MARBURY, Md. (Aug. 23, 2023) – Tropical Storm Ophelia blew into the Marbury area Saturday morning, forcing the cancellation of the final day of competition at the Toyota Series tournament at Potomac River. Due to the weather-shortened event, Day 2 winner and pro Christian Greico of Tampa, Florida, took home the win with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 33 pounds, 10 ounces, earning him the top payout of $40,345. Greico held a 1-pound, 3-ounce margin over Michigan’s Ron Nelson, who finished second with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 32-7, good for $15,436.
Despite the unexpected win, Greico’s narrow advantage didn’t come easy on Day 2, with the Florida pro reeling in a 3-pounder in the last 10 minutes to finish the day on top.
“This win feels good, a little anticlimactic, but I’ll take a win where I can get a win,” said Greico. “On Day 2, I just tried to stay calm the whole day because I knew if I could get five fish in the boat I would have the weight I needed.”
Greico said he spent both days of competition flipping matted grass in the back of Mattawoman Creek.
“I won a BFL on Okeechobee, and caught every single fish punching,” said Greico. “At the Harris Chain, I spent the final day flipping. Ultimately, all three of my wins have come with the big stick, so it’s definitely been good to me. If there’s a flipping bite, then I’m happy.”
While Greico said he caught one keeper on a white frog, every other fish was caught punching a 1 ½-ounce Epic Tungsten Flipping Weight on 65-pound braid. Greico said he fished with a 13 Fishing Concept A2 in the 8.3:1 gear ratio and a prototype rod.
“On Day 2 I was able to find the same fish I ended up catching the first day of practice, but I got maybe three bites,” said Greico. “I just figured if I went back in there and exploited the area I might come up with something. One of the fish I hooked was a 4-pounder, so I knew that the quality was there.
“There’s a lot of matted grass right now, but a lot of it tapers off, or there’s not a good canopy. The mats I was targeting had a good canopy and I think that was really key.”
The top 10 pros on the Potomac River finished:
1st: Christian Greico, Tampa, Fla., 10 bass, 33-10, $40,345
2nd: Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich., 10 bass, 32-7, $15,436
3rd: Chase Serafin, White Lake, Michigan, 10 bass, 27-1, $12,563
4th: Bryan Schmitt, Deale, Md., 10 bass, 26-13, $9,636
5th: Jim Vitaro, Wooster, Ohio, 10 bass, 26-10, $8,673
6th: Todd Langford, Great Falls, Va., 10 bass, 26-5, $7,709
7th: Grae Buck, Green Lane, Pa., 10 bass, 26-3, $6,745
8th: Connor MacDougall, Cape Coral, Fla., 10 bass, 25-11, $5,782
9th: Jacob Powroznik, North Prince George, Va., 10 bass, 25-11, $4,818
10th: Britt Myers, Lake Wylie, S.C., 10 bass, 25-11, $3,854
Pro Jarrett Martin of Mansfield, Ohio won the $500 Day 1 Big Bass award in the pro division Thursday with a bass weighing 6 pounds, 1 ounce. On Friday, pro Ron Nelson of Berrien Springs, Michigan, earned the $500 Big Bass prize after bringing a 5-pound, 8-ounce bass to the scale.
Chase Serafin of White Lake, Michigan, took home an extra $1,000 as the highest finishing Phoenix MLF Bonus member. Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $35,000 per event in each Toyota Series tournament if all requirements are met.
Stephen Hosken of Barrington, New Hampshire, won the Strike King Co-angler Division with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 23 pounds, 14 ounces. Stephen took home the top prize package worth $33,500, including a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard motor.
The top 10 co-anglers on the Potomac River finished:
1st: Stephen Hosken, Barrington, N.H., 10 bass, 23-14, Phoenix 518 Pro boat w/115-hp Mercury outboard
2nd: Luke Shrader, Monticello, Ky., 10 bass, 20-1, $4,986
3rd: Anthony Bell Jr., Cincinnati, Ohio, 10 bass, 19-13, $3,868
4th: Cooper Jett, Norton Shores, Mich., 10 bass, 19-13, $3,385
5th: Alex Bradley, Wellford, S.C., nine bass, 19-3, $2,901
6th: Jacob Rice, Osceola Mills, Pa., 10 bass, 18-14, $2,418
7th: Rumnea Kelly, Boyds, Md., eight bass, 18-14, $1,934
8th: Anthony Buzzeo, Bel Alton, Md., 10 bass, 18-13, $1,692
9th: Adam Lester, Huddleston, Va., nine bass, 18-1, $1,451
10th: Logan Kaplon, Rural Valley, Pa., seven bass, 17-14, $1,209
Lee Moore of Aldie, Virginia, was the Berkley Big Bass $150 award winner in the Strike King co-angler division, Thursday, with a 4-pound, 10-ounce bass, while the Day 2 $150 award went to Shannon Probst of Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, with a 5-pound, 9-ounce fish.