Canadians Gustafson 14th, Chris Johnston 31nd & Cory Johnston 49th
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Matt Robertson of Kuttawa, Ky., is leading after Day 2 of the 2022 Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Chickamauga Lake with a two-day total of 40 pounds, 5 ounces. (Photo: Seigo Saito) |
DAYTON, Tenn. — Before this week’s Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Chickamauga Lake, Matt Robertson made an important decision.
After a tough start to his season, the second-year Elite Series pro from Kentucky came into this week determined to fish more to his strengths — and so far, the strategy has worked well as he’s climbed into the lead with a two-day total of 40 pounds, 5 ounces. He caught 21-13 on Day 1 to open in third place and added 18-8 Friday to move atop the leaderboard heading into Semifinal Saturday.
An offshore prespawn pattern has been the ticket for him so far.
“I know the fish are still wanting to spawn, so I’m happy we got this little cold snap to slow them down a little bit,” Robertson said. “I’m throwing a lipless bait in grass and then going headhunting with a big swimbait after that.
“Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to get a couple of big bites out of the grass, but today I didn’t. That was really the only difference in the two bags.”
Robertson’s biggest bass Friday — a 5 1/2-pound largemouth — came on the big swimbait around 11:40 a.m. That was the only difference-making fish the lure produced, but he’s confident in his two-pronged approach.
“Tomorrow, I’m gonna do the same thing, just fishing for five bites,” he said. “I don’t care if I catch a fish, I’m going to fish how I want, do what I want. If I come in with no fish tomorrow, that’s fine because I’m fishing how I want.”
After picture-perfect weather on Thursday, the temperature dropped 20 degrees Friday and the winds blew 10 to 20 mph all day with occasional light rain and even some sleet.
While the conditions might not have been pleasant for many on the lake, Robertson said they helped in multiple ways. Besides the cold weather possibly delaying the approaching spawn, the wind also gave him a boost.
“Whenever that wind blows, the fish bite — especially on a lake with this kind of pressure,” he said. “The only thing that equalizes the pressure is the weather. I wanted it to blow hard.”
