Marty Robinson leads Walmart FLW Series event on Clarks Hill Lake

APPLING, Ga. – Pro Marty Robinson of Lyman, S.C., landed 5 bass weighing 15 pounds, 4 ounces Wednesday, Sept. 16, to lead day one of the Walmart FLW Series BP Eastern Division tournament on Clarks Hill Lake. He now holds a 1-pound, 5-ounce lead in the tournament featuring 137 pros and 137 co-anglers representing 28 states and Japan.

“This is not my home lake, but I do get to fish it about five or six times a year,” said Robinson, who is the current leader. “A little local knowledge has definitely helped me so far. The fishing is tough, I only caught eight fish all day and there really doesn’t seem to be any pattern.”

The early morning cloud cover and light rain that occurred seemed to benefit many of today’s anglers. Fishing was tough for everyone and most said they bagged their keepers early on in the day. No apparent fishing patterns emerged and most of the anglers who experienced success said they were in shallow waters, fishing 5 to 10 feet.

Fresh from his recent FLW Series Eastern Division win at Lake Dardanelle and fishing for Team Iams, Vic Vatalaro of Kent, Ohio, trails Robinson in the No. 2 spot with five bass weighing 13-15.

“I am so excited to be here,” said Vatalaro. “I was just hoping to bag 7 or 8 pounds per day based on what I saw during practice and this is a great start for me. I am fishing with a lot of confidence right now, and since the win, the fishing is a lot nicer, more relaxing – fun!”

Rounding out the top five pros are Chad Brauer of Osage Beach, Mo. (5 bass, 13-2); Michael Murphy of Gilbert, S.C. (5 bass, 13-1) and Terry Butcher of Talala, Okla. (5 bass, 12-12).

Robinson also earned the day’s $453 Folgers Big Bass award in the Pro Division thanks to a 5-pound, 13-ounce bass he caught as his last fish of the day.

Many anglers were excited to hear rain in the forecast for tomorrow; cooler temperatures and cloud cover seemed to be the consensus amongst the anglers as being key to increasing the bite at Clarks Hill Lake.

Pros are competing this week for a top award of $125,000 plus valuable points in the hope of qualifying for a shot at the 2010 Forrest Wood Cup.

With just two bass weighing 8-14, Bob Blackerby of Chelsea, Ala., leads the Co-angler Division. He is followed by Frank Divis Sr. of Fayetteville, Ark., in second place with five bass weighing 8-3.

“I had to go back to my roots in fishing,” said Divis, who is currently second in the co-angler standings. “I am not used to fishing in shallow water; I caught all my fish using a football-head jig. I am looking forward to tomorrow; I am paired with Team National Guard pro Scott Martin, who typically fishes in deeper water. I am planning to drop my jig and drag it to the top.”

Divis caught today’s bass while fishing with pro James (Wil) Hardy of Harlem, Ga., who is currently tied for 84th place with four bass weighing 5 pounds.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Brian Jones of Verbena, Ala. (5 bass, 7-9); Bart Blackburn of North Augusta, S.C, (4 bass, 7-2) and Matt Krekovich of Granite City, Ill. (5 bass, 7-2).

Blackerby earned $302 for the Folgers Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division thanks to a 6-pound, 13-ounce bass he caught while fishing with pro David Fritts of Lexington, N.C. Blackerby didn’t think it was a bass at first, it was his first of two fish caught all day.

Co-anglers are competing this week for a top award of $25,000 as well as a shot at the 2010 Forrest Wood Cup.

Anglers will take off at 7 each morning from Wildwood Park located at 6212 Holloway Road in Appling, Ga. Thursday and Friday’s weigh-in will be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday’s weigh-in will be held at the Walmart store located at 4469 Washington Road in Evans, Ga., beginning at 4 p.m. Children will also be treated to a Family Fun Zone prior to Saturday’s weigh-in from noon to 4 p.m. at Walmart. Activities in the Family Fun Zone include a Ranger boat simulator and assorted fishing-themed games. All activities are free and open to the public.

In FLW Series competition, pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day, with pros supplying the boat, controlling boat movement and competing against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other co-anglers. The total purse for the Clark Hills Lake tournament is nearly $900,000, including $10,000 through 50th place in the Pro Division.

Coverage of the Clarks Hill Lake tournament, hosted by the Columbia County Georgia Convention & Visitors Bureau, will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on VERSUS, the network which brings anglers the best fishing programming on television featuring the most-trusted authorities on the water. The Emmy-nominated “FLW Outdoors,” will air Oct. 11 from 12:30 to 1:30 ET. “FLW Outdoors,” hosted by Jason Harper, is broadcast to approximately 500 million households worldwide, including internationally through agreements with WFN (World Fishing Network) and Matchroom Sport to such countries as Canada, Germany, China, South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, Russia, Hungary and the United Kingdom, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoor-sports television show in the world

Total awards are based on a full field of 150 boats in every tournament.

FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. FLW Outdoors also is taking fishing mainstream with FLW Fantasy Fishing, offering the largest awards possible in the history of fantasy sports, $10 million in cash and prizes. Sign up for Player’s Advantage for only $10 to get your edge and win.

For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing and Player’s Advantage, visit FantasyFishing.com.