Robinson rides high on Red River

Alabama resident takes day-one lead at EverStart Central event

NATCHITOCHES, La. – Robert Robinson of Mobile, Ala., unlocked the code to the Red River’s finicky postspawn bass at the EverStart Series Central Division event by taking the day-one lead with five bass weighing 18 pounds, 4 ounces.

The secret password to Robinson’s code was “slow down.” He decided to fish close to the launch site for additional fishing time, and he used that time to fish more slowly than he had in practice.

“For seven days, everybody has been throwing spinnerbaits, buzzbaits and crankbaits,” Robinson said. “I decided that by the time this thing started, the fish would run from spinnerbaits and buzzbaits; I put all of my fast moving baits away and concentrated on fishing as slow as possible.”

Robinson pitched a jig to catch a dozen keepers from his primary areas before leaving the areas to let them rest for later rounds.

“I’ve got five or six solid areas close by,” he added. “I’m going to try for 10 to 12 pounds tomorrow to make sure I stay in the cut.”

Millender in second

In second place is Randy Millender of Teague, Texas, with a five-fish limit weighing 18 pounds, 1 ounce.

Millender’s stringer was anchored by a 6-pound, 6-ounce bass that swiped the big-bass award in the Pro Division worth $750.

Morgan grabs third

Trey Morgan of nearby Goldonna, La., is in third place with five bass weighing 15 pounds, 3 ounces.

“I’ve got a couple of small areas in Pool Four that are holding some good fish,” Morgan said. “I caught eight keepers in there by about noon today and then left them alone.”

Morgan, who fishes the Red River frequently, says the fish are in a postspawn mode.

“The fish are weary and leery, and that makes them tough to catch,” he added.

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top 10 pros in the Red River EverStart after day one are Glenn Maxwell of Crossett, Ark., in fourth place with 13 pounds, 15 ounces; Scott Rook of Little Rock, Ark., in fifth place with 13 pounds, 11 ounces; Bradley Stringer of Huntington, Texas, in sixth place with 13 pounds, 5 ounces; Kenneth Chapman of Woodlawn, Tenn., in seventh place with 13 pounds, 4 ounces; Jason Robertson of Pineville, La., in eighth place with 12 pounds, 1 ounces; Kenneth Sheets of Pevely, Mo., in ninth place with 11 pounds, 14 ounces; and Dan Morehead of Paducah, Ky., in 10th place with 11 pounds, 12 ounces.

Pro stats

In the Pro Division, there were 75 limits weighed in, and the top-20 cut now rests at 10 pounds, 5 ounces.

Branum bests co-anglers

Brian Branum of Lewisville, Texas, leads the Co-angler Division of the Red River EverStart with five bass weighing 12 pounds, 3 ounces.

Branum pitched a small worm behind his pro today to catch his limit.

“My pro, Jason Ammerman, located some good fish, and I just had some good luck in catching them,” Branum said. “I switched to a lighter weight and started working the bait through the cover instead of penetrating the cover, and that seemed to have made a difference.”

Graf in second

Steve Graf of Natchitoches, La., is in second place with five bass weighing 10 pounds, 5 ounces.

Graf caught his bass on a Zoom Trick Worm with a 3/16-ounce sinker.

“We fished rocks all day,” Graf said. “I caught a couple on a spinnerbait, but all my better fish came on a Trick Worm. I think color has a lot to do with it. I’m throwing a color that not many people throw here, and I’ve got a lot of confidence in it.”

Adcock in third

William Adcock of Dadeville, Ala., is in third place with 10 pounds, 3 ounces.

Adcock had four fish today, but one was a 5-pound bass that won the co-angler big-bass award. He pocketed $250 for the big catch.

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers in the Red River EverStart after day one are Jay Lamb of Kansas City, Mo., in fourth place with 9 pounds, 15 ounces; James Jacobs of San Angelo, Texas, in fifth place with 9 pounds, 4 ounces; Donald Elgin of Broken Arrow, Okla., in sixth place with 8 pounds, 13 ounces; Nick Lux of Shelbyville, Ind., and David Cortinas of Richland Hills, Texas, are tied for seventh place with 8 pounds, 11 ounces; and Denny Wilkins of Lubbock, Texas, and Keith Hawkins of Missouri City, Texas, are tied for ninth place with 8 pounds, 10 ounces.

Co-angler stats

In the Co-angler Division, there were 14 limits caught, and the top-20 cut rests at 6 pounds, 2 ounces.

Day-two action begins at 6:30 a.m. Central time at the Grand Encore boat ramp.