NASHVILLE — Old Hickory Lake isn’t handing out many favors this week. But apparently nobody told Matt Robertson.
The Bassmaster Elite Series pro hauled in a five-fish limit weighing an impressive 20 pounds Thursday to take the lead after Day 1 of The Champions, a historic tournament pitting 30 Bassmaster anglers against 30 Major League Fishing pros for a record $3.25 million purse and a whopping $1.25 million first-place prize.
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And on a lake that’s been downright stingy for much of the field, Robertson made it look almost easy.
“It was a pretty good day. A little rough, but once we got to where we wanted to go, it happened pretty quick,” Robertson told OutKick OutDoors after Thursday’s weigh-in.
“Caught two real quick, and then I started wanting to run around, but I just made myself sit there and grind it out. And yeah, we caught us a little bag today.”
A little bag, indeed.
Robertson’s 20-pound haul put him 4 pounds, 9 ounces ahead of second-place Fisher Anaya, who finished Thursday with 15 pounds, 7 ounces. MLF’s Michael Neal sits third at 13-09, followed by Bob Downey (13-07) and Bryant Smith (13-03).
Anaya, meanwhile, had to work for his five-fish limit.
“Oh, it was tough, but it was fun,” the Bassmaster rookie told OutKick OutDoors. “We caught three big ones, got two babies, but I think it’s enough to kind of settle me in for tomorrow, so I ain’t got to catch much.”
But as the anglers hit the water again Friday morning, Thursday’s leaderboard offers no guarantees.
One of the biggest wild cards heading into Day 2 is the tournament’s restriction on forward-facing sonar, commonly known as LiveScope.
Anglers can use the technology on either Thursday or Friday, but not both. That means competitors who relied on their electronics to locate fish on Day 1 must go without them Friday, while those who saved their sonar day could have an advantage.
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And that’s where the top two anglers find themselves in very different situations.
Anaya used LiveScope on Thursday, meaning he’ll have to fish without it Friday.
“It’s going to make it tougher,” Anaya acknowledged.
But with the field narrowing to 15 anglers for Championship Saturday, he’s more concerned about catching enough weight to survive the cut.
“I think I’m going to need about anywhere from 5 to 7 pounds to make the cut,” he said. “So that’s what we’re going to swing for. Hopefully, we catch them better than that. But we’ll see.”
Robertson, on the other hand, caught his tournament-leading bag without forward-facing sonar. That means he still has the option to use it Friday.
Not that he’s particularly interested.
“We didn’t use no LiveScope today. We’ll have it tomorrow, but not really planning on using it,” Robertson said. “So try to catch us one or two tomorrow and call her good.”
And Robertson’s successful Thursday has apparently attracted some attention. After traveling through a navigation lock to fish beyond Old Hickory Dam on Day 1, Robertson headed back in that direction Friday morning — this time with several other anglers following him toward the lock.
So yeah, the secret is out about that little honey hole.
The stakes extend well beyond the two anglers at the top.
Only the top 15 competitors after Friday’s weigh-in will advance to Championship Saturday, when weights reset to zero and the remaining anglers battle for the $1.25 million grand prize.
And with much of the field struggling to find quality bites on Old Hickory, there’s very little room for error.
After Thursday’s competition, Team Stars (Bassmaster) held eight of the top 15 positions, while Team Stripes (MLF) claimed seven. That advantage could easily change Friday as anglers adjust to the sonar restrictions and the difficult conditions.
Reigning Bassmaster Angler of the Year Trey McKinney is among those facing a particularly tense second day. He finished Thursday in 16th place with 11 pounds, 1 ounce — just a single ounce behind Takahiro Omori, who currently occupies the final qualifying position.
And while Robertson has built himself a comfortable cushion, the race to make Saturday’s final is considerably tighter.
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Friday’s weigh-in begins at 4 p.m. CT at Sanders Ferry Park in Hendersonville, where the Champions Cup team winner will be determined and the final 15 anglers will punch their tickets to Saturday’s championship round.
OutKick OutDoors is on the ground at Old Hickory Lake, bringing readers exclusive interviews, tournament updates and behind-the-scenes coverage of the richest competition in professional bass fishing.
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