The Bass Pro Tour will make its first-ever visit to the Potomac River this Thursday through Sunday for Zenni Stage 6 Presented by Athletic Brewing Company. Given its tidal nature, the Potomac is always a unique challenge, and it could be particularly tricky this week due to a less-than-ideal tide schedule and a heat wave that’s currently gripping the area.
That said, the Potomac always yields plenty of bass, and it’s little secret how they’ll be caught – lots of shallow power fishing, particularly around vegetation. We enlisted a panel of experts, including Bass Pro Tour competitor Jacob Wall, who already has three Top 10s this season, to share their Phoenix Fantasy Fishing picks for Stage 6.
Jacob Wall, BPT pro
Flight 1: Zack Birge, Alton Jones Jr., Bobby Lane, Skeet Reese, Jacob Wheeler
For Flight 1, I started with Zack Birge because he is such a powerful and consistent shallow-water fisherman. Bobby Lane (shoutout to my Team Series partner) has a history of success on the Potomac and is another super strong shallow angler. Skeet Reese won last year on a tidal fishery, and he’s won at the Potomac before, too. Alton Jones Jr. simply catches them everywhere we go, and Jacob Wheeler is Jacob Wheeler.
Flight 2: Ott DeFoe, Justin Lucas, Ron Nelson, Keith Poche, Jeff Sprague
Similar to Birge, I picked Ott DeFoe due to his shallow power fishing prowess, which is the type of fishing I expect to be dominant on the Potomac. Justin Lucas is another past winner on the fishery, and he has a lot of experience fishing tides dating back to his days on the California Delta. Ron Nelson has been incredibly consistent throughout the season and shown an ability to adapt to wherever we go. Keith Poche just won on a tidal fishery at the James River, so how can you pick against him right now? Lastly, I went with Jeff Sprague because of his ability to cover water and his confidence with a ChatterBait in his hand – look for that to be a big deal this week.
Tyler Brinks, MajorLeagueFishing.com contributor
Flight 1: Matt Becker, Zack Birge, Nick LeBrun, Michael Neal, Jacob Wheeler
I’ve had a pretty solid Fantasy Fishing season, sitting in the Top 400 overall, and most of my good events have been from banking on the ‘Scopers to rack up some pounds for me. It’s been a solid strategy that I will abandon for the Potomac. While some of these guys are excellent with forward-facing sonar, they are more than capable without it. You have to go with Jacob Wheeler and Michael Neal anywhere right now, and you can also put Zack Birge in that category. Matt Becker also makes a lot of sense here, as he’s fished the Potomac many times from the BFL level up, and he generally has solid events and cashes checks. I’m also adding Nick LeBrun due to his recent success at the James River.
Flight 2: Brent Ehrler, Nick Hatfield, Justin Lucas, Andy Montgomery, Jeff Sprague
Justin Lucas and Brent Ehler have been stars for me on Fantasy Fishing, and I had to go with them again this week. Plus, Lucas has a win on the Potomac from back in his Elite Series days and plenty of tidal success to help his prospects this week. Another angler with a win on the Potomac is Nick Hatfield, who should still be riding the confidence from his Heavy Hitters win. My final two picks are Jeff Sprague and Andy Montgomery, two shallow water gurus whose skills should be perfect for this event. Montgomery is also coming off his best finish in a while, and although it’s been nearly a decade, he finished fifth in an Elite Series stop on the river. I’m banking on these two picks to be chosen less than most and help the cause.
Justin Onslow, MajorLeagueFishing.com senior content manager
Flight 1: Zack Birge, Bobby Lane, Jake Lawrence, Nick LeBrun, Jacob Wheeler
Bobby Lane is one of four BPT pros who have previously won at the Potomac, and he’s the only one who’s won twice. Granted, that was in 2007 and 2009, but he also has two third-place finishes at the Potomac, and I think the shallow grass sort of vibes with Lane’s Florida roots. Jake Lawrence is one of 14 pros who have never fished an MLF event at the Potomac, but he’s fishing so well, and he’s the kind of angler who’s just so good at making adjustments on the fly (which is required on a tidal fishery like this). Jacob Wheeler is Jacob Wheeler – I don’t think much else needs to be said with that pick. Nick LeBrun and Zack Birge are both “feel” picks for me – I have a gut feeling about their skillsets and (some) experience at the Potomac. You’ll notice a couple glaring omissions from this flight: Drew Gill and Martin Villa. I’m not counting out Gill after his subpar finish at Kentucky Lake, but that tournament did prove he’s actually human, and he’s really going to need to take full advantage of his ‘Scope periods in this one. Villa, while one of the most local pros to the Potomac (hailing from Virginia), only has two Top 10s in 13 MLF events there, though his non-Top 10s have still generally been good finishes. He’s going to be on nearly everyone’s fantasy squad, though, so I’m going contrarian here.
Flight 2: Brent Ehrler, Nick Hatfield, Dave Lefebre, Ron Nelson, Bryan Thrift
I’m fishing history a bit with the Dave Lefebre pick. Lefebre has fished more MLF tournaments on the Potomac (18) than anyone else in this BPT field – including a win. When you’re talking tidal fisheries, especially one that can be as finicky as the Potomac, experience does matter (unless you just really want Jake Lawrence on your squad). That’s why I’m also picking Nick Hatfield, who has a prior win at the Potomac; plus, he’s been fishing great this year. Ron Nelson has 11 Potomac tournaments under his belt with MLF, eight for Bryan Thrift and four for Ehrler (whose affinity for shallow grass should suit him well at Stage 6). Again, a lot of history here. I’m NOT picking Ott DeFoe, who I actually really like for this event, simply because he seems to do poorly when he’s on my fantasy squad, and I’m tired of jinxing him. You’re welcome, Ott. If you want a bonus pick, you could always go with Luke Clausen, who won at the Potomac on the FLW Tour in 2011 with the (still) largest four-day tournament total in MLF history there at 69-14.
Drew Kuebler, MLF account executive and former Bellarmine University angler
Flight 1: Zack Birge, Drew Gill, Michael Neal, Martin Villa, Jacob Wheeler
To begin my Flight 1 picks, I should start with an apology to Zack Birge for not including him in more of my fantasy lineups this year. While Jacob Wheeler and Drew Gill have been steady picks in my lineups, Birge deserves to be a part of this group based on his steady performances. Combined with two top-20 finishes on tidal rivers in 2024 BPT competition, Zack has earned a spot in my lineup. Speaking of tidal water weapons, Michael Neal and Wheeler finished 2nd and 4th at the Chowan River last year, respectively, and then 5th and 11th at the James River. Next on the list I’m going with Gill, who doesn’t have the best history on the Potomac but will certainly be looking for revenge coming off his worst finish (30th place) in 2025 BPT competition. Finally, we wrap Flight 1 up with Martin Villa, who has a strong history of performing well on the Potomac at the Phoenix Bass Fishing League, Toyota Series and Tackle Warehouse Invitationals levels.
Flight 2: Keith Carson, Cole Floyd, Nick Hatfield, Andy Montgomery, Keith Poche
Diving into Flight 2, we begin with Nick Hatfield. In 2023, Hatfield won Invitationals Stop 5 on the Potomac, which ultimately launched him into qualifying for the BPT and kicked off the incredible career he’s had at bass fishing’s top level. After choosing an immediate lock in Hatfield, I’ve leaned into the shallow water specialists – Keith Poche, Andy Montgomery and Keith Carson. Just three weeks ago, Montgomery made his first Championship Round of the season power fishing the shallows at Stage 5 on Kentucky Lake. I expect Andy to ride this momentum and continue to put his little green skipping jig to work amid the vast shallow cover found in the Potomac. Finally, my “wild card” pick comes in the form of Cole Floyd. While Cole’s résumé lacks a strong finish on the Potomac (or any tidal fishery for that matter), he’s dangerous with a vibrating jig in hand, which I believe will be a key player this week.
Mitchell Forde, MajorLeagueFishing.com managing editor
Flight 1: Bobby Lane, Michael Neal, Takahiro Omori, Martin Villa, Jacob Wheeler
A lot of these picks have been covered already. Bobby Lane has two wins to his credit on the Potomac. Michael Neal is both on fire right now, having finished among the Top 10 in three straight BPT starts, and he has an excellent track record on the Potomac in particular and tidal fisheries in general. Martin Villa might have the most Potomac experience through the years of anyone in the field and nearly won the 2023 Invitationals event there. Jacob Wheeler is apparently destined to make every single Championship Round for the rest of eternity. All that being said, I usually try to include one somewhat sneaky pick in each group, and I think Takahiro Omori is a perfect candidate. While Omori doesn’t have a great track record on the Potomac, I agree with the above sentiment that a bladed jig will be a key bait this week, and for my money, there’s no one better at the top level of tournament fishing with the bait than Tak.
Flight 2: Adrian Avena, Nick Hatfield, Justin Lucas, Ron Nelson, Jeff Sprague
I’m really surprised no one else here picked Adrian Avena. He cut his teeth fishing the Chesapeake Bay (the Potomac flows into the Chesapeake) and has finished among the top five in each of his past three MLF events on the Potomac. Plus, he’s coming off a Top 10 on Kentucky Lake. Speaking of anglers who are hot, Nick Hatfield and Justin Lucas are both in the midst of excellent seasons, and as previously noted, they are both past winners on the Potomac. Ron Nelson has probably had the most underrated season of anyone on the BPT – he’s currently seventh in the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year standings, and that doesn’t even account for his Top 10 at REDCREST. Finally, I agree that Jeff Sprague will be right at home power fishing in the shallows. This feels like the week he could take home his long overdue first BPT trophy.