Kentucky angler earns $1.25 million in winning Nashville Champions fishing tournament

HENDERSONVILLE — For Matt Robertson, the World Bass Enterprises’ Champions Tournament began on Oct. 29 with a prayer and ended with a payoff on Oct. 31. A huge payoff.Robertson earned $1.25 million after winning the inaugural event on Old Hickory Lake and the Cumberland River by weighing in a 20-pound, 2-ounce bag on the final day of the three-day tournament.Heading into the event, Robertson's career earnings were $551,696."It's freaking insane," he said. "I just won the biggest tournament ever in bass fishing history, but we ain't moving out of the trailer. We're trailer trash for life."The Kuttawa, Kentucky native went back Oct. 31 to the strategy he started with: going through the Old Hickory lock and fishing for smallmouth bass below the dam. He had to rely on divine intervention to pull off his winning plan."I haven't spoken out much about my faith, but the first day, like at 9 o'clock, I called the lock and they said they were doing maintenance, and I knew if I couldn't get through that lock I was basically screwed," Robertson said. "When I was supposed to call the lock master back, I was like, 'God let me get through that lock.' "Before dialing the number, Robertson saw that the lock master had already called him back twice."He said they got the lock open and they were basically waiting on me, and I got there and got down," Robertson said. "I was stressing before that. I was like, 'I ain't going to catch nothing.' And after that I gave it all to Him and let it go."Pake South from Winnsboro, Texas, finished second (13 pounds, 7 ounces) and earned $500,000; Wesley Strader from Spring City, Tennessee, was third (11 pounds, 2 ounces) and earned $200,000. The total purse was $3.25 million.HOW BRIAN BIRD CREATED HUGE TOURNAMENT: How one man's first fish led one of the biggest bass fishing tournaments to NashvilleRon Nelson from Barren Springs, Michigan, finished sixth and had the biggest catch of the tournament, a 5-pound, 8- ounce smallmouth bass. That earned Nelson an additional $5,000 bonus. Like Mitchell, Nelson spent much of his time fishing below the dam.Only the top 15 of the original field of 62 anglers from the two biggest leagues in professional bass fishing — Major League Fishing and Bassmaster Elite Series — advanced to the final day.The first two-day catch for those who advanced was erased and they started from scratch with a 7:30 a.m. launch from Sanders Ferry Park. Robertson also had the largest two-day catch at 34 pounds, 15 ounces."The first day of practice I was down below the dam and I found one spot right near the tail race and after I caught a decent bag, about 19 pounds, I found that spot where I caught them yesterday and today," Robertson said. "If I hadn't found that spot, I wouldn't have won this thing."Robertson said his winning fish were caught using a swim bait on a jig head, casting an Ugly Stik Carbon rod. The weigh-in before a crowd estimated at 4,000 and a pay-per-view television audience played out like a Hollywood script, with Robertson weighing in last.South weighed in 11th, and was leading before Robertson came to the stage."It was an awesome payday. It's really life-changing money," said South, whose career earnings were $195,233 before the tournament. "It's wild that I get second place and still win that much money. It's truly a blessing from God."South had noticed Robertson heading below the dam to catch smallmouth and knew if Robertson was successful, he would be hard to beat."I kind of expected him to have about what he had," South said. "Matt and Ron were doing something completely different than the rest of the field and obviously Matt set himself way apart from everybody else."Strader said he knew Robertson would be tough to beat from the start."I told my wife going into this I'd be happy with second or third," Strader said. "I said $1.2 million would be nice, but let's be realistic, Matt Robertson has got a rein on this thing."For the complete resutls visit WBE Champions.Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter.This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Kentucky angler earns $1.25 million in winning Nashville Champions fishing tournament