By MLF Communications Staff
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Well known for being one of the more fickle lakes on the Tennessee River chain, Wheeler Lake produced a tightly packed leaderboard on Day 1 of the 2024 Toyota Series Championship. It took nearly 17 pounds to crack the Top 10, and 24 pros managed more than 14 pounds – not terrible by any means.
Hayden Marbut of Birmingham, Ala. was the star of the show. The winner of this year's Central Division event on neighboring Lake Guntersville, he was the only competitor to catch more than 20 pounds as he posted 21-6 for the lead. In second, Mike Raber of Elkhart, Ind. caught 19-13 and Ethan Fields of Breese, Ill. edged into third with 18-5.
Catching his two kickers on nearly back-to-back casts at his first stop, Marbut may have been leading the event since about 7:45 Thursday morning.
“It was a good day for sure,” said Marbut. “I didn’t really know what to expect coming into the day. I had a good first day of practice and pretty much stopped fishing after that and just looked around. But I spent a lot of time out here in pre-practice and tried to make myself as much like a local as I could, and it worked out today.”
A standout in college for Auburn and an impressive performer in the Central Division this year, Marbut is one of many new-school anglers who are lighting things up at a young age. Weighing four smallmouth and one fish of indeterminate species, Marbut had a hot start and then a slow afternoon.
“I didn’t catch a ton of fish today, but they were the right size,” he said. “So, I’m excited to get back out there tomorrow. I probably caught caught 10 or 12, but probably nine keepers, and I culled a couple of times. But other than that, it was really slow, and it happened pretty fast this morning.”
One thing is for sure: Marbut is all-in on this. He’s got his eye on the $235,000 top prize and the REDCREST berth that comes with it. In 2025, MLF’s championship event is on Guntersville.
“I mean, I’m always all-in, but there’s definitely some extra juice with REDCREST on the home pond,” he said. “In pre-practice, I was grinding out here.”
Here's a look at the Top 20 after Day 1:
1st: Hayden Marbut, Birmingham, Ala., five bass, 21-6
2nd: Mike Raber, Elkhart, Ind., five bass, 19-13
3rd: Ethan Fields, Breese, Ill., five bass, 18-5
4th: Jack Daniel Williams, Kingsport, Tenn., five bass, 17-10
5th: Austin Swindle, Parrish, Ala., five bass, 17-9
6th: Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., five bass, 17-7
7th: Chad Mrazek, Montgomery, Texas, five bass, 17-5
8th: Jake Lawrence, Buchanan, Tenn., five bass, 17-4
9th: Levi Thibodaux, Thibodaux, La., five bass, 17-2
10th: Buddy Benson, Dahlonega, Ga., five bass, 16-15
10th: Phillip Dutra, Arab, Ala., five bass, 16-15
10th: Laker Howell, Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 16-15
13th: Donavan Carson, Bluff City, Tenn., five bass, 16-11
14th: Brady Duncan, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 16-5
15th: Dillon Falardeau, Hixson, Tenn., five bass, 15-15
16th: Brad Vice, Tanner, Ala., five bass,15-14
17th: Donny Beck, Killen, Ala., five bass, 15-13
18th: Ty Faber, Pagosa Springs, Colo., five bass, 15-11
19th: Nicholas Hoinig, Port Saint Lucie, Fla., five bass, 15-10
20th: Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., five bass, 15-8
20th: Blake Schroeder, Whitehouse, Texas, five bass, 15-8
20th: Zane Parker, Kingwood, Texas, five bass, 15-8
For complete Day 1 results, click here.
The full field of anglers compete on Days 1 and 2 of the event, with the Top 25 pros and Top 25 co-anglers based on cumulative weight from the first two days continuing to the third and final day on Saturday. The 2024 Toyota Series champions will be determined by the heaviest three-day total weight.
The 2024 Toyota Series 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 MLFNOW! broadcast team of Chad McKee and Rob Newell will break down the extended action live on the final day of competition from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. CT. MLFNOW! is livestreamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app and Rumble.
