By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor

Marty Robinson considers Lake Keowee to be his home lake in South Carolina. He’s pretty familiar with Lake Hartwell, too.

That much was evident last week as he led wire to wire to win the FLW Series Eastern Division opener at Hartwell. Robinson, a longtime Elite Series pro who shifted to the Bass Pro Tour in 2019, saw his preconceived notions about how the lake would fish evaporate pretty early in practice.

Higher-than-usual water levels had the fish shallower than he expected, but he made some key adjustments before making a shrewd decision on day 3 to close out his first FLW victory since winning a BFL at Keowee in 2007.

“It felt pretty sweet to win close to the house. It was a good week and helped get me out of that slump I’ve been in,” he said. “My sons have fished the high school series and usually they have a tournament down there this time of year. Normally, we catch them good on a jig and it’s a point deal.”

That’s how Robinson thought he’d catch them, but that all changed when he realized the water was several feet higher than usual.

“On average, Hartwell is usually low by several feet because of power generation,” he said. “This year is different. We had a lot of flooding earlier this year, so the lakes are full or above full. They haven’t moved any water down river, so the lakes stayed high. I wound up fishing different from how I normally do for this time of year.”

While points were a component to his winning program, Robinson’s focus was primarily on the backs of a series of drains – he calls them ditches – where bass were keying on herring. He leaned on those areas in the mornings to box a limit before moving to other areas.

“They were a lot shallower than where you normally catch ‘em at,” he said.

Drains Were Key

Robinson said the Tuesday through Thursday competition window was a welcome change from the Thursday through Saturday format that is customary for FLW Series. Local fishing pressure wasn’t near what it could’ve been as the weekend got closer.

“That was really sweet,” Robinson said. “A lot of times those tournaments finish on Saturday and we have a bunch of weekend guys out. There would have been a lot more boats if it had ended Saturday.”

With more freedom to move around, Robinson put in about 4 1/2 days of practice, which was more than normal.

“It wasn’t because I needed it because I probably need less practice on a place I know pretty well, but I wanted to make sure I had backup stuff in case I couldn’t catch them the way I wanted to,” he said.

Robinson said the fish will usually stage toward the mouth of the drains during the pre-spawn phase, but with the elevated the fish – and baitfish – were positioned more toward the back and middle of the channel.

“I’d have my boat in 14 or 15 feet and was catching them in 7 to 10 feet,” Robinson said. “I had about five ditches and a couple were better than the others. The key was it being fast and furious in the morning so I was able to get a limit quick. That freed up other stuff during the day.”

He utilized a Zoom Fluke rigged on a 3/8-oz. underspin jig head to target fish in the drains each morning. Once the bite tapered off around 10 a.m., he dragged a jig across a series of points. On day 1, he left the ditches with 16 or 17 pounds and culled a couple times on points before capping the day with a 5-04 pitching a shaky-head to a dock to push his weight to 21-01. He far exceeded his expectations for the first day of competition.

“I’d set my sights on 17 pounds because I figured 17 a day would win,” he said.

On day 2, he boxed a 12-pound limit out of the drains and culled up slightly on the points, but the water slicked off and the fishing got tougher later in the day. He managed to catch 14-09 to maintain his lead.

Change of Pace

Robinson changed up his sequence for day 3. After catching a limit of herring fish, he opted to head up river for the rest of the day.

“Day 1 of practice, I fished the stained water and that was my backup plan,” he said. “I had a pretty good day up there and I thought I could catch some decent ones. I made up my mind after the morning that if I didn’t have much wind, I wouldn’t stay down lake.”

The herring bite wasn’t as active as it had been, and no other variables had changed so he wasn’t expecting a new wave of fish to move into the drains. That made his decision to head up river easier.

“I caught five or six up there and made some small culls,” he said, adding that a crankbait and vibrating jig were his go-to offerings in the river.

Robinson said he was only worried about Derrick Bridges, who wound up finishing second.

“He has a lot of knowledge there and he’d had two great days,” he said. “But I knew the lower end wasn’t that great. He was pretty much the only one I was worried about. I was just hoping for 15 pounds to give myself a shot.”

Winning Gear Notes

> Underspin gear: 7’ medium-heavy Castaway Rods Taranis CX1 casting rod, Lew’s Custom Pro Speed Spool casting reel (6.3:1 ratio), 15-pound P-Line Tactical fluorocarbon line, 3/8-oz. Buckeye Lures Su-Spin (pearl white), Zoom Fluke trailer (white pearl).

> Jig gear: 7’ mag-heavy Castaway Rods Invicta casting rod, same reel (7.1:1 ratio), same line, 1/2-oz. Buckeye Lures Ballin’ Out jig (green-pumpkin), Zoom Creepy Crawler (green-pumpkin)

> Shaky-head gear: 7’ Castaway Invicta medium-heavy dropshot special spinning rod, Lew’s speed spin spinning reel, 10-pound fluorocarbon, 1/8-oz. Buckeye Lures shaky-head jig, Zoom Trick Worm.

Final Results

1. Marty Robinson -- Lyman, SC -- 21-1 (5) -- 14-9 (5) -- 35-10 (10) -- 11-10 (5) -- 47-4 (15) -- $66,665

2. Derrick Bridges -- Greenville, SC -- 17-6 (5) -- 16-15 (5) -- 34-5 (10) -- 11-7 (5) -- 45-12 (15) -- $11,689

3. David Williams -- Maiden, NC -- 15-3 (5) -- 11-10 (4) -- 26-13 (9) -- 18-8 (5) -- 45-5 (14) -- $9,049

4. Cameron Lineback -- Mount Airy, NC -- 16-13 (5) -- 11-6 (5) -- 28-3 (10) -- 14-0 (5) -- 42-3 (15) -- $8,041

5. Jayme Rampey -- Liberty, SC -- 14-10 (5) -- 10-13 (5) -- 25-7 (10) -- 16-6 (5) -- 41-13 (15) -- $6,787

6. Cody Pike -- Powhatan, Va -- 8-11 (5) -- 18-0 (5) -- 26-11 (10) -- 13-8 (5) -- 40-3 (15) -- $6,128

7. Rob Digh -- Denver, NC -- 14-6 (5) -- 12-10 (5) -- 27-0 (10) -- 11-15 (5) -- 38-15 (15) -- $5,279

8. Thomas Guthke -- Townville, SC -- 10-11 (5) -- 16-6 (5) -- 27-1 (10) -- 8-6 (5) -- 35-7 (15) -- $4,775

9. Trent Palmer -- Cumming, Ga -- 12-13 (5) -- 13-15 (5) -- 26-12 (10) -- 8-11 (5) -- 35-7 (15) -- $3,771

10. Kerry Partain -- Elberton, Ga -- 13-1 (5) -- 12-7 (5) -- 25-8 (10) -- 9-7 (5) -- 34-15 (15) -- $3,016

The following anglers missed the cut and did not compete on day 3.

11. Gary Isgrigg -- Mt. Washington, Ky -- 12-14 (5) -- 12-5 (5) -- 25-3 (10) -- $2,828

12. Jeff Coble -- Manson, NC -- 12-0 (5) -- 12-15 (5) -- 24-15 (10) -- $2,639

13. Todd Walters -- Kernersville, NC -- 14-2 (5) -- 10-7 (5) -- 24-9 (10) -- $2,262

14. Chris Heath -- North Augusta, SC -- 12-2 (5) -- 12-6 (5) -- 24-8 (10) -- $2,262

15. Jacob Bigelow -- Cecil, Wi -- 13-10 (5) -- 10-9 (5) -- 24-3 (10) -- $2,262

16. Shane Lineberger -- Lincolnton, NC -- 8-15 (4) -- 14-15 (5) -- 23-14 (9) -- $2,262

17. Joel Richardson -- Kernersville, NC -- 9-7 (5) -- 14-7 (5) -- 23-14 (10) -- $2,262

18. Danny Kirk -- Bartow, Ga -- 8-15 (5) -- 14-10 (5) -- 23-9 (10) -- $2,262

19. Troy Morrow -- Eastanollee, Ga -- 10-9 (5) -- 12-10 (5) -- 23-3 (10) -- $2,262

20. Dustin Henson -- Landrum, SC -- 18-3 (5) -- 4-15 (2) -- 23-2 (7) -- $2,262

21. Carson Orellana -- Mooresville, NC -- 13-11 (5) -- 9-3 (5) -- 22-14 (10) -- $2,074

22. Shayne Mcfarlin -- Martin, Ga -- 12-0 (5) -- 10-9 (5) -- 22-9 (10) -- $2,074

23. Cole Harris -- Essex Junction, Vt -- 12-5 (5) -- 10-0 (5) -- 22-5 (10) -- $2,074

24. Dennis Cameron -- Travelers Rest, SC -- 13-15 (5) -- 8-5 (5) -- 22-4 (10) -- $2,074

25. Eddie Whiten Jr -- Townville, SC -- 13-2 (5) -- 9-1 (5) -- 22-3 (10) -- $2,074

26. Jason Wilson -- Lincolnton, NC -- 13-4 (5) -- 8-11 (5) -- 21-15 (10) -- $1,885

27. Scott Hamrick -- Denver, NC -- 15-0 (5) -- 6-12 (3) -- 21-12 (8) -- $95

28. Hunter Eubanks -- Inman, SC -- 8-9 (5) -- 12-1 (5) -- 20-10 (10)

29. Tim Cales -- Sandstone, WV -- 6-12 (4) -- 13-12 (5) -- 20-8 (9)

30. Michael Crocker -- Pasadena, Md -- 13-5 (5) -- 7-3 (4) -- 20-8 (9)

31. Carl Whitfield -- Anderson, SC -- 9-13 (5) -- 10-8 (5) -- 20-5 (10)

32. Timothy Sisk -- Kings Mountain, NC -- 7-10 (5) -- 12-9 (5) -- 20-3 (10)

33. Rick Chenoweth -- Fredericksburg, Va -- 11-7 (5) -- 8-11 (5) -- 20-2 (10)

34. Matthew Mollohan -- Prosperity, SC -- 12-3 (5) -- 7-11 (5) -- 19-14 (10)

35. Adam Haithcock -- Butner, NC -- 9-0 (5) -- 10-12 (5) -- 19-12 (10)

36. William(Billy) Shelton Iii -- La Crosse, Va -- 14-0 (5) -- 5-10 (4) -- 19-10 (9)

37. Woo Daves -- Spring Grove, Va -- 10-14 (5) -- 8-12 (5) -- 19-10 (10)

38. Derek Lehtonen -- Woodruff, SC -- 9-13 (5) -- 9-10 (5) -- 19-7 (10)

39. Chris Fiore -- Midlothian, Va -- 7-2 (5) -- 12-3 (5) -- 19-5 (10)

40. Wil Dieffenbauch -- Morgantown, WV -- 11-10 (5) -- 7-11 (5) -- 19-5 (10)

41. Travis Garrett -- Toccoa, Ga -- 10-15 (5) -- 8-4 (5) -- 19-3 (10)

42. Chad Cook -- Cross, SC -- 9-5 (5) -- 9-12 (5) -- 19-1 (10)

43. Jason Burroughs -- Hodges, SC -- 12-12 (5) -- 6-3 (3) -- 18-15 (8)

44. Jason Abram -- Piney Flats, Tn -- 9-1 (5) -- 9-14 (5) -- 18-15 (10)

45. Nick Gainey -- Charleston, SC -- 8-2 (5) -- 10-12 (5) -- 18-14 (10)

46. Mark Inman -- Greensboro, NC -- 7-6 (5) -- 11-3 (5) -- 18-9 (10)

47. Brian Calloway -- Danville, Va -- 7-2 (5) -- 11-5 (5) -- 18-7 (10)

48. Frank Ippoliti -- Mercersburg, Pa -- 6-8 (5) -- 11-12 (5) -- 18-4 (10)

49. Matthew Justice -- Fair Play, SC -- 10-10 (5) -- 7-8 (4) -- 18-2 (9)

50. Martin Villa -- Charlottesville, Va -- 10-9 (5) -- 7-8 (5) -- 18-1 (10)

51. Paul Gettys -- Due West, SC -- 6-1 (5) -- 11-15 (5) -- 18-0 (10)

52. Jimmy Millsaps -- Canton, Ga -- 10-13 (5) -- 7-2 (5) -- 17-15 (10)

53. Matt Bores -- Hilliard, Oh -- 7-2 (4) -- 10-8 (5) -- 17-10 (9)

54. Randy Childers -- Anderson, SC -- 9-12 (5) -- 7-12 (5) -- 17-8 (10)

55. Preston Harris -- State Road, NC -- 8-2 (5) -- 9-6 (5) -- 17-8 (10)

56. Chris Dover -- Blacksburg, SC -- 7-4 (3) -- 9-15 (5) -- 17-3 (8)

57. Wesley Cashwell -- Roanoke Rapids, NC -- 4-15 (4) -- 12-3 (5) -- 17-2 (9)

58. Michael Murphy -- Lexington, SC -- 8-14 (5) -- 8-4 (5) -- 17-2 (10)

59. Brian Jamison -- Greensboro, Ga -- 7-10 (5) -- 9-6 (5) -- 17-0 (10)

60. Jeff Hendricks -- Hull, Ga -- 9-4 (5) -- 7-10 (4) -- 16-14 (9)

61. Timothy Reams -- Oakland, Md -- 9-11 (5) -- 6-13 (5) -- 16-8 (10)

62. James Maupin -- Stanardsville, Va -- 7-5 (5) -- 8-13 (5) -- 16-2 (10)

63. Scott Beattie -- Sherrills Ford, NC -- 8-3 (5) -- 7-15 (5) -- 16-2 (10)

64. Danny L. Shanz -- Summerton, SC -- 4-5 (2) -- 11-12 (5) -- 16-1 (7)

65. Johnathan Crossland -- Chapin, SC -- 10-10 (5) -- 5-7 (3) -- 16-1 (8)

66. Joseph Marks -- Duncan, SC -- 5-13 (5) -- 10-2 (5) -- 15-15 (10)

67. Allan Engelmeyer -- Marriottsville, Md -- 12-6 (5) -- 3-8 (1) -- 15-14 (6)

68. Collin Smith -- Honea Path, SC -- 9-11 (5) -- 6-1 (5) -- 15-12 (10)

69. George Lambeth -- Thomasville, NC -- 10-5 (4) -- 5-2 (3) -- 15-7 (7)

70. Benny Rigney -- Williamston, SC -- 11-6 (5) -- 3-15 (2) -- 15-5 (7)

71. John Duarte -- Middle River, Md -- 4-10 (3) -- 10-11 (4) -- 15-5 (7)

72. Christopher Grenier -- Clarksburg, WV -- 8-14 (5) -- 6-6 (5) -- 15-4 (10)

73. Dennis Middleton -- Madison Heights, Va -- 5-15 (5) -- 9-3 (5) -- 15-2 (10)

74. Heath Toler -- Walnut Cove, NC -- 7-6 (5) -- 7-5 (4) -- 14-11 (9)

75. Brad Fowler -- Townville, SC -- 6-10 (5) -- 7-8 (3) -- 14-2 (8)

76. Todd Fulk -- Mount Pleasant, NC -- 3-13 (2) -- 9-7 (5) -- 13-4 (7)

77. Greg Walker -- Manning, SC -- 2-8 (2) -- 10-9 (5) -- 13-1 (7)

78. Robert Grabow -- Morgantown, WV -- 7-2 (4) -- 5-7 (5) -- 12-9 (9)

79. Michael Hall -- Annandale, Va -- 3-11 (3) -- 8-9 (5) -- 12-4 (8)

80. Ben Cox -- Andrews, SC -- 7-14 (5) -- 4-6 (3) -- 12-4 (8)

81. Rodney Jones -- Anderson, SC -- 1-2 (1) -- 10-12 (5) -- 11-14 (6)

82. Mark Lamb -- Wake Forest, NC -- 6-4 (5) -- 5-8 (5) -- 11-12 (10)

83. Michael Corbishley -- Raleigh, NC -- 3-0 (2) -- 7-15 (5) -- 10-15 (7)

84. Billy Earl -- Falling Waters, WV -- 9-10 (5) -- 1-3 (1) -- 10-13 (6)

85. Greg Buckner -- Lusby, Md -- 5-8 (3) -- 5-2 (3) -- 10-10 (6)

86. Brandon Stapleton -- Temperanceville, Va -- 6-5 (4) -- 4-2 (2) -- 10-7 (6)

87. Tra Dumit -- Greer, SC -- 6-8 (5) -- 3-14 (3) -- 10-6 (8)

88. John Parker -- Gaffney, SC -- 7-14 (5) -- 2-7 (2) -- 10-5 (7)

89. Randy Fowler -- Winston-Salem, NC -- 6-7 (4) -- 3-9 (3) -- 10-0 (7)

90. Drew Montgomery -- Maiden, NC -- 6-14 (3) -- 2-14 (2) -- 9-12 (5)

91. John Bosley -- Westminster, Md -- 8-6 (3) -- 1-4 (1) -- 9-10 (4)

92. Burke Hutcheson -- Durham, NC -- 1-5 (1) -- 8-5 (5) -- 9-10 (6)

93. Michael Matthews -- Denver, NC -- 0-0 (0) -- 8-9 (2) -- 8-9 (2)

94. Shayne Berlo -- Mclean, Va -- 2-0 (2) -- 6-8 (5) -- 8-8 (7)

95. Jeff Currie -- Camden, NY -- 2-11 (3) -- 5-9 (5) -- 8-4 (8)

96. Jamey Caldwell -- Carthage, NC -- 7-15 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 7-15 (5)

97. Jamie Pierce -- Lake Waccamaw, NC -- 0-0 (0) -- 7-14 (5) -- 7-14 (5)

98. Omari Navies -- Ft Washington, Md -- 2-15 (3) -- 3-12 (4) -- 6-11 (7)

99. Jeremy Maye -- Windsor, Va -- 3-6 (1) -- 3-3 (2) -- 6-9 (3)

100. Maurice Parent -- Hickory, NC -- 3-6 (2) -- 1-14 (1) -- 5-4 (3)

101. David Nichol -- Gainesville, Ga -- 4-10 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 4-10 (3)

102. Levi Wiget -- Lakewood Ranch, Fl -- 1-6 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 1-6 (1)