APPLING, Ga. (Sept. 16, 2009) - Pro Marty Robinson of Lyman, S.C., landed 5 bass weighing 15 pounds, 4 ounces Wednesday, Sept. 16, to lead day one of the FLW Series bass fishing tournament on Clarks Hill Lake. He now holds a 1 pound, 5-ounce lead in the tournament featuring 137 pros and 137 co-anglers.
"This is not my home lake, but I do get to fish it about five or six times a year," said Robinson, who is the current leader. "A little local knowledge has definitely helped me so far. The fishing is tough, I only caught eight fish all day and there really doesn't seem to be any pattern."
The early morning cloud cover and light rain that occurred seemed to benefit many of today's anglers. Fishing was tough for everyone and most said they bagged their keepers early on in the day. No apparent fishing patterns emerged and most of the anglers who experienced success said they were in shallow waters, fishing 5 - 10 feet.
Fresh from his recent Walmart FLW Series BP Eastern Division win at Lake Dardanelle and fishing for Team Iams, Vic Vatalaro of Kent, Ohio, trails Robinson in the No. 2 spot with 5 bass weighing 13-15.
"I am so excited to be here," said Vatalaro. "I was just hoping to bag seven or eight pounds per day based on what I saw during practice and this is a great start for me. I am fishing with a lot of confidence right now, and since the win the fishing is a lot nicer, more relaxing. . .fun!
Rounding out the top five pros are Chad Brauer of Osage Beach, Mo. (5 bass, 13-2); Michael Murphy of Gilbert, S.C. (5 bass, 13-1) and Terry Butcher of Talala, Okla. (5 bass, 12-12).
Robinson also earned the day's $453 Big Bass award in the Pro Division thanks to a 5-pound, 13-ounce bass he caught as his last fish of the day.
Many anglers were excited to hear rain in the forecast for tomorrow; cooler temperatures and cloud cover seemed to be the consensus amongst the anglers as being key to increasing the bite at Clarks Hill Lake.
Pros are competing this week for a top award of $125,000 plus valuable points in the hope of qualifying for a shot at the 2010 Forrest Wood Cup.
With just two bass weighing 8-14, Bob Blackerby of Chelsea, Ala., leads the Co-angler Division. He is followed by Frank Divis, Sr., of Fayetteville, Ark., in second place with 5 bass weighing 8-03.
"I had to go back to my roots in fishing," said Frank Divis, Sr., who is currently second in the co-angler standings. "I am not used to fishing in shallow water; I caught all my fish using a football head jig. I am looking forward to tomorrow; I am paired with Team National Guard pro Scott Martin, who typically fishes in deeper water. I am planning to drop my jig and drag it to the top."
Divis caught today's bass while fishing with pro James (Wil) Hardy of Harlem, Ga., who is currently tied for 84th place with 4 bass weighing 5.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Brian Jones of Verbena, Ala. (5 bass, 7-9); Bart Blackburn of North Augusta, S.C, (4 bass, 7-2) and Matt Krekovich of Granite City, Ill. (5 bass, 7-2).
Blackerby earned $302 for the Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division thanks to a 6-pound, 13-ounce bass he caught while fishing with pro David Fritts of Lexington, N.C. Blackerby didn't think it was a bass at first, it was his first of two fish caught all day.
Co-anglers are competing this week for a top award of $25,000 as well as a shot at the 2010 Forrest Wood Cup.