By Jody White, Invitations
RICHMOND, Va. – Keith Poche has a sterling record when it comes to riverine fisheries, with a bevy of Top 10s and wins on rivers proper plus high finishes plucked from the upper reaches of reservoirs. At Stop 5 Presented by 7Brew Coffee on the James River, Poche led the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals event from the start after catching the biggest bag of the event on Day 1 – 23 pounds, 15 ounces. On Day 3, he tallied 12-15 for an even 53-pound total and the win, surviving 20-pound charges from Chad Mrazek and Dustin Smith and staying well clear of his closest competition at the start of the day.
The win is Poche’s third with MLF and his first at the Invitationals level, and he pocketed $80,000 for his efforts. It also sends him into next week’s Bass Pro Tour Zenni Stage 6 Presented by Athletic Brewing Company at the Potomac River (just up the Chesapeake Bay) with some prime time tidal momentum.
The perfect boat and the perfect spot
Famous for running a Gator Trax aluminum boat with a 150-horsepower Mercury, Poche is a master when it comes to getting where others can’t. This week, he caught all but one of his weigh fish out of a hard-to-reach creek off the James, which he could access at any water level – a feat that others in larger tin rigs and standard fiberglass boats couldn’t accomplish.
“That was the X-factor in the whole deal, my boat and motor,” Poche said. “I mean, having that Gator Trax with a Mercury allowed me to win. I could get there. No nobody else could. It doesn’t matter how many fish are in there if you can’t get there. That was the difference.”
In practice, Poche scouted the area, which he’s leaned on before in James events, and he immediately liked his chances.
“I went in there first thing, and it was tough to get in there,” he said. “There’s trees down everywhere in there, it’s just nasty. Looking at the tide, there were some boats, I think, that went in there. I could tell stuff was disturbed. But, the first day of the tournament, I knew it was going to be low tide. Ain’t nobody gonna get in there. Like, they could try, but they ain’t gonna get there. So, I felt good about it, knowing that at least I can get there before anybody else – even if I had to pass them in the ditch, because I knew they could not make it all the way.”
As it happened, Poche was the first in the area and made hay, blasting nearly 24 pounds right out of the gate. In the creek, which led into a backwater pond, he did his damage in two key areas – one deeper section as well as the mouth of the pond.
“It’s really two key spots in there,” he explained. “A little hole halfway back or three-quarters way back. It has steep banks, and it was just a little dip. They stay there waiting for the water to go back and forth. And early morning, the tide was coming out, the water was clean, and they would feed. And then, of course, the other spot was right there at the pond.
“I think that each day catching fish in those small little areas, there’s just only so many that live there,” he said. “But, I did all I could. I cleaned house.”
This week, the fishing in the creek was a little different than Poche has experienced before, but it didn’t slow him down.
“That water’s going back and forth. Before, typically, when it’s going in the pond, that’s when I caught them,” he said. “But this time, it had to be coming out. And I don’t know why, but I think it was the water color. I think the river got dingy, and then when that mud pushed in there from the river, the fish aren’t used to that in there. They’re used to that clean water in there, and it would scatter them. But when it turned and it would start sucking that clean pond water out, they’d set up and feed.”
Across the event, Poche didn’t need anything super fancy to get the job done. He used a 5/16-ounce shaky head with a Berkley PowerBait MaxScent The General for a lot of his fish, as well as a crankbait and vibrating jig. For the shaky head, he used 15-pound Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon, an Abu Garcia Zenon reel and a 7-1, heavy, Fenwick baitcaster.
On stage, Poche was emotional as always.
“I was worried all day,” he said. “I felt like I needed more. I couldn’t hold it back, I couldn’t hold it back, man. It feels good to get it done.”
Top 10 pros
1. Keith Poche – 53 – 0 (15) $80,000
2. Chad Mrazek – 52 – 12 (15) – $30,000
3. Dustin Smith – 51 – 13 (15) – $20,000
4. Banks Shaw – 51 – 12 (15) – $18,000
5. Britt Myers Jr. – 47 – 12 (15) – $17,000
6. Mitch Crane – 47 – 6 (15) – $16,000
7. Keith Carson – 46 – 1 (15) – $15,000
8. Cal Lane – 45 – 15 (14) – $14,000
9. Bobby Lane – 45 – 14 (15) – $13,000
10. Blake Hall – 45 – 3 (15) – $12,000
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