MARBURY, Md. (Sept. 2, 2020) – Marbury, Maryland is set to host an FLW bass-fishing tournament next week, Sept. 10-12, with the Toyota Series at the Potomac River event. Hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners, the three-day tournament will feature the region’s best bass-fishing pros and co-anglers casting for a top prize of up to $65,000, plus a $35,000 bonus if the winner is a qualified Phoenix Boat owner.

A group of people on a boat in the water

Description automatically generated“The river has been fishing pretty tough lately, but I think that by the time this tournament rolls around it will get much better,” said local boater Joseph Thompson of Coatesville, Pennsylvania, who has eight career top-10 finishes on the Potomac River in FLW competition. “The weather is stabilizing. We’ve had a lot of rain – the river is stained – and some stretches are muddier than others. However, it’s supposed to clear up in the coming days and with water temperatures dropping, I think all of that should really help the fishing.

“With the water getting cooler and cleaning up, I truly think we’re going to catch fish on a ton of different techniques,” Thompson continued. “We’ll catch fish in the grass. We’ll catch fish in the pads. On hard cover. If you go up north, you’ll catch both tides. It’s going to be wide open. So, the guy that goes out and fishes his strengths and doesn’t follow what the crowd is doing is going to be the guy that wins.”

Thompson said that he expects a lot of fish to be caught on various topwater baits like buzzbaits, frogs, and Pop-Rs, and moving baits like a swim jig or a ChatterBait.

“We’re going to really open up the arsenal and catch fish on a lot of different baits,” Thompson said. “Someone will get on them for three days. I think to make the top-10 cut to fish the final day, a guy will need a two-day total around 25 pounds. I predict the three-day overall winner will likely have 42 to 43 pounds.”

Anglers will take off daily at 7 a.m. EDT from Smallwood State Park at 2750 Sweden Point Road in Marbury. Weigh-ins will also be held at the State Park and will begin at 3 p.m. Attendance is limited to competing anglers and essential staff only. Fans are encouraged to follow the event online through the “FLW Live” weigh-in broadcasts and daily coverage at FLWFishing.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 scaling down for every boat below 160. With a 160-boat field, pros fish for a top prize of $40,000, plus an extra $35,000 if FLW PHOENIX BONUS qualified. Co-anglers cast for the top prize of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard (valued at $33,500). With a 260-boat field, pros fish for a top award of $65,000, plus an extra $35,000 if FLW PHOENIX BONUS qualified. Co-anglers cast for the top prize of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard (valued at $33,500) plus $5,000 cash.

The 2020 Toyota Series consists of eight divisions – Central, Eastern, Northern, Plains, Southeastern, Southern, Southwestern and Western – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International division. Anglers who fish all three qualifiers in any of the eight divisions and finish in the top 25 will qualify for the no-entry-fee Toyota Series Championship for a shot at winning $235,000 cash, including a $35,000 FLW PHOENIX Bonus for qualified anglers. The winning co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard. The 2020 Toyota Series Championship will be held Dec. 3-5 on Lake Cumberland in Burnside, Kentucky, and is hosted by the Somerset Tourist & Convention Commission and the Burnside Tourism Commission.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Toyota Series on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.