CHARLES COUNTY, Md. (June 26, 2025) – They say that momentum is real in bass fishing, and Pike Road, Alabama, pro Keith Poche proved that point on the Potomac River Thursday on Day 1 of Zenni Stage 6 tournament at the Potomac River. Less than a week after winning the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals stop just two hours south on the James River, Poche was the only angler to surpass 80 pounds on the Potomac and leads with 36 bass for 80 pounds, 2 ounces. Going into the second day, Poche will enjoy a 10-pound, 1-ounce advantage over pro Ott DeFoe of Blaine, Tennessee, in second place as he looks to win for the second time in as many weeks on a tidal fishery in the Mid-Atlantic.
It wasn't just Poche, as the 66-angler field caught 1,217 bass weighing 2,572 pounds, 9 ounces, both easily the highest totals of the season. With so many bass biting, things are shaping up for an excellent finish this weekend.
Coming off his victory on the James, Poche certainly felt confident about coming into Stage 6. On the James, he fished in the style he's known for, accessing a shallow water backwater with his 18-foot aluminum boat to go places that heavier fiberglass boats simply can't. That's the same approach he took Thursday on the Potomac, but the results were even better than expected.
"I knew the place I found had some fish and knew the potential was there, but I had no idea it would be this good," Poche said. "I'm just trying to keep this rolling, whatever it is, because it's working."
Poche shared that his best area had all the ingredients to harbor a big population of bass.
"I'm going way back into the creek and fishing shallow, but the water back there is moving, and it's a lot cooler," he said. "It's a sandy creek with some shallow flats and deeper swings; when the tides out, they pull to those little deeper spots. When the water is up, they get up in the pads and grass along the banks. It's been best with the falling tide, but I feel like I can get bit any time of day in there."
While the falling tide has been his best bite, Poche was able to catch bass throughout the day and caught vastly more bass than the 36 that exceeded the 1-8 minimum for the event. His area is full of bass of all sizes, and he discovered it during practice by visually seeing them swimming around at low tide.
"When I went there in practice during a low tide, they were swimming everywhere," Poche said. " I found a few similar areas but didn't hit them at the right tide, so I don't know if they will be as good as this one, but they have potential if I need to try somewhere else."
As for whether he plans to vie for the automatic bid to the Championship Round or to use some of his time to practice, Poche was emphatic with his response.
"One hundred percent I'm going to catch everything I can to try to advance. I'm not going to let up one bit," he said. "You never know what's going to happen during the Knockout Round. I know I have a 10-pound lead, but I'm going to have to do my part again, and I think I'll need to catch at least 60 pounds tomorrow to have a chance to advance to the final day."
Poche is employing a variety of lures to catch his fish, including the same Berkley PowerBait MaxScent The General on a shaky-head rig that accounted for his winning bass on the James River; a Berkley Pit Boss on a Texas Rig; and a Bama bream colored 3/8-ounce Berkley Swim Jig with a green pumpkin Berkley Power Swimmer on the back.
"It's just shallow-water junk fishing," Poche said. "The best bait for me today was that swim jig, that was my bread and butter, throwing it on 30-pound Berkley X5 braid, a 10.1:1 (Abu Garcia) Revo Rocket Reel, and a 7-1 heavy Fenwick World Class rod. That faster reel was a big deal because I'm burning that thing and pulling it through the current. I need to pick up the slack and hit them when it's coming at me."
As time expired on MLFNOW! Poche remarked on the sweltering conditions. The high was 93 degrees with a "feels like" temperature of 106 degrees, and there was hardly a puff of wind.
"The hottest tournament I had ever fished was here on the Potomac back in 2015, and this one blows it out of the water; it was brutal out there," he added.
The top 20 pros in after Day 1 on the Potomac River are:
1st: Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., Bossier City, La., 36 bass, 80-2
2nd: Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., 32 bass, 70-2
3rd: David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., 29 bass, 68-6
4th: John Hunter, Shelbyville, Ky., 30 bass, 68-4
5th: Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., 34 bass, 67-1
6th: Keith Carson, DeBary, Fla., 27 bass, 64-7
7th: Mark Daniels Jr., Tuskegee, Ala., 30 bass, 62-7
8th: Alton Jones Jr., Waco, Texas, 28 bass, 61-7
9th: Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., 27 bass, 55-15
10th: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 25 bass, 55-10
11th: Takahiro Omori, Tokyo, Japan, 26 bass, 52-7
12th: Mark Davis, Mount Ida, Ark., 23 bass, 52-4
13th: Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La., 26 bass, 50-4
14th: Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., 25 bass, 50-2
15th: Jake Lawrence, Paris, Tenn., 24 bass, 50-1
16th: Marshall Robinson, Landrum, S.C., 22 bass, 49-7
17th: Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C.., 23 bass, 49-6
18th: Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., 24 bass, 49-6
19th: Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., 22 bass, 46-12
20th: Justin Cooper, Zwolle, La., 23 bass, 46-5
Overall, there were 1,217 bass caught weighing 2,572 pounds, 9 ounces, by the 66 Bass Pro Tour anglers on Thursday. Both the number of bass caught and the total weight were new season-high totals for the circuit.
Abu Garcia pro Justin Lucas earned the Day 1 Berkley Big Bass Award Thursday with a chunky 4-pound, 12-ounce largemouth that he caught in Period 3 on a Berkley Slobberknocker. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day.
https://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_123/mlf-potomac-62625.html
Major League Fishing (MLF) Archive