Robinsons preview Toyota Owners Tournament on Hartwell
When it comes to fishy families, you’d be hard-pressed to find a household with more bass on the brain than the Robinson family. Marty, the patriarch, has won nearly a million dollars throughout his 17-year career, and his eldest son Marshall joined him on the Bass Pro Tour in 2024 after being crowned the Polaris Rookie of the Year in the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals and in 2023 at 19 years young.
Then Mitchell, the youngest Robinson, won the Bassmaster High School National Championship in 2023 and is set to fish the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals again 2025. And while she may not fish professionally (because someone has to keep these boys in line), mama Iris Robinson can catch ‘em, too.
The Robinsons are South Carolina natives with a plethora of experience on Lake Hartwell, and they all drive Toyota Tundras. In fact, the Robinsons have purchased eight Toyota tow vehicles spanning back to start of Marty’s professional career in 2007 and have collected tons of Toyota Bonus Bucks checks over the years. So, who better to preview the 13th Annual Toyota Bonus Bucks Owners Tournament set for Lake Hartwell this weekend than the Robinson family?
Q. What would be your target weight to win the Toyota Owners Tournament this weekend?
Marty: I’d say it’ll take a mixed bag of spotted bass and largemouth to win. Probably 19 pounds or even a little more to win this thing.
Marshall: I’m going to say 18 pounds of mostly spotted bass, maybe one big largemouth mixed in.
Mitchell: I’ve seen lots of bream up shallow lately, so I’m thinking it’ll take a big bag, 20 pounds or more, to win on Sunday. At least two big largemouth mixed in with three chunky spots.
Q. As locals, what is something about Lake Hartwell that most people might not know?
Marty: Believe it or not, these are some of the hardest fish in the country to catch with forward-facing sonar. We really don’t know why either, but even Drew Gill has said so. These fish, with all the pressure they get and there being no current in this fishery, they just are so finicky to catch.
Marshall: This is a place where you should be weeding through a lot of fish to get your target weight. Hartwell is not really a lake you look for five or six big bites a day to do well. You need to be catching numbers.
Mitchell: My insight is the fish here will get a lot shallower than you would think, even with warm water temperatures this time of year.
Q. What are two patterns or techniques you expect top finishers to employ on Hartwell this weekend?
Marty: I’m going to say a topwater bite early in the morning will key, and then you gotta put ‘Scoping a jighead minnow (using forward-facing sonar) in there nowadays.
Marshall: This is the time of year bass start eating crawfish and getting back on a jig bite pretty strong. And with this being a one-day tournament, consistency won’t be key, so I think someone could smash a big bag on a buzzbait in the back of a creek somewhere.
Mitchell: There should still be some stained water due to the hurricane rains we had a few weeks ago, so a ChatterBait up shallow in the backs (of creeks) could be good. And ‘Scoping the timber edge way offshore for those big roamer spots would be another focal point of mine. Those spotted bass are bigger and usually easier to catch because they don’t set up on a spot, they just pull up on the edge of that timber for a few minutes at a time.
Q. Why should tournament bass anglers drive a Toyota tow vehicle?
Marty: Man, there are a lot of reasons to drive a Toyota, but my No. 1 is they are low- to no-maintenance vehicles. I ain’t got time to worry about working on a truck; I want to be on the water catching fish. In almost 20 years of towing with a Tundra, I’ve never had to worry about my truck.
Marshall: You can make extra money through Toyota Bonus Bucks in all kinds of tournaments. They are great trucks that add a little cash to your pocket. It’s a no-brainer.
Mitchell: They are super smooth trucks when it comes to towing your boat and just the ride in general. They look good, tow great, and they crank every time.