ANDERSON, S.C. (March 16, 2025) – The final day of the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Stop 2 Presented by Suzuki Marine on Lake Hartwell was nothing short of thrilling. With big spotted bass and largemouth making their way to the scales in rapid succession, the competition remained fierce until the very last moment. The tournament came down to the wire as several of the leading anglers found themselves struggling to secure the victory.
Dustin Smith entered the final day with a lead but managed only 13 pounds, finishing with a three-day total of 53 pounds, 11 ounces. That total, however, was just shy of what he needed to fend off 19-year-old Mitchell Robinson, who started the day in second place. Robinson, although never exceeding the 20-pound mark in a single day, was able to land 17 pounds, 5 ounces on Day 3, bringing his total to 53 pounds, 13 ounces and sealing his first major victory beyond the high school level. Along with the prestigious trophy, Robinson walked away with a massive $115,000 payday, an impressive accomplishment at such a young age.
A Dream Come True for Robinson
In July 2023, Robinson and his fishing partner Cody Abbott triumphed in the Bassmaster High School National Championship at Lake Hartwell. That win was the culmination of years of experience fishing Lake Hartwell and nearby Lake Keowee, both familiar waters for the Robinson family. The high school championship victory earned them $5,000 in scholarship money, a significant achievement but nowhere near the financial impact of Robinson’s recent triumph.
This week, however, was a game-changer. Combining his extensive local knowledge with top-tier skills in forward-facing sonar, Robinson executed a strategy that kept him ahead of the competition. His best performances came on Day 1 and Day 3, when he was able to fully utilize forward-facing sonar to locate and catch fish positioned off the beaten path.
“Those fish have always been there, but they’ve never been fished for,” Robinson explained. “Now, with LiveScope, you can target them. They’re just a cast off the bank, sitting under people’s boats. It’s probably the same fish that used to show up on 2D sonar, but now we can go after them more precisely. That little ‘Scope pattern worked really well for me this week.”
Robinson’s approach was to keep his trolling motor running constantly, scanning banks that may have seemed insignificant but had the right combination of elements.
“The banks I was fishing were either sand, clay, or pea gravel—flatter banks, but not massive flats. A lot of times, it’s just a little flat with a drop-off or a ditch running nearby. The transitions are key, like when you see rock suddenly switch to sand and then back to rock. Those are the types of places where bass like to cruise and feed,” Robinson added.
Overcoming Challenges
Despite his successful pattern, Robinson faced adversity on Championship Sunday. Heavy pollen in the water, combined with overnight rain and wind, affected his ability to use forward-facing sonar effectively.
“The pollen and the wind completely ruined my main area where I caught 20 pounds of spots on Day 1,” Robinson said. “I went back today and got just one bite. It was a good one, but only one. That kind of spun me out for a bit.”
To adjust, Robinson turned to tried-and-true tactics for catching spotted bass—a shaky head and a Neko rig. Using a 5-inch Yamamoto Senko, he either fished it on a light shaky head or used a 1/16-ounce nail weight for his Neko rig. He emphasized the importance of going light to avoid the sticky grass and moss on the lake bottom.
Robinson’s gear selection included a 7-foot, 2-inch, medium-action Phenix M1 rod for the shaky head and a 7-foot, 1-inch, medium-light Phenix K2 Torzite rod for the Neko rig.
“Even with forward-facing sonar, it wasn’t easy fishing,” Robinson noted. “I probably saw five bass a day in the 30- to 35-pound range. They were swimming in big groups, but getting them to bite was another story. You had to make the right cast, with the right bait, at the right moment.”
A Family Legacy
With his father, Marty, and his older brother, Marshall, already competing in the Bass Pro Tour, Robinson appears well on his way to joining them. While that remains a goal for the future, his immediate focus was celebrating a hard-earned victory on his home waters.
“Winning here might not seem as impressive as winning somewhere new, but for me, this is the best feeling ever,” Robinson said. “I’ve spent countless hours on this lake, and to get the job done here means everything to me.”
As the weigh-in crowd erupted in cheers, it was clear that Robinson’s triumph resonated deeply with friends, family, and fellow anglers alike.
Final Results
The top 30 anglers at the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Stop 2 on Lake Hartwell Presented by Suzuki Marine finished as follows:
1st: Mitchell Robinson, Landrum, S.C., 15 bass, 53-13, $115,000
2nd: Dustin Smith, Trussville, Ala., 15 bass, 53-11, $30,000
3rd: Chad Mrazek, Montgomery, Texas, 15 bass, 51-13, $20,000
4th: Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., 15 bass, 51-7, $18,000
5th: Marshall Robinson, Landrum, S.C., 15 bass, 50-7, $17,000
… (Additional results available on MajorLeagueFishing.com)
Tournament Overview and Upcoming Events
Over the course of the final day, the 30 competing anglers caught a total of 150 bass weighing 459 pounds, 13 ounces. Impressively, all 30 finalists secured five-bass limits.
The three-day tournament, hosted by Visit Anderson, featured professional anglers battling for the $115,000 grand prize and crucial qualification points for the 2025 Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Championship, scheduled for September. The full field of competitors participated in the opening rounds on Friday and Saturday, with only the top 30 advancing to Championship Sunday.
Television coverage of the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Stop 2 at Lake Hartwell Presented by Suzuki Marine will air as a two-hour episode on CBS Sports Network, premiering at 9 a.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 11.
The next event on the schedule, Stop 3 of the 2025 MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, will take place at Lewis Smith Lake in Cullman, Alabama, from April 15-17. Anglers will shift their focus to another deep, clear-water fishery as the competition continues.
Proud sponsors of the 2025 MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals include: 7Brew Coffee, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Bubba, Deep Dive App, E3 Sports Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Humminbird, Lew’s, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, VOSKER, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV).
Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 13 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
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