A stacked field of 66 top pro anglers to compete for top prize of $150,000, all four days of competition live streamed at MajorLeagueFishing.com

CHARLES COUNTY, Md. – The Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour (BPT) is set to continue its season next week, June 26-29, in Marbury, Maryland, with the sixth regular-season tournament of the year – the Zenni Stage 6 at the Potomac River Presented by Athletic Brewing .

Hosted by the Charles County Government, Dept. of Recreation, Parks, and Tourism, the four-day event will feature 66 of the top professional anglers in the world competing for a $150,000 top prize, a share of the $6.49 million season purse, and valuable AOY points in hopes of qualifying for the General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and REDCREST 2026, the Bass Pro Tour championship.

The tournament will feature numerous top pros and fan favorites, including reigning Fishing Clash Angler of the Year (AOY) and nine-time BPT champion Jacob Wheeler, back-to-back REDCREST 2024 & 2025 Champion Dustin Connell, Ott DeFoe, Skeet Reese, Edwin Evers and more. The tournament will feature the MLF catch, weigh, immediate-release format, in which anglers catch as much weight as they can each day, while also feeling the pressure and intensity of the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard. The tournament is being filmed for broadcast later this year on Discovery.

Although the Potomac River has long played host to numerous MLF events across different circuits, this event will mark the first time that the MLF’s top circuit, the Bass Pro Tour, has visited the historic fishery. Few anglers in the 66-angler field know the historic tidal fishery better than Abu Garcia pro Justin Lucas. The Alabama pro owns a previous Tour-level victory on the Potomac in 2016 and he fully expects the river to showcase its classic early-summer form.

“I think this one is going to be standard postspawn Potomac River grass fishing,” Lucas said. “Everything’s going to be related to grass, whether it’s low tide or high tide. Docks and wood might play a little bit, but to catch numbers like our format calls for, you’re going to have to find the biggest populations on the grass flats.”

With fewer boats in the BPT format than previous major events on the Potomac, Lucas hopes the fishery may feel a bit more open.

“I’m hoping with 66 people it’ll fish a little bigger than it normally does with 100-plus boat fields. But the reality is, it’s still a place where it’s hard to hide,” he said. “If you see someone catch one in practice, you instantly know there’s fish there, and that draws guys to the same areas. Some anglers might find something in the back of a creek where they’re a little more hidden, but the question is whether that can hold up over four days.”

When it comes to baits, Lucas is leaning into tried-and-true grass weapons.

“I’ll definitely have a wacky-rigged (Berkley PowerBait) MaxScent 5-inch General tied on – no doubt that’s going to play,” he said. “I’ll also have a Berkley Swamp Lord frog, and then you’ll see some topwater, soft plastics, and probably a few vibrating jigs or swimjigs mixed in.”

As for weights, Lucas predicts plenty of fish catches – and some strong totals. He added that the timing of the event may benefit the field.

“I think a solid day will be somewhere around 20 to 40 fish,” he said. “I’d guess something like 40 pounds a day will be pretty solid, and maybe 70 or 80 pounds leading. There haven’t been any really big tournaments here yet this year. It hasn’t been hammered yet, so that should help the fishing.”

Ultimately, Lucas believes success next week will come down to managing tides and timing.

“Maximizing your time on the tides will be key,” he said. “When your window’s gone, you’re going to have to move more than you might in a five-fish format. You’re not going to be able to afford to just wait them out in this one.”

Anglers will launch at 7:15 a.m. ET each day from Smallwood State Park, located at 2750 Sweden Point Road in Marbury, Maryland. The takeout will be held at the same location beginning at 3:45 p.m. daily. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLFNOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

"The Charles County Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism is excited to welcome Major League Fishing back to our county for the 2025 Bass Pro Tour", said Ashley Chenault, Chief of Tourism for the Charles County Government, Dept. of Recreation, Parks, and Tourism. "This year, we are partnering with Major League Fishing on a family-friendly event, which will provide a fantastic opportunity for anglers and guests to explore our beautiful local parks, shop at our unique businesses, and experience the charm of our community."

On Saturday and Sunday, June 28-29, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. MLF welcomes fans of all ages to visit the Village Green Park, located at 100 Walter Thomas Road in Indian Head, Maryland for the Hooked! on the Potomac Festival and MLF Fan Experience & Watch Party. Fans can watch the pros live on the MLFNOW! big screen, enjoy free dessert, enter to win giveaways, listen to live music from country music artist Megan Barker, and cheer on their favorite pros. The first 50 kids 14 and under will receive a free rod and reel each day. The event also includes a youth casting contest. The Bass Pro Tour anglers, along with the PAW Patrol’s Skye and Marshall, will be on hand both days to meet and greet fans, sign autographs and take selfies.

The Zenni Stage 6 at the Potomac River Presented by Athletic Brewing will feature anglers competing with a 1-pound, 8-ounce minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable. The MLF Fisheries Management Division determines minimum weights for each body of water that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.

The 2025 Bass Pro Tour features a field of 66 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2026 championship.

The full field of anglers will compete in the two-day Qualifying Round on Thursday and Friday. After the two-day Qualifying Round is complete, the pro with the heaviest two-day total will advance directly to Sunday’s Championship Round. Anglers that finish 2nd through 20th will advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed, and the remaining anglers compete to finish in the top nine to advance to Sunday’s Championship Round. In the final-day Championship Round, weights are zeroed, and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $150,000.

The MLFNOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action live on all four days of competition from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET. MLFNOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app and Rumble.

Television coverage of the Zenni Stage 6 at the Potomac River Presented by Athletic Brewing will premiere as a two-hour episode starting at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Nov. 1 on Discovery, with the Championship Round premiering on Saturday, Nov. 8. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on Discovery, with re-airings on Outdoor Channel.

Proud sponsors of the 2025 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: 7Brew Coffee, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, Bass Force, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, BUBBA, E3 Sport Apparel, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Lowrance, Mercury, MillerTech, Mossy Oak Fishing, NITRO, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Power-Pole, Rapala, Star brite, Suzuki, Toyota and Zenni.

For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.

About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 20 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.