Geico bass angler Robert Pearson had his best weekend ever as a professional n the Walmart FLW Outdoors event on the Potomac River in National Harbor,
GEICO angler Robert Pearson is riding high after his best weekend as a professional, finishing 16th in the Walmart FLW Outdoors event on the Potomac River in National Harbor, Md.
Pearson earned $12,000 for his efforts, moving up the standings each day he fished. Pearson was 50th out of 150 anglers after the first day but advanced to the weekend competition with a 15-pound, 12-ounce haul on Friday that was one of the top single-day totals of the tournament.
The always-smiling angler then caught five fish weighing 12 pounds, 15 ounces on Saturday, which was 13th among the 20 finalists and moved him to 16th overall.
"What a week," Pearson said. "What a week."
Pearson, 54, grew up in the Washington, D.C., area and learned his trade fishing on the Potomac. He joined the elite Walmart FLW Tour in 2003, and last weekend's event was his biggest payday as a pro
"I won Angler of the Year as a pro, but this is the best weekend I've had in a long, long time," Pearson said. "It's very rewarding when things come together. I've been fishing as clean as I've ever fished this year. Things have come together. Fishing relaxed is paying off, and I'm enjoying it."
Pearson faced extra pressure in the tournament, for not only was it his hometown event, but it was held in the backyard of GEICO.
"I was thinking, 'I want to do well, I want to do well,'" Pearson said. "There's no telling when you're going to do well. You never know. To do well here in GEICO's hometown, in my hometown, it really means a lot. To put it into words, it couldn't have gotten any better."
Now, Pearson hopes to take that momentum into the next FLW event and the rest of the season. He'll fish next June 16-18 on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Ky.
"When you're having fun, you can't wait for the next tournament to start," Pearson said. "I'm getting ready for Kentucky Lake right now."