January 31, 2026 • Jody White • Toyota Series
CLEWISTON, Fla. – The hottest angler in bass fishing, Banks Shaw, earned his third major win in three years with MLF, edging Kyle Cortiana on Saturday for the top spot in the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Southern Division season-opener event on Lake Okeechobee.
There’s nobody fishing hotter than Banks Shaw right now. Photo by Rob Matsuura.
Weighing 13 pounds, 12 ounces on the final day, Shaw totaled up 49-5 to beat out Cortiana by 3 ounces and earn $79,250, which included the Phoenix MLF Bonus and Tackle Warehouse Rewards.
Especially handy for Shaw, the win also qualified him for the Toyota Series Championship this fall on Pickwick, which will give him a little wiggle room in a schedule already packed full. This season, Shaw is fishing his rookie year on the Bass Pro Tour, and looking to defend his Angler of the Year season on the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit – a full plate for someone still taking classes at the University of North Alabama.
With cold weather affecting the bite all week, it didn’t take big weights to win this round on Okeechobee. But Shaw was just a bit better than Cortiana in the end, and the pair stood head and shoulders over the rest of the field when the scales closed on the final day.
On the week, Banks Shaw did his work in ponds, rather than the main body of Okeechobee. Photo by Rob Matsuura
Fish to himself and good decisions key the win for Shaw
It’s not uncommon for anglers to be bunched up in areas in Florida; in fact, fishing alone is sometimes a bad thing. But when it’s good, it tends to be very good, and Shaw caught the bulk of his weight this week from one area that nobody else was fishing.
MLF Photo.
“I found fish in two areas, but I knew one was going to have a ton of pressure,” Shaw said. “I kind of focused on the one area where I knew there wouldn’t be many people. I caught ‘em the first day, a big one right off the bat, and then after that it was tough to even get a limit.”
On Day 1, Shaw caught two of his limit fish with forward-facing sonar on, and three without. On Day 2, he played things a little smarter.
“Day 2, I had a better idea when they would turn on and start feeding,” he said. “So, I was able to use my forward-facing to target those fish. The second day went super smooth, other than losing fish – I had a chance to have a good lead.”
On Day 2, Shaw weighed five fish caught on forward-facing sonar, and even used some of his three hours to practice – which turned out to be key for Day 3.
“I mixed it up today a little bit, I thought for sure I could catch some more fish in my main area, but with having such tough mornings, I decided to start in my secondary area,” Shaw said. “That’s what produced most of my weight today – I caught four of my fish there.”
Plying a jerkbait and a finesse presentation, Shaw abandoned his secondary area halfway through the day and turned his forward-facing sonar on, only to be victimized by the contrary weather.
“When I went to my main area, luckily right when I pulled up it was clean, and I caught my biggest fish in there – a 3 1/2-pounder,” he said. “Right after that, the wind picked up. I made one pass, I saw some really big ones and didn’t get them to bite, and then all of a sudden the water just dirtied up. You couldn’t really even see the fish, and they weren’t acting right.”
On Day 3, only one of Shaw’s fish came when he had his sonar turned on, and he spent a good deal of time with a Rapala Mavrik 110 jerkbait in hand, with 12-pound Sufix Advance and a 6-foot, 10-inch, medium 13 Fishing Myth rod.
Banks Shaw is the man to watch wherever he launches his boat these days. Photo by Rob Matsuura
Big start to the season already
Coming off a Top 10 to start the year on the BPT and a string of Top-10 finishes on the Invitationals and Toyota Series in 2025, Shaw was itching to seal the deal again.
“I was on the way down here, and I told Josh, my cameraman, ‘I’m due for a win,’” Shaw admitted. “It felt good to finally get a win. I know I won Pickwick, but it was so close from there on, for quite a while. It wasn’t the best feeling before it happened. Usually when I win it’s by a decent margin, so that was nerve-racking. But I’m glad to pull it away, way down south on Okeechobee.”
Of course, the win is probably bad news for anyone signed up to fish against him in the near future, as Shaw shows no signs of slowing down.
“I’m feeling really good, I’m definitely off to a good start, riding the momentum from last year,” he said, referring to the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit opener next week. “The Harris Chain is one of my favorite fisheries in Florida, and it’s kind of my wheelhouse of fishing – shell bars and offshore grass. I’m pumped up for the Harris Chain.”
Top 10 pros
1. Banks Shaw – 49 – 5 (15) – $79,250 (includes $35,000 Phoenix Bonus)
2. Kyle Cortiana – 49 – 2 (15) – $17,000
3. Val Osinski – 44 – 11 (14) – $12,750
4. Tim Wilson – 42 – 2 (13) – $10,750
5. Parker Knudsen – 40 – 4 (15) – $9,750
6. Doug Wooldridge – 39 – 11 (15) – $8,375
7. Adriano Theriot – 38 – 12 (15) – $7,300
8. Brian Holder – 37 – 9 (15) – $6,300
9. Connor MacDougall – 37 – 5 (15) – $5,300
10. Tyler Nekolny – 36 – 15 (15) – $4,700
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