“We are going to the Carolina-Clemson game in Columbia and when the game is over I’ll probably head on down to Florida,” said Robinson, who is a big Gamecock fan. The University of South Carolina Gamecocks will be hosting the Clemson Tigers in Williams-Brice Stadium in the annual game that determines annual bragging rights for football fans in the Palmetto State.

The game, which will be telecast on ESPN2, with kickoff set for 7 p.m., has more at stake this year than just deciding the state championship. It has national implications, with Clemson ranked 6^th and South Carolina 10^th in the BCS standings. Bowl destinations and national rankings for both teams will be decided in Columbia Saturday night.

But, as soon as the final whistle blows Robinson will have much more than football on his mind. The Wild Card at Okeechobee is his last chance to qualify for the 2014 Bassmaster Classic.

The 2013 Bassmaster Classic Wild Card presented by Star Tron offers top Bassmaster Elite Series and Bassmaster Opens Series competitors one final shot at earning a berth in the 44th annual Bassmaster Classic, Feb. 21-23, 2014, in Birmingham, Ala., on Lake Guntersville.

“I made the Classic two years in a row before this year, so I am anxious about getting back to the Classic,” Robinson said. “I am ready to rebound.”

Robinson finished 29^th in the Bassmaster Classic on the Red River in 2012, then finished 20^th in the Classic on Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees earlier this year, but his luck following the 2013 Classic did not hold up during the year. He finished far down in the standings in the Elite Series Angler of the year race.

But he believes he can rebound next week on Lake Okeechobee.

“I’ve had a good bit of experience on Lake Okeechobee and I’ve had some success there. I think I’ve cut a check about every time I’ve fished there,” he said. “My highest finish was probably 10^th place in the Open a few years ago and I got a check when the Elite Series fished there last year.”

Fishing Okeechobee, he said, is “Grass Fishing 101.”

“You can do anything from swimming a jig or a swim bait around the grass and lily pads to punching a big 2-ounce weight through the mats. That’s what you have to figure out when you get there.”

He plans to spend the three days or so of practice covering a lot of water in different areas of the lake.

“I’ll be trying to figure out which area is producing the better fish. That always seems to be the key on Okeechobee. It seems like all the bigger bites come from one area or location. Once you figure out which area to fish, then you have to dissect it, slow down, pick it apart and see what the fish are keying on.”

Although he has never fished Okeechobee this late in the year, the Florida lakes, he noted, are not as susceptible to winter phases as the lakes back home in the Carolinas.

“I’ve never fished it this time of year, but I am sure that it does not fish a whole lot different than in January, February and March,” he said. “The good thing about it is that it will be warmer than it is up here in South Carolina. Hopefully, I can get down there and enjoy a little warmer weather and catch some good fish.”

 

Bassmaster Classic Wild Card Tournament

Dec 5-7, 2013

Lake Okeechobee

www.bassmaster.com