JEFFERSON COUNTY, Tenn. (March 23, 2023) – After spending two grueling days running over an hour up the river, off the beaten path, pro Keith Poche of Pike Road, Alabama , weighed a five-bass limit Thursday totaling 19 pounds, 2 ounces to earn his first Bass Pro Tour win and the top award of $100,000 at the Major League Fishing (MLF) U.S. Air Force Stage Two Presented by Power-Pole on Cherokee Lake. Poche’s two-day total of 10 bass weighing 35-6 earned him the win by a 1-pound, 1-ounce margin over second-place finisher Dakota Ebare of Brookeland, Texas, who was hot on his heels throughout most of the day.
Poche started the Championship Round on Thursday in third place but despite catching several scorable bass, had dropped to seventh by 11 a.m. However, his luck – and his catch count –drastically changed.
The Alabama pro caught 20 scorable bass throughout the day, most of them smallmouth, but it was a hefty 4-pound, 5-ounce largemouth mid-way through Period 2 that moved Poche into the top spot, a position he then maintained throughout the remainder of the Championship Round.
Link to Hi-Res Photo of U.S. Air Force Stage Two Presented by Power-Pole Winner Keith Poche
Link to HD Video – Fish-Catch Highlights of Championship Round on Cherokee Lake
Link to Photo Gallery of Keith Poche Trophy Presentation
Link to Photo Gallery of Championship Round On-The-Water Highlights
“Words can’t explain how I feel right now and to get this win after working so hard all these years to get here is just incredible,” said Poche. “To fish against such great anglers, and to come out on top doing it my way – how I like to fish, off the grid in my little Gator Trax – is just amazing.”
Poche said he had a decent first day on Cherokee Lake during the Knockout Round but lost a couple key fish that he felt would have helped him.
“Losing those fish was unfortunate, but I just kept reminding myself that there was a lot of fish there,” said Poche. “I was on this lake last year around the same time and I sacked almost 18 pounds, so I knew it could happen. But I wasn’t 100% sure, because I didn’t practice on this lake prior to this event.
“I focused all my practice time on Douglas Lake, because I knew if I got to Cherokee Lake, I had a chance,” continued Poche. “I’ve been up the river here on Cherokee, and I know what lives up there. I also knew I had those off-the-grid opportunities that no one else in the field would have. So, I just went fishing the past two days.”
With more than an hour run to his area up by the dam both days, in a boat that tops out at 46 miles per hour, Poche said he knew he would win it or lose it in that spot.
“It took me a little over an hour to get up to the dam today and the first period was just okay,” said Poche. “I caught three scorable fish, but they really turned on and started feeding in that second period. When you’re fishing current, the fish typically group up, move in and feed, and then move out, so you just have to stay with them and keep casting. Eventually you’ll hit a stretch and boom – you’ll catch them one after the other.”
Poche said he caught most of his fish on a 4-inch sexy-shad colored Berkley Powerbait Hollow Belly Swimbait.
“I’m just going fishing and having fun and for so many years I fought that, but I’ve finally come into myself to just do it how I like to do it and I’m having such a great time,” said Poche. “I was lucky enough to get the right bites at the right time. I caught that 4-pounder on a jig, and without that bass, I don’t know if I would have won or not.
“That was my last big fish before they turned off, and I said out loud, ‘Baby, I don’t know where you came from, but I love you,’” Poche said, laughing. “I also caught a chunky smallmouth that weighed 4-10. I didn’t even know there were smallmouth that big up there, but I got her today.”
Poche said at the end of the day, it’s really all about putting in the work and knowing that eventually, it will pay off.
“The Gator Trax boat floats really shallow, so you have to maneuver through the rocks and try not to tear anything up, but that’s just what it takes,” said Poche. “You have to get in there and get where they live. A lot of people don’t want to go the extra mile and put in the extra work to find these places off the beaten path – and they can’t always get to them in their bigger boats – but that’s my style and that’s what I look forward to.
“It was a journey, each day, but I’m so happy we got it done,” Poche continued. “To have a day like this and to beat these other fantastic anglers – it was just my week and I’m so thankful. My family is here to support me and that’s what it’s all about.”
The top 10 pros from the U.S. Air Force Stage Two on Cherokee and Douglas Lakes Presented by Power-Pole finished:
2nd: Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas, 10 bass, 34-5, $45,000
3rd: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tennessee, 10 bass, 32-0, $38,000
4th: Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., 10 bass, 31-14, $32,000
5th: Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 31-0, $30,000
6th: Matt Becker, Ten Mile, Tenn., 10 bass, 29-10, $26,000
7th: Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., 10 bass, 29-6, $23,000
8th: Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., 10 bass, 28-1, $21,000
9th: Todd Faircloth, Jasper, Texas, 10 bass, 26-13, $19,000
10th: Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La., 10 bass, 25-13, $16,000
Thursday’s Championship Round $1,000 Berkley Big Bass award went to Poche with the 4-pound, 10-ounce smallmouth that he caught on a swimbait in Period 1. Hot Springs, Arkansas pro Dylan Hays earned the $3,000 Berkley Big Bass award for the overall largest bass of the event with his 6-pound, 13-ounce largemouth that was weighed on Day 3 of competition.
The U.S. Air Force Stage Two on Cherokee and Douglas Lakes Presented by Power-Pole features anglers competing with a 1-pound, 6-ounce minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable on Douglas Lake and a 1-pound, 12-ounce minimum weight for scorable bass on Cherokee Lake. Minimum weights are determined individually for each competition waters that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.
The six-day event, hosted by the Jefferson County Department of Tourism Sports Commission, showcases 80 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing for a purse of more than $805,000, including a top payout of $100,000 and valuable Angler of the Year (AOY) points in hopes of qualifying for the General Tire Heavy Hitters All-Star event and REDCREST 2024, the Bass Pro Tour championship.
Television coverage of the U.S. Air Force Stage Two on Cherokee and Douglas Lakes Presented by Power-Pole will air as two, two-hour episodes starting at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, September 16 on the Discovery Channel. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with re-airings on the Outdoor Channel.
The 2023 MLF Bass Pro Tour features a field of 80 of the top professional anglers in the world competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, fishing for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and REDCREST 2024, the Bass Pro Tour championship, held March 13-17, 2024, on Lay Lake in Birmingham, Alabama.
Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, Ark Fishing, ATG + Wrangler, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bally Bet, Bass Cat Boats, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, Daiwa, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Ferguson, Fox Rent A Car, General Tire, Grundéns, Humminbird, Lowrance, Minn Kota, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Power-Pole, Rapala, Star tron, T-H Marine, TORO, Toyota, U.S. Air Force, Yellowstone Bourbon, Yo-Zuri and Zoom Baits.
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, Twitter, 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, the Discovery Channel, the Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, the 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 13 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.
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