NASHVILLE — Old Hickory Lake isn't handing out many favors this week.
asserted
Lake → hand → favors
But apparently nobody told Matt Robertson.
asserted
nobody → tell → Robertson
The Bassmaster Elite Series pro hauled in a five-fish limit weighing an impressive 20 pounds Thursday to take the lead after Day 1 of The Champions, a historic tournament pitting 30 Bassmaster anglers against 30 Major League Fishing pros for a record $3.25 million purse and a whopping $1.25 million first-place prize.
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pro → haul → purse
And on a lake that's been downright stingy for much of the field, Robertson made it look almost easy.
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it → make → field
A little rough, but once we got to where we wanted to go, it happened pretty quick," Robertson told OutKick OutDoors after Thursday's weigh-in.
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Robertson → get → in
"Caught two real quick, and then I started wanting to run around, but I just made myself sit there and grind it out.
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myself → catch → it
And yeah, we caught us a little bag today."
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we → catch → us
Robertson's 20-pound haul put him 4 pounds, 9 ounces ahead of second-place Fisher Anaya, who finished Thursday with 15 pounds, 7 ounces.
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who → put → pounds
MLF's Michael Neal sits third at 13-09, followed by Bob Downey (13-07) and Bryant Smith (13-03).
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Neal → sit → Downey
Anaya, meanwhile, had to work for his five-fish limit.
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Anaya → have → limit
"Oh, it was tough, but it was fun," the Bassmaster rookie told OutKick OutDoors.
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rookie → tell → OutDoors
"We caught three big ones, got two babies, but I think it's enough to kind of settle me in for tomorrow, so I ain't got to catch much.
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I → catch → much
But as the anglers hit the water again Friday morning, Thursday's leaderboard offers no guarantees.
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leaderboard → hit → guarantees
LiveScope could shake up the leaderboard
One of the biggest wild cards heading into Day 2 is the tournament's restriction on forward-facing sonar, commonly known as LiveScope.
uncertain
One → shake → LiveScope
Anglers can use the technology on either Thursday or Friday, but not both.
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Anglers → use → Thursday
That means competitors who relied on their electronics to locate fish on Day 1 must go without them Friday, while those who saved their sonar day could have an advantage.
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who → mean → advantage
And that's where the top two anglers find themselves in very different situations.
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anglers → find → situations
Anaya used LiveScope on Thursday, meaning he'll have to fish without it Friday.
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he → use → it
"It's going to make it tougher," Anaya acknowledged.
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Anaya → go → ?
But with the field narrowing to 15 anglers for Championship Saturday, he's more concerned about catching enough weight to survive the cut.
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he → narrow → cut
"I think I'm going to need about anywhere from 5 to 7 pounds to make the cut," he said.
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he → think → cut
"So that's what we're going to swing for.
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we → go → what
Hopefully, we catch them better than that.
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we → catch → that
But we'll see."
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we → see → ?
Robertson, on the other hand, caught his tournament-leading bag without forward-facing sonar.
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Robertson → catch → sonar
That means he still has the option to use it Friday.
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he → mean → it
"We didn't use no LiveScope today.
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We → use → LiveScope
We'll have it tomorrow, but not really planning on using it," Robertson said.
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Robertson → have → it
"So try to catch us one or two tomorrow and call her good."
And Robertson's successful Thursday has apparently attracted some attention.
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Thursday → try → attention
After traveling through a navigation lock to fish beyond Old Hickory Dam on Day 1, Robertson headed back in that direction Friday morning — this time with several other anglers following him toward the lock.
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anglers → travel → lock
The pressure is on to survive Friday's cut
The stakes extend well beyond the two anglers at the top.
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stakes → survive → top
Only the top 15 competitors after Friday's weigh-in will advance to Championship Saturday, when weights reset to zero and the remaining anglers battle for the $1.25 million grand prize.
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anglers → advance → prize
And with much of the field struggling to find quality bites on Old Hickory, there's very little room for error.
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much → struggle → error
After Thursday's competition, Team Stars (Bassmaster) held eight of the top 15 positions, while Team Stripes (MLF) claimed seven.
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Stripes → hold → seven
That advantage could easily change Friday as anglers adjust to the sonar restrictions and the difficult conditions.
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anglers → change → restrictions
Reigning Bassmaster Angler of the Year Trey McKinney is among those facing a particularly tense second day.
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Angler → reign → day
He finished Thursday in 16th place with 11 pounds, 1 ounce — just a single ounce behind Takahiro Omori, who currently occupies the final qualifying position.
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who → finish → position
And while Robertson has built himself a comfortable cushion, the race to make Saturday's final is considerably tighter.
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race → build → final
Friday's weigh-in begins at 4 p.m. CT at Sanders Ferry Park in Hendersonville, where the Champions Cup team winner will be determined and the final 15 anglers will punch their tickets to Saturday's championship round.
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anglers → begin → round
OutKick OutDoors is on the ground at Old Hickory Lake, bringing readers exclusive interviews, tournament updates and behind-the-scenes coverage of the richest competition in professional bass fishing.
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OutDoors → bring → fishing
The Aporia
