MARBURY, Md. (June 16, 2026) – The Major League Fishing (MLF) Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Northern Division will launch its first event of the season next week, June 25-27, at the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland – the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats at the Potomac River.

The three-day tournament, hosted by the Charles County Department of Recreation, Parks, and Tourism, will feature a roster of the region’s best bass-fishing pros and co-anglers competing for a top prize of up to $100,000 in the pro division and a new Phoenix 518 Pro boat with a 115-horsepower outboard plus $5,000 in the co-angler division.

A fantastic tidal fishery, the Potomac River is in good shape ahead of the event, and the historic river nearly always puts out a good tournament. With grass and hard cover to fish, anglers will have plenty of good options to put fish in the boat.

For anglers still looking to make the Toyota Series Championship, either by regular points or the Wild Card Division, the Northern Division season represents a great chance to do so. Between the Potomac, the St. Lawrence River and Lake Champlain, there’s a lot of meat left on the fishing season.

When it comes to the Potomac River, one of the best things about it is that it constantly changes. Year to year, different grass beds hold populations of fish, and a waypoint is never guaranteed to stay good for long. This year, as is the case every year, anglers will need to roll with the punches.

“This year there’s not a lot of grass,” pro Joseph Thompson of Lincoln University, Pennsylvania, said. “The community areas are not going to hold boats like they used to. The river is going to fish a lot bigger, in the sense that people are probably going to be running all over, having to do a little bit of everything.”

With less grass and maybe fewer places to really camp in, anglers who are adept at running the tide could have an advantage.

“There’s less milfoil, it’s just eelgrass and hydrilla,” Thompson said. “I think you’re going to see people bouncing around. The good news is, it’s a perfect tide, the way I look at the tide. I think that’s a good thing.”

As for weights, Thompson thinks that things will be about standard for the Potomac, with a winning weight around 50 pounds or perhaps a little more.

At the Potomac, there’s a 100% chance that ChatterBaits and swim jigs will play, and the staples are pretty well-known by now.

“It’s going to be your standard stuff,” Thompson said. “A lot of topwater baits in play, but being versatile is going to be key to get through three days.”

Of course, the Potomac is a fairly pressured body of water, so don’t overlook the outliers. Finesse in the form of a drop-shot or a weightless Yamamoto Senko is always a winner, and there should be a place for Coike-style baits as well.

Anglers will take off each day at 6 a.m. ET, launching from Smallwood State Park, located at 2750 Sweden Point Road in Marbury. Weigh-ins will also take place at the state park, starting at 2 p.m. daily. Fans are invited to attend in person and can also stay connected by following the “MLF Live” weigh-in broadcasts and daily updates on MajorLeagueFishing.com.

In Toyota Series regular-season competition, payouts are based on the number of participants competing in the event, scaling up for every 20 boats over 160 and down for every boat below 160. With a 160-boat field, pros fish for a top prize of up to $75,000, if Phoenix MLF Bonus qualified. Co-anglers cast for the top prize of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard (valued at $33,500). With a 260-boat field, pros fish for a top award of up to $100,000, if Phoenix MLF Bonus qualified. Co-anglers cast for the top prize of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard, plus $5,000 cash.

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 in their division’s Angler of the Year standings 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.