Kentucky's Matt Robertson, who won last year's Bassmaster Team Championship Classic Fish-Off to claim the final berth in the 2019 Classic, won two BFL events in the LBL Division over the weekend at Kentucky and Barkley Lakes. The victories netted him a total of $7,842.
“I was fishing the mid-section of Kentucky Lake – from the Blood River to the Highway 68 bridge,” said Robertson, who earned his first two wins in FLW competition. “I didn’t catch a whole lot of fish Saturday – probably seven keepers. The high water had the schools busted up.”
Robertson said his key baits Saturday were a blue and chartreuse-colored Strike King 5XD crankbait and an ole smokey- or natural light-colored Scottsboro Tackle swimbait. His rod setup included a 7 1/2-foot Lew’s Custom Pro Mark Rose Ledge Casting rod with a Lew’s Wide Spool Super Duty casting reel.
“I was just fishing points at the mouths of the bays, where the fish would come to after they spawned,” said Robertson. “I think the lake is about a month behind and a lot of them are just now getting done.”
On Sunday, Robertson said he returned to a couple of spots he’d fished Saturday, but they didn’t produce. He went searching and found a couple of small schools around the mouth of Jonathan Creek. He again fished the Scottsboro Tackle swimbaits, but said he caught the majority of his fish on a Texas-rigged, green-pumpkin-colored Strike King KVD Perfect Plastic Bullworm. Robertson said he caught around 10 keepers Sunday.
“My fish were all largemouth this weekend,” said Robertson. “I just had to keep an open mind and not get too stuck on where I’d been catching them. The fish are moving a lot with the rising water.”
He caught 21-12 on Saturday to outdistance six-time BFL winner Drew Boggs by 1-01. On Sunday, he boxed 21-08 to prevail by 1-02 over Hunter Louden.
