BUCHANAN, Tenn. (June 17, 2019) – Boater Matt Robertson of Kuttawa, Kentucky, swept the FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) LBL Division this weekend after winning back-to-back tournaments on Kentucky and Barkley lakes, the first on Saturday and then again on Sunday. For his wins, Robertson earned 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 Lew’s 7-foot, 6-inch 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.”
The top 5 boaters Saturday finished the tournament in:
1st: Matt Robertson, Kuttawa, Ky., five bass, 21-12, $4,046
2nd: Drew Boggs, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 20-11, $2,098
3rd: Bill Schroeder III, Paducah, Ky., five bass, 19-6, $949
4th: Michael Wasden, Paris, Tenn., five bass, 17-14, $664
5th: Daniel Langton, Haubstadt, Ind., five bass, 17-7, $569
Andrew Matuszak of Washington, Indiana, won the Co-angler Division and $1,523 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 15 pounds, 7 ounces.
The top 5 co-anglers Saturday finished the tournament in:
1st: Andrew Matuszak , Washington, Ind., five bass, 15-7, $1,523
2nd: Shane Cansler, Crofton, Ky., three bass, 14-0, $923
3rd: Bobby Wade, Mayfield, Ky., two bass, 9-8, $475
4th: Jerry Ivy, Dawson Springs, Ky., three bass, 9-3, $332
5th: Charles Richardson III, Dyersburg, Tenn., two bass, 9-0, $285
The top 5 boaters Sunday finished the tournament:
1st: Matt Robertson, Kuttawa, Ky., five bass, 21-8, $3,796
2nd: Hunter Louden, Springville, Tenn., five bass, 20-6, $1,668
3rd: Kevin Caskey, Madisonville, Ky., five bass, 16-12, $864
4th: Brad Baldwin, Waynesville, Ohio, five bass, 16-6, $606
5th: Bob Drake, Noblesville, Ind., five bass, 15-4, $769
Bobby Wade of Mayfield, Kentucky, won the Co-angler Division and $1,298 Sunday after catching three bass weighing 10 pounds, 4 ounces.
The top 5 co-anglers Sunday finished the tournament:
1st: Bobby Wade, Mayfield, Ky., three bass, 10-4, $1,298
2nd: Ricky Boehringer, Troy, Ohio, two bass, 9-13, $984
3rd: Tim Burke, Petersburg, Ky., three bass, 8-12, $432
4th: Joseph Gulash, Edwardsville, Ill., two bass, 8-10, $353
5th: Paul McBride, Vienna, Ill., four bass, 8-4, $260