Florida angler Christian Greico wins weather-shortened Toyota Series Northern Division finale at Potomac River Presented by Rabid Baits

MARBURY, Md. – Tropical Storm Ophelia blew into the Marbury area Saturday morning, forcing the cancellation of the final day of competition at the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats at Potomac River Presented by Rabid Baits. 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,” Greico said. “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,” Greico said. “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 and a Googan Bandito Bug in Bama Bug on 65-pound braid. Greico said he fished with a 13 Fishing Concept A2 in the 8.3:1 gear ratio and a prototype 13 Fishing Muse Black 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,” Greico said. “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:

• 1^st:           Christian Greico, Tampa, Fla., 10 bass, 33-10, $40,345
• 2^nd:          Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich., 10 bass, 32-7, $15,436
• 3^rd:          Chase Serafin, White Lake, Michigan, 10 bass, 27-1, $12,563
• 4^th:           Bryan Schmitt, Deale, Md., 10 bass, 26-13, $9,636
• 5^th:           Jim Vitaro, Wooster, Ohio, 10 bass, 26-10, $8,673
• 6^th:           Todd Langford, Great Falls, Va., 10 bass, 26-5, $7,709
• 7^th:           Grae Buck, Green Lane, Pa., 10 bass, 26-3, $6,745
• 8^th:           Connor MacDougall, Cape Coral, Fla., 10 bass, 25-11, $5,782
• 9^th:           Jacob Powroznik, North Prince George, Va., 10 bass, 25-11, $4,818
• 10^th:        Britt Myers, Lake Wylie, S.C., 10 bass, 25-11, $3,854

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Pro Jarrett Martin of Mansfield, Ohio won the $500 Day 1 Berkley 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 Berkley 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. More information on the Phoenix MLF Bonus contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.

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 Strike King co-anglers on the Potomac River finished:

• 1^st:           Stephen Hosken, Barrington, N.H., 10 bass, 23-14, Phoenix 518 Pro boat w/115-hp Mercury outboard
• 2^nd:          Luke Shrader, Monticello, Ky., 10 bass, 20-1, $4,986
• 3^rd:          Anthony Bell Jr., Cincinnati, Ohio, 10 bass, 19-13, $3,868
• 4^th:           Cooper Jett, Norton Shores, Mich., 10 bass, 19-13, $3,385
• 5^th:           Alex Bradley, Wellford, S.C., nine bass, 19-3, $2,901
• 6^th:           Jacob Rice, Osceola Mills, Pa., 10 bass, 18-14, $2,418
• 7^th:           Rumnea Kelly, Boyds, Md., eight bass, 18-14, $1,934
• 8^th:           Anthony Buzzeo, Bel Alton, Md., 10 bass, 18-13, $1,692
• 9^th:           Adam Lester, Huddleston, Va., nine bass, 18-1, $1,451
• 10^th:        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.

The three regular-season events in the Toyota Series Northern Division are now complete, closing out the Northern Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race. Pros Alec Morrison of Peru, New York, and Ben McCann of Bradenton, Florida, both finished with 707 points, however, Morrison won the total weight tiebreaker and was crowned the 2023 Northern Division Pro Angler of the Year and awarded the $5,000 AOY bonus. Cooper Jett of Norton Shores, Michigan won the 2023 Northern Division Strike King Co-angler AOY race and the $2,000 AOY bonus with 743 points.

The Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats at Potomac River was hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners. It was the third and final regular-season event for the Toyota Series Northern Division. The next event for the top 25 anglers in the Toyota Series Northern Division AOY standings will be the Toyota Series Championship at Table Rock Lake, Nov. 2-4, in Branson, Missouri. For a complete schedule of events, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The 2023 Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats consists of six divisions – Central, Northern, Plains, Southern, Southwestern and the Western Division Presented by Tackle Warehouse – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International and Wild Card divisions. Anglers who fish in any of the six 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 V. The winning Strike King co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard. The 2023 Toyota Series Championship will be held Nov. 2-4 on Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri, and is hosted by ExploreBranson.com.

Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF Toyota Series include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Black Rifle Coffee Company, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Fox Rent a Car, General Tire, Gill, Grundéns, Lew’s, Lowrance, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Next Gen Lithium, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Wiley X 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.