KUTTAWA, Ky. — Matt Robertson found the right stretch of current below Old Hickory Dam, figured out how to catch its smallmouth bass and then returned to the same pattern when it mattered most, winning the inaugural World Bass Enterprises (WBE) The Champions tournament Saturday with 20 pounds, 2 ounces.
The victory earned the Kuttawa, Kentucky, pro a record $1.25 million first-place prize, the largest winner's payout in professional bass fishing history. Robertson's championship catch of five bass came on the final day of competition at Old Hickory Lake and the Cumberland River near Nashville.
Robertson's winning pattern began during the first day of practice, when he traveled through the Old Hickory lock to fish below the dam. Working a stretch near the tailrace, he caught a respectable bag and encountered several smallmouth that measured just short of Tennessee's 18-inch minimum. Rather than dismissing the undersized fish, Robertson took them as a sign that larger bass might be using the same area.
That hunch developed into the tournament's dominant pattern.
Robertson caught 20 pounds even on Thursday, the only 20-pound bag of the first competition day, and followed it with the heaviest qualifying total. His two-day weight of 34 pounds, 15 ounces put him at the top of the standings entering Saturday's championship round.
He relied on a small swimbait rigged on a jighead, allowing the current to carry the bait naturally through rocky areas, shelves and eddies where smallmouth were holding. Fishing on semi-slack line helped the bait drift with the current rather than being pulled unnaturally through the strike zone. Robertson used an Ugly Stik Carbon rod.
Ron Nelson also found success below the dam, fishing nearby water with a Ned rig. The two anglers shared the productive area during the qualifying rounds, with Nelson respecting Robertson's specific honey hole. After catching three quality fish Friday and securing his place in the final 15, Robertson curtailed his fishing and spent much of the remaining day protecting the location.
Saturday's championship began with all 15 finalists starting from zero, giving Robertson no advantage from his commanding qualifying performance. He returned to the Cumberland River smallmouth pattern and produced another 20-pound-class catch, weighing five bass for 20 pounds, 2 ounces.
Pake South of Winnsboro, Texas, finished second with 13 pounds, 7 ounces on four bass, earning $500,000. Wesley Strader of Spring City, Tennessee, placed third with 11 pounds, 2 ounces on five bass and collected $300,000. Trey McKinney finished fourth with 11 pounds even, worth $200,000, while Michael Neal took fifth with 10 pounds, 10 ounces and earned $100,000.
Robertson, a six-year Bassmaster Elite Series veteran whose home waters are Kentucky Lake, has qualified for the Bassmaster Classic three times. He finished third in the 2026 Bassmaster Elite Series tournament at Lake Guntersville in February.
The inaugural Champions tournament brought together 62 anglers, including 60 established professionals and two amateur competitors, representing Major League Fishing and the Bassmaster Elite Series. The total purse was $3.25 million, with the top 15 anglers advancing to Saturday's championship round.
The event also featured a team competition, with Team Stars placing 10 anglers in the final 15 and winning The Champions Cup over Team Stripes, which qualified five finalists.
"It's freaking insane. I don't think it's really hit me yet. I just won the biggest tournament ever in bass fishing," Robertson said following the victory. "$1.25 million will drastically change my life."
For complete results and additional information, visit worldbassenterprises.com.