MARBURY, Md. – 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.
“The Potomac is just one of those fisheries that I really enjoy, just like the James River – any tidal fishery, really,” Poche said. “I get to fish shallow and go back into some stuff in my little GatorTrax boat and fish ‘me’. I really have a lot of fun with it.”
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 picked his spots well
The Mercury pro didn’t spend his whole tournament in awkward spots where only he could go with his GatorTrax aluminum boat, but he certainly made hay in a handful of those hard-to-reach areas where larger, heavier boats could only get when the tide was right.
“I found a couple of out-of-the way deals that weren’t that hard to get to, but were totally dependent on the tide,” Poche said. “I’d kinda sneak in because I didn’t want to be seen in certain areas. There was at least one spot that I couldn’t access even with my little GatorTrax boat until it was high tide. I caught fish in there when the tide was really high – I’d slip in, catch a few, and slip out.”
Poche connected with the biggest bag of the tournament on Day 3 fishing a frog in a handful of spots he left alone the first two days of the tournament. He started the day thinking that he’d continue to mix it up with the baits he’d scored on the previous two days, but that changed after his first bite of Championship Saturday.
“I thought I’d catch them junk-fishing (on the final day), but I caught a 3 3/4 first thing on a Swamp Lord and kinda built from there,” he said. “It was a really awesome day for a frog bite, they were eating it.”
Poche’s best bait on the final day was a Berkley Swamp Lord Popping Frog, and he did a lot of his damage the first few days on a 3-inch Berkley PowerBait Pitt Boss with a 3/8-ounce weight and a wacky-rigged Berkley PowerBait MaxScent The General. For the frog, he used a 7-1, heavy Fenwick World Class rod, 65-pound Berkley X9 braid and an Abu Garcia Revo Rocket. For the Pit Boss, he used a 7-5, extra-heavy Fenwick Elite with 20-pound Berkley GinClear and an Abu Garcia Zenon reel.
Top 10 pros
1. Keith Poche – 50 – 08 (15) – $37,166
2. Brody Campbell – 47 – 03 (15) – $15,902 (includes $1,000 Phoenix Bonus)
3. Harmon Marien – 46 – 05 (15) – $11,400
4. Nathan Reynolds – 46 – 03 (15) – $9,291
5. Jonathan Kelley – 45 – 12 (15) – $8,362
6. Bryan LaBelle – 45 – 09 (15) – $7,433
7. Eddie Levin – 44 – 08 (15) – $6,504
8. JD Chandler – 44 – 02 (15) – $5,575
9. Hayden O’Barr – 43 – 00 (15) – $4,646
10. Jonathan Lang – 41 – 11 (15) – $3,717