September 20, 2023
The MLF Toyota Series returns to Marbury, Md., and the Potomac River Thursday through Saturday for the third and final event in the Northern Division.
“I feel like we’ll see some big bags in this tournament. but putting it together for three days in a row is going to be the biggest challenge,” said Martin Villa of Charlottesville, Va., who has two Top-10 finishes – including a 4th-place showing last year – at the Potomac River. “From everything that I’ve been hearing, the fishing is going to be a little bit tougher on the river this year.
“This time of year it always toughens up, but this year we’ve had a lot of late summer heat and we haven’t had much rain, so the river has high salinity,” Villa continued. “This means that some of the grass will really be blooming out and some of it will already be dying off. I don’t think you’re going to be able to win this tournament one way or off of one spot.”
Villa said that he expects he’ll be using his Douglas Bladed Swimjig rod and his Douglas Punching rods extensively, as swimjigs and punching baits will be strong players. He also mentioned that he will have a couple of topwater baits tied on, including a frog.
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“It’s going to be a pretty standard September tournament on the Potomac … just a little bit tougher,” Villa went on to say. “If a guy can catch 13 to 14 pounds a day, he’ll do very well. I think if someone can catch 45 pounds over three days, they’ll walk away with it.”
Anglers will launch at 7 a.m. ET each day from Smallwood State Park, located at 2750 Sweden Point Road in Marbury. Weigh-ins will also be held at the State Park and will begin at 3 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend and encouraged to follow the event online through the MLF Live weigh-in broadcasts and daily coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
