I’m excited to be going to the 15th Annual Toyota Bonus Bucks Owners Tournament in mid-October. Toyota has been a sponsor of mine since 2005, and I’ve only missed one of these events.
The entry is free for anyone who owns or individually leases a 2022 or newer Toyota Tundra, Tacoma, Sequoia, Land Cruiser or 4Runner. You must also be officially registered for the Toyota Bonus Bucks Program.
This year’s tournament takes place at Lake Guntersville, one of the country’s most productive big bass lakes. It has drawn 280 teams from all over the country that will compete for a $15,000 first prize. Teams that finish among the top 30 will also receive checks. And there will be three randomly drawn $500 checks for teams finishing below the top 30.
The one-day competition takes place on Sunday, Oct. 19. As amazing as the tournament is, the highlight of the weekend for many of those who attend are the festivities that begin the day before.
Many Toyota owners arrive Friday to get in a few days of practice. The registration on Saturday evening allows the Toyota pros to meet and greet the anglers. The pros include me, Kevin VanDam, Matt Arey, Terry Scroggins, Brandon Palaniuk and Gerald Swindle. Some of the BassmastHER gals will be there too.
The pros work their way down the long registration lines to mingle with the fans. I get to shake hands with every team and talk about where they’re from. I’ve met many wonderful people over the years, and it’s one of the reasons I enjoy going to this event so much. Every fan gets to meet their favorite Toyota pro.
Each person also receives a generous swag bag that includes clothing, gear and lures. After registration, everybody hangs out and enjoys a free BBQ.
Even with the $15,000 first prize, the tournament doesn’t feel overly competitive or cutthroat. It’s mainly just a good time. The variety of rigs ranges from vintage 80s bass boats to bay boats to the latest high-end, high-tech bass rockets.
Some of the teams consist of hardcore partners who compete together all year. The teams that touch my heart are the father-son, father-daughter, uncle-nephew anglers who are there to bond and have fun.
Bassmaster runs the tournament just as they do their Elite Series events, which gives the fans a true sense of what it’s like to compete in a big-time tournament. As the boat numbers are called, each team must idle along a dock to have their livewells and kill switches checked. As they go through this process, all the Toyota pros are on the dock wishing them good luck before they take off.
The weigh-in stage is the same one used for Elite Series tournaments. Just as with Elite events, the anglers must proceed past a bump table and walk their bags of bass tank to tank as they make their way to the stage.
Gerald Swindle does a fantastic job as the tournament MC. When he announces the team by name, they come up on stage with him and tournament director Lisa Talmadge, who you see on TV when the Elite pros weigh in.
Everyone at the event feels like part of the Toyota family. It’s a chance for Toyota to say thank you to the anglers who support them and for the anglers to say thanks to Toyota for the support they give to bass fishing.
I’ve been around the block and can’t think of another mainstream giant company that has put more effort into growing our sport. Besides the tournaments, they support youth fishing and BassmastHER, which gets more women and girls into fishing.
A lot of mainstream companies turn their noses up at fishing. Not Toyota. They truly care about making our sport bigger and better than ever.
You can learn more about how I fish for bass and about being a professional angler at www.mikeiaconelli.com or www.youtube.com/c/goingike.