Tennessee angler Anderson wins MLF Toyota Series at St. Lawrence River Presented by Rabid Baits

MASSENA, N.Y. – Pro Brent Anderson of Kingston Springs, Tennessee, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 22 pounds, 3 ounces to win the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats at St. Lawrence River Presented by Rabid Baits and earn the top payout of $80,500, including the lucrative $35,000 Phoenix MLF bonus. Over the three days of competition Anderson weighed in 15 bass totaling 66-11 to earn the win by a 10-ounce margin over Stouffville, Ontario’s Gary Miller, who finished second with a three-day total of 66-1, good for $17,500.  

After pulling in a handful of top 10’s on the St. Lawrence River over the years, Anderson said he is thrilled to finally finish at the top of the leaderboard.

“I came to the St. Lawrence River for the first time three years ago, and fell in love with this place,” said Anderson. “I’ve fished hundreds of lakes and there have been two fisheries – Dale Hollow and the St. Lawrence River – that are close to my heart and just have a special mystique about them. It’s been a big goal of mine to take home a win there.”

Anderson said he was feeling pretty good coming into the event – not expecting the win – but very familiar with the river and optimistic that he could pull in consistent weights each day. While many anglers make long runs west on the fishery toward Lake Ontario, Anderson said he prefers the less risky option of staying close to the Massena area.

“I typically stay within 50 miles of Massena because I can guarantee myself pretty consistent weights, but I’ve come up short in the past due to that,” said Anderson. “If the guys that make the run have even two really good days, my consistent weights won’t seal the deal.

“I’ve finished in the Top 10 multiple times on the St. Lawrence, but I believed if I just stayed with that game plan and kept betting on consistency, it would work out,” Anderson continued. “I didn’t know this was going to be the week it came to fruition, but I’m glad it was.”

Anderson said he fished in the 10- to 50-foot-range, throwing a custom finesse football jig with a Z-Man Finesse TRD trailer, drifting along stretches of shoals.

“This win feels amazing,” said Anderson. “I’ve won ten Phoenix Bass Fishing League tournaments on various fisheries, but I’d never won a Toyota Series event. I’ve been close several times – mostly here – so to complete the package and take home a win is incredible.”

The Top 10 pros on the St. Lawrence River finished:

• 1^st:           Brent Anderson, Kingston Springs, Tenn., 15 bass, 66-11, $80,500
• 2^nd:          Gary Miller, Stouffville, Ontario, 15 bass, 66-1, $17,500
• 3^rd:          Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., 15 bass, 65-9, $12,750
• 4^th:           Tommy Dickerson, Orange, Texas, 15 bass, 65-1, $10,750
• 5^th:           Brett Carnright, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 15 bass, 65-0, $9,750
• 6^th:           Clay Reece, Lexington, Ky., 15 bass, 63-2, $8,375
• 7^th:           Alec Morrison, Peru, N.Y., 15 bass, 62-5, $7,300
• 8^th:           Douglas Reed, Bridgeton, N.J., 15 bass, 62-3, $6,300
• 9^th:           Kyle Cortiana, Broken Arrow, Okla., 15 bass, 61-15, $5,300
• 10^th:        Jason Gramada, Les Cedres, QC, 15 bass, 61-12, $4,200

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Pro Rod Mackinnon of Middletown III, New York, won the $500 Day 1 Berkley Big Bass award in the pro division Thursday with a bass weighing 6 pounds, 9 ounces. On Friday, pro Gary Miller of Stouffville, Ontario earned the $500 Berkley Big Bass prize after bringing a 6-pound, 9-ounce bass to the scale.

Anderson took home an extra $35,000 as the highest finishing Phoenix MLF Bonus member. Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $35,000 per event in each Toyota Series tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the Phoenix MLF Bonus contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.

Taylor Wisniewski of Lexington, Kentucky won the Strike King Co-angler Division Saturday with a three-day total of 14 bass weighing 23 pounds, 11 ounces. Wisniewski took home the top prize package worth $33,500, including a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard motor.

The Top 10 Strike King co-anglers on the St. Lawrence River finished:

• 1^st:           Taylor Wisniewski, Lexington, Ky., 14 bass, 55-14, Phoenix 518 Pro boat w/115-hp Mercury outboard
• 2^nd:          Akira Okuyama, Forest Hills, N.Y., 15 bass, 55-3, $5,375
• 3^rd:          Mason Chapman, Lenexa, Kan., 15 bass, 53-9, $4,300
• 4^th:           Greg McDavid, Blountville, Tenn., 15 bass, 52-10, $3,650
• 5^th:           Christopher Dam, Staatsburgh, N.Y., 14 bass, 52-1, $3,350
• 6^th:           Cooper Jet, Norton Shores, Mich., 15 bass, 50-7, $2,650
• 7^th:           Braxton Clements, Donalsonville, Ga., 15 bass, 50-3, $2,150
• 8^th:           Greg Flippen, Powhatan, Va., 15 bass, 49-1, $1,825
• 9^th:           Tim McGlenn, Welcome, Md., 15 bass, 48-10, $1,530
• 10^th:        Christian Rich, Eufaula, Ala., 13 bass, 47-14, $1,290

Wisniewski was the Berkley Big Bass $150 award winner in the Strike King co-angler division, Thursday, with a 6-pound, 3-ounce bass, while the Day 2 $150 award went to John Kelly Jr. of Old Forge, Pennsylvania with a 6-pound, 4-ounce bass.

With two regular-season events in the Toyota Series Northern Division now complete, pro Brett Carnright of Plattsburgh, New York leads the Northern Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 516 points, while Richard Bleser of Burlington, Wisconsin, leads the Strike King Co-angler Division AOY race with 507 points.

The Toyota Series at St. Lawrence River, hosted by the Town of Massena, was the second of three regular-season events for the Toyota Series Northern Division Presented by Rabid Baits. The next event for Toyota Series anglers will be the Toyota Series at the Potomac River Presented by Rabid Baits, September 21-23, in Marbury, Maryland. For a complete schedule of events, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The 2023 Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats consists of six divisions – Central, Northern, Plains, Southern, Southwestern and the Western Division Presented by Tackle Warehouse – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International and Wild Card divisions. Anglers who fish in any of the six 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 V. The winning Strike King co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard. The 2023 Toyota Series Championship will be held Nov. 2-4 on Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri, and is hosted by ExploreBranson.com.

Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF Toyota Series include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Black Rifle Coffee Company, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Fox Rent a Car, General Tire, Gill, Grundéns, Lew’s, Lowrance, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Next Gen Lithium, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Wiley X 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.