Matt Robertson Wins Record $1.25 Million at The Champions

Matt Robertson, a pro from Kentucky, has won the biggest first-place check in bass tournament history: $1.25 million. He took the title at the first World Bass Enterprises The Champions event on Old Hickory Lake, finishing with a five-bass limit of 20 pounds, 2 ounces in Saturday’s final round. The tournament had a record total purse of $3.25 million.

How the Event Worked

Robertson outlasted 61 of the top bass anglers in a field split into Team Stars, representing the Bassmaster Elite Series, and Team Stripes, representing the Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour. Anglers fished two days with their weights combined, and only the top 15 moved on to the final round. Ten Elite Series pros made the cut, compared with five from the Bass Pro Tour, and Team Stars won the team title.

In the final round, weights reset to zero, so Robertson started level with the 14 other finalists despite his lead.

A Dominant Run

Robertson brought 20 pounds to the scale on Day One, a lead of 4 pounds, 9 ounces. On Day Two he came up one fish short of a limit, but his 14 pounds, 15 ounces pushed his two-day total to 34 pounds, 15 ounces and his lead to 6 pounds, 3 ounces. Knowing he was already in the final, he stopped fishing early to protect his area and save his fish.

He won by 6 pounds, 11 ounces over runner-up Pake South.

The Pattern That Won It

Robertson targeted smallmouth bass in current below Old Hickory Dam, a spot reached by going through a lock. In practice he found a productive rock pile and came back to it all event. He fished a small swimbait on a jighead, letting it drift with the current around rocks and current breaks where smallmouth wait to feed.

He used an Ugly Stik Carbon rod, and the rod’s maker, Pure Fishing, highlights that it is a model everyday anglers can buy in a store. Keep in mind that this account comes from the brand’s own promotional material.

What It Means for Anglers

The takeaway for weekend anglers is practical. Current below a dam concentrates smallmouth around rocks and breaks, and a simple, natural presentation can beat a complicated one. A rod brand’s marketing claims aside, the winning method needed no special gear beyond a small swimbait, a jighead and a good spot.

• Look for rock piles and current breaks near dams.
• Let a small swimbait drift naturally with the flow.
• Once you find a productive spot, return to it.

Marc Kempter, a Pure Fishing marketing executive, said the win shows you do not need the most expensive equipment to compete at the highest level.

What Comes Next

The sources do not say whether The Champions will return or what the format and prize money would be. Since this was the inaugural event, the Team Stars versus Team Stripes rivalry may continue, but that has not been announced.

Sources: The Fishing Wire, Fishing Tackle Retailer