The third and final regular-season event of the Major League Fishing (MLF) Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Northern Division will take place next week, Sept. 11-13, in Marbury, Maryland – the Toyota Series at the Potomac River.
The three-day bass tournament, hosted by the Charles County Government, Dept. of Recreation, Parks, and Tourism, will showcase the region’s top bass-fishing boaters and co-anglers competing for a grand prize of up to $100,000 in the pro division and a new Phoenix 518 Pro boat with a 115-horsepower outboard motor plus $5,000 in the co-angler division.
“The Potomac is fishing pretty healthy right now,” said pro Marvin Reese of Randallstown, Maryland, who has three career victories on the Potomac – including a Toyota Series victory in 2019. “There are a lot of 2- to 3-pounders being caught, and I’m expecting some nice weights to hit the scales. To make that top-25 cut for Day 3, I think you’ll need about 13 to 13½ pounds per day. To win, I see it taking 48 to 50 pounds across three days.”
As with any tidal fishery, timing will be everything. Reese said that next week competitors will be working with more incoming tides and less of the preferred outgoing water.
“Most guys love that last bit of outgoing tide,” Reese explained. “We won’t see a lot of that next week, so anglers are going to have to adjust.”
As usual on the Potomac, targeting the grass is expected to be the dominant pattern with mats of hydrilla setting the stage for frogging and punching presentations. Still, Reese cautioned that the early-September timing means fish are in transition, moving away from their summer patterns as weather shifts quicker than usual.
“I could see it going a couple of ways,” Reese said. “The grass is definitely going to be part of my arsenal, but if conditions change, I may need to shift up and run into D.C. to fish hard cover. That’s the challenge of the Potomac – the tide, the grass, and the fact that things can change overnight.”
Despite the uncertainty, Reese’s history gives him confidence heading into the Toyota Series stop.
“In 2019, I felt like I had the tournament won before it even started because my summer patterns were so dialed in,” Reese went on to say. “This year, it’s more of a wait and see approach, but I feel good about where the fishery is at. Somebody’s going to catch them – this field always does.”
Anglers will begin each day at 7 a.m. ET, launching from Smallwood State Park, located at 2750 Sweden Point Road in Marbury. Weigh-ins will take place at the State Park starting at 3 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 scaling 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 compete 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 2025 Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats consists of five divisions – Central, Northern, Plains, Southern and the 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 a qualification to REDCREST 2026. The winning co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard. The 2025 Toyota Series Championship will be held Nov. 6-8 on Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma, and is hosted by the City of Grove Convention & Tourism Bureau.
Proud sponsors of the 2025 MLF Toyota Series include: 7Brew Coffee, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, Deep Dive App, E3 Sport Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Humminbird, Lew’s, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, PirahnO2, Polaris, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
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 at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
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