Geico bass angler Robert Pearson is looking forward to his next tournament outing in Kentucky.
GEICO angler Robert Pearson is a big believer in momentum, and the lifelong fisherman has plenty as he prepares for this week's Walmart FLW Outdoors event, which runs Thursday through Sunday on Kentucky Lake.
Pearson earned his first big payout on the FLW tour in the last event on the Potomac River, finishing 16th among the professional anglers. He hopes to carry that success onto the enormous lake in south-central Kentucky.
"I am a believer in karma and momentum, and once you get 'mo' you don't want to turn her loose," Pearson said. "I'm going to hold on to her, squeeze her, and not let her go."
To keep the momentum, Pearson will have a lot of work to do. Fish have already spawned on the lake, so they aren't in their normal optimum catching positions.
"This is one of those tournaments where you have to grind and grind," Pearson said. "In order for me to do well in this tournament, I've got to go an extremely long way. I've got to take chances in this tournament I normally wouldn't take."
Pearson noticed the fishing patterns were different this week in practice. Most anglers were fishing the northern end of the lake, but the fishing wasn't very good there.
"We were all catching fish, but not the right size," Pearson said. "I could go out there and catch short fish all day, but they're not going to help. You've got to put them all back."
Since many anglers were fighting for position and fish on the northern end of the 160,000-acre lake, Pearson has decided to head south.
"In order to do anything, you have to get away from the crowds," Pearson said. "And in order to get away, I've got to run a long way. I mean a long way. It's something I've never done before. The GEICO boat is going to be really, really busy."
Pearson admits he's taking a risk, but the potential reward is higher.
"I'm going to run after them," Pearson said. "I'm trying to win the tournament. I can't win the tournament catching non-keepers."
Weigh-ins begin Thursday and Friday at 2:30 EDT each day at the Kentucky Dam Marina. The field will be pared down to 20 for Saturday and 10 for Sunday's finale.
"I've got to keep an open mind and hopefully everything will turn out well once I get there," Pearson said. "I'm heading south and I don't know if they'll bite down there, but that's fishing. You've got to make decisions, and I already made the decision that I'm going to make a long run. We'll see where we go."