Oklahoma’s Robertson vaults into Day Two lead at Walmart FLW Tour on Beaver Lake
Category: press release
Apr 16th, 2016 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Apr 16th, 2016 at 12:00 AM
Last year when the FLW Tour visited Beaver Lake, Oklahoma pro Darrel Robertson was in second place as the tournament progressed into the third day of competition. Robertson struggled on day three and didn’t advance to championship Sunday. Friday, at the Walmart FLW Tour at Beaver Lake presented by Jack Link’s, Robertson earned a shot at redemption.
After catching 14 pounds, 14 ounces Thursday, good for 12th place, Robertson added four largemouth and one spotted bass weighing 16-4 Friday and vaulted into the lead with a two-day total of 31-2.
Right behind Robertson looms the entire Quaker State pro fishing team – Scott Canterbury of Springville, Alabama, (31-1) in second, Jimmy Houston of Cookson, Oklahoma, (30-0) in third and Matt Arey of Shelby, North Carolina, (29-14) in fourth. Arey has won this tournament in the FLW Tour’s last two visits.
The field is now cut to 20 as the tournament heads into day three of the four-day event that featured 166 of the best bass-fishing anglers in the world competing for a top cash award of up to $125,000.
“I felt like I had a little bit better of a day yesterday because the quality of my fish were better, but today I caught two big ones,” said Robertson, who won the world championship of bass fishing, the Forrest Wood Cup, in 1999. “One was a 5½-, one was a 4½- and the rest were 2-pounders. Yesterday, I weighed in 14-14 and they were all alike.
“The Good Lord has blessed me, though,” Robertson continued. “I’ve had bites that I probably should not have caught – the 5½-pounder today came out of a bunch of trees, on very light line. I have a plan for tomorrow and I’m confident that I can go out and catch 8 or 10 pounds. If I could have done that last year, I would have been fishing on that fourth and final day.”
Robertson said that he was fishing slow, throwing a Yamamoto Senko worm.
“I have two areas that I have been fishing. I caught three bass yesterday out of some muddy water, but when I pulled in there today there was 20 boats already in there. I left and decided to fish the clear water and that is where I caught all of my fish today. The area isn’t very big, but there are a lot of fish there. I’ll be ready to go tomorrow.”
The top 20 pros that made the Buck Knives Cut and will fish Saturday on Beaver Lake are:
1st: Darrel Robertson, Jay, Okla., 10 bass, 31-2
2nd: Quaker State pro Scott Canterbury, Springville, Ala., 10 bass, 31-1
3rd: Quaker State pro Jimmy Houston, Cookson, Okla., 10 bass, 30-0
4th: Quaker State pro Matt Arey, Shelby, N.C., 10 bass, 29-14
5th: Keystone Light pro Jeff Sprague, Point, Texas, 10 bass, 28-8
6th: Bryan Schmitt, Deale, Md., 10 bass, 28-5
7th: Kurt Mitchell, Milford, Del., 10 bass, 27-15
8th: J.T. Kenney, Palm Bay, Fla., 10 bass, 27-11
9th: Livingston Lures pro Stetson Blaylock, Benton, Ark., 10 bass, 27-11
10th: Jeff Gustafson, Keewatin, Ontario, 10 bass, 27-11
11th: Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla., 10 bass, 27-9
12th: Chris Whitson, Louisville, Tennessee, 10 bass, 27-6
13th: John Cox, Debary, Fla., 10 bass, 27-5
14th: Andrew Upshaw, Sapulpa, Okla., 10 bass, 27-5
15th: Jacob Wheeler, Indianapolis, Ind., 10 bass, 27-3
16th: Kerry Milner, Bono, Ark., 10 bass, 27-3
17th: Livingston Lures pro Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 10 bass, 27-2
18th: Brandon Cobb, Greenwood, S.C., 10 bass, 27-1
19th: Power-Pole pro Darrell Davis, Dover, Fla., 10 bass, 26-13
20th: Jim Moynagh, Carver, Minn., nine bass, 26-12
Final results for the rest of the field can be found at FLWFishing.com.