There's a generation gap at the top of the FLW Tour points. In the No. 1 slot is relative newcomer Dave Lefebre, a 36-year-old who turned pro in 2003.
A mere 8 points behind him is 57-year-old Darrel Robertson, who fished his first tour-level event way back in 1992 at the Georgia (Lanier) Bassmaster Top 100.
Both anglers made both cuts in the first two FLW Tour events, but what's most curious about Robertson is how he's fished the past 2 years.
Remember that he's a former FLW Tour Championship winner (1999), and a Ranger M1 winner (likewise in '99). Also note that he's fished the FLW Tour since its inception in 1996, and has finished in the Top 10 nine times (excluding the FLWTC win).
But more than half of those Top 10s
occurred from 2005 to the present – twice this year, once last year, and twice the year before. He's laid a lot of eggs amidst those Top 10s – which is the main reason he started the year ranked 50th in the BassFan World Rankings presented by Tru-Tungsten. It's also the primary reason he's only fished five FLWTCs in 10 years.
But his back-to-back Top 10s (Travis, Ft. Loudoun-Tellico) have helped move him all the way to 18th in the world. And although that's only two events, it's obvious that his fishing has stepped up several notches.
According to him, part of the reason is because he's able to separate the world of his private business from the world of his fishing, and when he does that, good things happen.
His Time of Year
Robertson noted that he's particularly excited about his points position because the Tour is entering the post-spawn, which he considers his strength.
Still, he's not focused yet on Angler of the Year (AOY), since the pivotal third event, which typically jumbles the standings, is still 3 weeks away. But for the past 4 years, his third event has been especially strong. He finished 17th last year at Pickwick, 7th in 2005 at the Ouachita River, 12th in 2004 at Old Hickory, and 9th in 2003 at Murray. Each of those marked the season mid-point.
This year, the third event is at North Carolina's Lake Norman.
"I guess I'll feel more about it after I get through the third tournament," he said of the AOY race. "I'm excited about going (to Norman) because of the stage those fish are going to be in.
"I like fishing when we're coming off the spawn – when there's still some guarding fry. I like that. I always kind of called it junk-fishing. I've been pretty successful at it in the past, and I think my chances of making the Top 10 might be pretty good."
About Norman
The next stop at Norman puts Robertson on a fairly clear impoundment with lots of rocks and docks. It's also a place where crankbaits rule, and that's his primary fishing strength.
The FLW has never stopped there, but the Bassmaster Tour paid a visit in 2005. That event took place a month earlier (mid-March), and Edwin Evers won it with 46 1/2 pounds for 4 days with a crankbait and dock pattern.
Robertson's only fished the lake once – back in 1994 with BASS, when he finished 85th. The lake was a lot different back then though.
Robertson said he's not worried about Norman or Beaver, but the Potomac and Detroit rivers do concern him.
"There wasn't hardly any fish in it (then)," he said. I think they've introduced baitfish, and I've heard it's pretty good now. The last time I fished it, the fish were real skinny. I think they'd just had the (largemouth bass) virus.
"I'm looking forward to it," he added. "I like going to places we've never been. That's one reason I liked the schedule this year, because when it comes to practicing, if I spend 5 or 6 days, I believe I can see more water than anyone else."
He said that's because he primarily fishes fast. So when the playing field's even at a new body of water, he can simply wail through practice and get a better read on the lake than most others. "I can learn more about it," he said.
"I fished fast in the first two events. Where I caught most of my fish at Travis was at two little rockpiles. I kept going back and forth, and fished faster than most people do. Someone told me, 'I had no idea you can power-fish a wacky worm.'"
Which, of course, should give him the edge on a post-spawn bite, when fish are scattered.
And about Norman and its portent for the AOY race, he said: "I think it'll be (pivotal). But I'm not really too concerned with Norman or Beaver. The last two tournaments worry me (Potomac and Detroit Rivers). If the Potomac's like it was the last time, when 200 people fished 80 acres of water, I don't like that. And smallmouth (concern me)."
Degrees of Separation
Like many pros, Robertson doesn't solely rely on sponsorships and tournament winnings. He runs and operates a manufacturing plant and a farm. In other words, he has a lot of distractions. And as noted, the further those distractions are from his fishing, the better his performance.
On whether he thinks he can continue his string of Top 10s, he said: "I'd like to. But I still have an awful lot going on. Sometimes that can tie things up, and I don't concentrate on fishing.
"Like when I left Loudoun, I got up at 3:00, flew home, got off the plane at 12:30 and I was in the plant working at 6:00, and I'll be there until I get back on a plane to get back and fish (Norman), where I'll try to do my very best, and leave that other stuff back there.
"The Good Lord blessed me with an opportunity to tune those things out and go fish (so far this year), but sometimes you can't do that," he added. "For the most part I do, and whenever I've had success, that's what's happened."
Notable
> The plant Robertson owns manufactures storage tanks and employees about 50 people.
> His former travel partner Mark Davis won the Ft. Loudoun–Tellico event. "That was a great deal," Robertson said. "I was tickled to see Mark win it. I would have liked to have won it – and to be honest, I had an opportunity the last day – but I have a great respect for Mark. He's a great fisherman."
