MARBURY, Md. (June 28, 2026) – Charles County, Maryland, and the Potomac River are a long ways from the shallow, off-the-grid hidey holes that Keith Poche grew up fishing in Natchitoches, Louisiana. But Poche once again proved that shallow backwaters are shallow backwaters, regardless of what state they’re located in – and there are very few anglers in the world who are better than Poche at the shallow-water game when money is on the line.
Poche sacked up the biggest bag of the event – 18 pounds, 10 ounces – Saturday at the tournament on the Potomac River to claim the trophy at the Northern Division kickoff of the 2026 Toyota Series schedule. Poche’s 50-8 was 3-plus pounds clear of Brody Campbell in second (47-3). Harmon Marien (46-9), Nathan Reynolds (46-3) and Jonathan Kelley (45-12) rounded out the Top 5.
Poche led the event from start to finish, weighing in the second-biggest bag of the event (17-14) on Day 1, stumbling slightly (but still holding the lead) with 14-0 on Day 2 and cementing his fifth MLF win with an exclamation point on the final day, where he caught the bulk of his 18-pound bag by 9:30 a.m. The win marks Poche’s second trophy in two years on East Coast tidal rivers – he won a Pro Circuit event on the James River in 2025 – and the ninth time in his career finishing in the money on Eastern tidal fisheries.
Poche was unavailable for comment before publication.
The top 10 pros at the Toyota Series tournament at the Potomac River finished:
1st: Keith Poche, Cecil, Ala., 15 bass, 50-8, $37,166
2nd: Brody Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, 15 bass, 47-3, $15,902 (includes $1,000 Phoenix Bonus)
3rd: Harmon Marien, Eagle River, Wis., 15 bass, 46-5, $11,400
4th: Nathan Reynolds, Nashville, Tenn., 15 bass, 46-3, $9,291
5th: Jonathan Kelley, Old Forge, Pa., 15 bass, 45-12, $8,362
6th: Bryan Labelle, Hinesburg, Vt., 15 bass, 45-9, $7,433
7th: Eddie Levin, Westerville, Ohio, 15 bass, 44-8, $6,504
8th: J.D. Chandler, Liberty, Texas, 15 bass, 44-2, $5,575
9th: Hayden O’Barr, Scottsboro, Ala., 15 bass, 43-0, $4,646
10th: Jonathan Lang, Joppa, Md., 15 bass, 41-11, $3,717
Pro Brody Campbell of Oxford, Ohio, earned Thursday’s $500 Big Bass Award with a bass weighing 4 pounds, 15 ounces, while Safu Rana of Manassas, Virginia, won Friday’s $500 Big Bass Award with a bass weighing 5 pounds, 2 ounces.
Kade Wesner of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, won the co-angler division Saturday at the Potomac River with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 42 pounds, 11 ounces. Wesner earned the top co-angler prize package worth $33,550, including a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard motor.
The top 10 co-anglers at the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats at the Potomac River finished:
1st: Kade Wesner, Lancaster, Penn., 15 bass, 42-11, Phoenix 518 Pro boat w/115-hp Mercury outboard
2nd: Michael Duarte, Baltimore, Md., 15 bass, 42-1, $4,690
3rd: Joseph Casale, Nutley, N.J., 15 bass, 37-5, $3,902
4th: Allen Haigh, Prospect Hill, N.C., 14 bass, 36-12, $3,283
5th: David Williams, Fredericksburg, Va., 15 bass, 34-10, $2,914
6th: Kenny Kash, La Plata, Md., 14 bass, 34-7, $2,345
7th: Mekye Barnes, Wake Forest, N.C., 15 bass, 33-15, $1,876
8th: Jakob Labelle, Hinesburg, Vt., 15 bass, 33-15, $1,641
9th: Doug Jenkins, Saint Leonard, Md., 14 bass, 33-14, $1,507
10th: Gerald Dam, Pine Plains, N.Y., 15 bass, 33-14, $1,172
Co-angler Kermit Crowder of Matoaca, Virginia, earned Thursday’s Berkley Big Bass co-angler award on Day 1 with a 5-pound, 11-ounce bass to earn the $150 prize, while Friday’s Day 2 $150 co-angler award went to Joseph Casale of Nutley, New Jersey, who weighed in a 4-pound, 11-ounce bass.
With one Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Northern Division tournament now complete, pro Keith Poche of Cecil, Alabama, leads the 7 Brew Northern Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 260 points, while Kade Wesner of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, leads the Northern Division Co-Angler of the Year race, with 260 points.
https://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_123/toyota-potomac-62826.html
MLF Toyota Series