Sarley: Robertson making a name for himself among professional fishermen
When I flip through the sports page, I am bowled over by the huge financial figures I see. There is a lot of money riding on things like a single putt at a major golf open event.
What the superstars earn in the four major sports is absolutely incredible. Professional fishing falls far below the other sports, but a payoff of over $1 million for a weekend’s events at fishing still seems pretty darned high line to me.
Matt Robertson, a 40-year-old from Kuttawa, Kentucky, just took home the largest payout in the history of professional fishing. His bankroll just grew by an incredible $1.5-million in a single weekend at the inaugural World Bass Enterprises “The Champions” tournament on Old Hickory Lake in Nashville last weekend.
Robertson has only been fishing professionally for six years. In that relatively short time he has made quite a name for himself on the Elite Circuit of the Bassmaster Tournament Trail.
I first met Robertson at the 2021 Bassmaster Classic at Lake Ray Roberts in Fort Worth, Texas. I was waiting to get into the media dinner that they hold for the writers. A big guy was walking toward me with his hand out. I don’t know if he was really big. He just looked big because he was wearing a full-length fur coat that made him look like a bear. A fur coat in Texas? Odd behavior to say the least.
To top off the guy’s outfit was a wide-brimmed hat. I’ve never seen such a wild-looking spectacle of a man at a fishing tournament. He grabbed my hand and shook it heartily, introducing himself. I took a liking to the guy.
I interviewed Robertson a number of times over the years. He never had a conceited bone in his body. He referred to himself as a “simple hillbilly” who lived in a $4,400 mobile home. I like to think that Robertson is the Larry the Cable Guy of the fishing world. Robertson is smarter and more sly than everyone gives him credit for.
He is a definite man of the people. It is shown by the fact that his first major sponsor was Pure Fishing, the manufacturer of Ugly Stik rods. These rods are the bestselling rods of all time but are also some of the most reasonably priced on the market. They have been considered a lower-tier rod for a long time.
Things changed when Robertson started wearing the Ugly Stik patch on his fishing jersey. He used the rods in all his tournaments and said they had no problem catching fish for him. Who needs a $300 fishing rod? What an endorsement.
Robertson won The Champions tourney in a unique fashion. He staked out an area that no other anglers felt confident in. He kept in the area, figuring the fish would come in and go out and he’d just have to wait them out. He used many baits but stayed in the same place for the most part. Interesting tactic, and it paid off.
I am very happy for Robertson and hope for his continued success, as long as he keeps his head on straight.
The WBE staged this event for the first time and promises to do it for at least the next three years. Unlike every other major fishing event, The Champions tourney was only available to be watched on pay-per-view television for $57 for the four-day event. I’ll be honest and tell you that I didn’t spend the money. Maybe I will next year. We will see.
• Daily Herald Outdoors columnist Steve Sarley can be reached at sarfishing@yahoo.com.