Robinson Reclaims Mojo in Toyota Series Win on Lake Hartwell
Bass Pro Tour angler Marty Robinson decided to sign up for the FLW Toyota Series Eastern Division opener on Lake Hartwell to try to get some good mojo back.
Lake Hartwell is a short drive from his Lyman, South Carolina home, and a fishery that Robinson knows well: the perfect opportunity for him to compete and stay sharp between Bass Pro Tour events.
After three days of competition on Hartwell, Robinson showed why he’s considered one of the 80 best anglers in the world.
The Phoenix pro caught a five-fish limit all three days of competition, totaling 47 pounds, 4 ounces, to win the Toyota Series tournament and a $65,150 check. Robinson said he went with a little bit of a different strategy than the rest of the field during a rainy three days on Hartwell.
“I had schools of fish located while a lot of the other guys were looking shallow for fish,” Robinson explained. “I didn’t want to focus on that shallow and dirty water, so I made sure that I was in an area where I could find groups of fish. I’d fish those areas with a 3/8-ounce Buckeye Lures Su-Spin and a 1/2-ounce Ballin’ Out Jig with a Zoom Creepy Crawler in Green Pumpkin.”
Robinson entered his final day of competition with a 1-5 lead over second-place Derrick Bridges thanks in large part to a 21-5 stringer on Day 1—the only bag over 20 pounds for the tournament. The Mercury pro only needed an 11-10 bag to secure the Toyota Series win.
Adjusting to the Conditions
Marty “The Party” had to deal with something on Hartwell that he dealt with through the first two events on the Bass Pro Tour: a cold front. On Lake Eufaula and Lake Okeechobee, Robinson admits that he underestimated the changes in the weather, and it cost him. He was determined not to make the same mistake on Hartwell.
“The first two events of the Bass Pro Tour, cold fronts really just destroyed my pattern and my areas I found in practice,” Robinson revealed. “The best part about Lake Hartwell is that it’s one of the few lakes that isn’t just completely screwed up by a cold front. I really learned a lesson about preparing for incoming weather this year. I can’t overlook it anymore if I want to be successful. I have to prepare, maybe even over-prepare in the future.”
It hasn’t been an easy start to the 2020 Bass Pro Tour season for Robinson. He’s struggled through the first two events of the season – finishing 78th in both events – and admitted that his confidence has wavered a little bit.
“It’s always discouraging and it messes with your mind a little bit when you have a couple of bad tournaments,” Robinson said. “The only thing that can help your confidence sometimes is to have a good tournament. I think the best way to get over a bad tournament is to go fish another one, so that’s what I did. I have some confidence back and I’m ready to head to Lake Fork to try and keep it going.”
Robinson will return to Bass Pro Tour action for the General Tire Stage Three Presented by TrueTimber at Lake Fork, Texas. Competition begins on Friday, March 13 with all of the action streaming live on MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MLF app, and MyOutdoorTV.
Toyota Series Registration
Registration is ongoing for Toyota Series events. Entry fee to fish as a pro is $1,700; co-angler registration is $550. Click here to register for an upcoming Toyota Series event near you.