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 on the Potomac River to claim the trophy at the Northern Division kickoff of the 2026 Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats 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. Check back later this week at MajorLeagueFishing.com for a complete rundown of his winning performance, including details on his pattern, key baits and tournament strategy.

The top 10 pros at the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats 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

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Pro Brody Campbell of Oxford, Ohio, earned Thursday’s $500 Berkley Big Bass Award with a bass weighing 4 pounds, 15 ounces, while Safu Rana of Manassas, Virginia, won Friday’s $500 Berkley 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.

The three-day Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats at the Potomac River was hosted by the Charles County Department of Recreation, Parks, and Tourism. It was the first of three regular-season tournaments for the Toyota Series Northern Division. The next event for Toyota Series anglers will be another Northern Division event, the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats at the St. Lawrence River, July 30-Aug. 1 in Massena, New York. For a complete schedule of events, visit  MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The 2026 Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats consists of five divisions – Central, Northern, Plains, Southern and Southwestern – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International and Wild Card divisions. Anglers who fish in any of the five divisions or the Wild Card division and finish in the top 25 will qualify for the no-entry-fee Toyota Series Championship for a shot at winning up to $235,000 and qualification to REDCREST 2027. The winning co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard. The 2026 Toyota Series Championship will be held Nov. 5-7 on Pickwick Lake in Counce, Tennessee, and is hosted by Explore Pickwick Lake & Hardin County Tourism.

Proud sponsors of the 2026 MLF Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats include: 7 Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Buffalo, BUBBA, Cigars International, Epic Baits, Grizzly, Mercury, MillerTech, OFF! Deep Woods, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, PirahnO2, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, VOSKER, YETI and Yuengling.

For complete details and updated information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Toyota Series updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the MLF5 social media outlets on Facebook,  Instagram and  YouTube.

About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery, Outdoor Channel, VICE, World Fishing Network, RFD-TV, Game & Fish TV and Rumble, and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 20 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.