days of practice, I idled the whole time,” he explained. “I had about 30 schools marked, but apparently 28 of them were community holes, because you couldn’t never get on them.”
He eventually discovered a secluded school of largemouth on a grass-lined drain in 20 feet of water. He caught all 15 of his keepers from this location.
“It was a really sneaky spot,” Peavyhouse noted. “It was just a little drain on a flat, and the fish were in about 20 foot on the edge of the grass. I was side-scanning a spot that I’ve caught them here in February on a jerkbait and just saw the school on my side scan. In practice, I made one cast in there, caught a 5-pounder and left. I didn’t know it was that good, but it panned out.”
Final Day Challenge Overcome
The final morning brought unexpected adversity. A floating eelgrass mat covered his prime spot, making it difficult to reach the fish. After leaving to try other areas without success, he returned and found a small window of opportunity.
“I finally got one cast down to them – because that eelgrass would bow it up – and first cast I got down to them, I caught a 5 1/4, and second cast I got a 4.40,” Peavyhouse said. “And then it blew back in there, and I never could get it back to them again.”
Peavyhouse used a Strike King 10XD crankbait to land those key fish. To complete his limit, he relied on a Yank-Um Custom Tackle structure jig and jighead minnow. All baits were thrown on Yank-Um Custom Tackle rods.
Career-Defining Moment
The win marks Peavyhouse’s first outside the Phoenix Bass Fishing League and is his most substantial to date.
“It’s awesome, man,” he said. “I’ve won two BFLs and placed high in a bunch of Toyotas and some other tournaments, but I’ve never had a bigger win like this. So, it’s a blessing.”
Top 10 Pro Results:
- Isaac Peavyhouse, Jamestown, Tenn., 15 bass, 73-13, $40,000
- Hayden O’Barr, Scottsboro, Ala., 15 bass, 72-14, $16,500 (includes $1,000 Phoenix Bonus)
- Matteo Turano, Puryear, Tenn., 15 bass, 70-14, $12,250
- Cal Lane, Grant, Ala., 15 bass, 70-13, $10,000
- Carter Nutt, Nashville, Tenn, 15 bass, 68-14, $9,000
- Caz Anderson, Haysville, N.C., 15 bass, 68-10, $8,000
- Broderick Luckey, Lynchburg, Va., 15 bass, 67-13, $7,000
- Clint Knight, Russellville, Ky., 15 bass, 67-12, $6,000
- Banks Shaw, Harrison, Tenn., 15 bass, 67-0, $5,000
- Preston Kolisek, Loretto, Tenn., 15 bass, 66-14, $4,000
Big Bass and AOY Honors
Pro Steve Lopez of Oconomowoc, Wis., won Thursday’s $500 Berkley Big Bass Award with a 7-pound, 12-ounce bass. On Friday, Kyle Lusk of Scottsboro, Ala., earned the same award with a 7-pound, 5-ounce catch.
Despite early-season dominance by Dylan Nutt, the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year (AOY) race came down to the final day. With a ninth-place finish at Guntersville, Banks Shaw edged out his University of North Alabama teammates to claim the AOY title and $5,000.
Co-Angler Division Winner
Ryan Lecompte of Picayune, Miss., claimed the co-angler victory with 15 bass weighing 55 pounds, 1 ounce. He took home a Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-hp outboard motor worth $33,500.
Top 10 Co-Anglers:
- Ryan Lecompte, Picayune, Miss., 15 bass, 55-1
- Roger Crain, Louisville, Ky., 15 bass, 53-15, $5,000
- Finn Taylor, Lake Placid, Fla., 15 bass, 51-10, $4,000
- James Ramsey, Boaz, Ala., 14 bass, 49-0, $3,500
- Alex Moore, Chester, Ill., 15 bass, 48-3, $3,000
- Todd Mowery, Madison, Ala., 13 bass, 48-0, $2,575
- Dylan Quilatan, Windermere, Fla., 15 bass, 47-15, $2,000
- Alex Roberts, Columbia, Tenn., 15 bass, 47-4, $1,750
- Larry Franks Jr., Wilsonville, Ala., 15 bass, 46-13, $1,700
- Chuck Huggins, Englewood, Ohio, 15 bass, 46-9, $1,250
Stanislav Sedletskii earned the Day 1 co-angler Berkley Big Bass with a 7-pound, 13-ounce catch. Day 2 honors were split between Stephen Mickle and Todd Mowery with identical 6-pound, 1-ounce bass.
Next Up: Toyota Series Championship at Grand Lake
The Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats at Lake Guntersville was hosted by the Mountain Lakes Chamber of Commerce. It concluded the regular season for the Central Division. The next stop is the Toyota Series Championship at Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma, Nov. 6-8, 2025.
The 2025 season features five regional divisions, plus Wild Card and International. Top finishers qualify for the no-entry-fee Championship, where pros can win up to $235,000 and co-anglers can earn a Phoenix 518 Pro with a 115-hp motor.
Proud sponsors of the 2025 MLF Toyota Series include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, Deep Dive App, E3 Sport 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
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.
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