By Billy “Hawkeye” Decoteau
Survey any competitive bass angler as to their ultimate bass-dream and no doubt their answers will be similar. Flip the same question to WBT Professional Bass Angler Juanita Robinson and be prepared to take notes!
Robinson is quick to set the hook on her goals! “My dream is to win a Bassmaster WBT Championship and become the Toyota Angler of the Year,” says the 57-year-old WBT Touring Pro. With 27 years of competitive bass competition under her belt and a bankroll of winning paydays totaling over $100,000.00, Robinson has developed a concrete game plan. (www.JuanitaRobinsonFishing.com)
“I lost the Bassmaster Women’s Angler of the Year title by only one point last year,” says Highland, Texas’s top lady angler. Adding, with a longhorn smile, “I started the 2009 B.A.S.S. Women’s Trail with my entire game plan framed around winning the Toyota Tundra WBT Angler of the Year title!” (www.Bassmaster.com)
For, wife, mother and grandmother Juanita Robinson, that meant hitting the books! “I began my homework activity as soon as the 2009 schedule was posted.” Realizing the importance of preparation, Robinson utilized every available technique possible in acquiring and logging minute details pertaining to every tournament location.
“I put together a comprehensive detailed notebook for each body of water as my study guide,” revealed Robinson. Compiling information attained from the Internet, Juanita’s computer led her to an enormous amount of detailed information, which she then divided into seasonal transitions, developing a table of contents for each individual tournament.
“The Internet has information available to anyone, so I took it a step further and approached my Professional Team Skeeter/Yamaha colleagues, who just happen to be some of the best bass anglers in the world. Bass are structure and cover oriented creatures, so with this thought I dissected every body of water from one end to the other, then made a list of high percentage areas, logging the best possible techniques to be utilized in these areas,” suggest Juanita Robinson the now avid Bass-Student. (www.SkeeterBoats.com)
Realizing time on the water is second to none; Juanita built up her confidence in every bait and technique. Spending time developing finesse techniques on offshore areas, to shallow water flipping, there wasn’t a known bass-fishing technique Professional Bass Angler Juanita Robinson overlooked. “I even brought my granddaughter with me once when I was developing a schooling bass pattern,” jokes Robinson.
“I have been more focused this year than I have ever been! Every time I make a cast it has a purpose to a specific location, with the understanding that it can and will produce. My practice days before tournaments are pre-planned with my arrival in some situations two-weeks before the actual tournament. I always cover the entire body of water spending 2-3 days in one-third of the lake. And, my ‘Milk-Runs’ now contain 2-3 runs with enough areas available for me to make each tournaments Top-20 cut.” (www.AcademySports.com)
Robinson’s season performance is second only to fellow angler Pam-Martin-Wells! Martin-Wells is the present WBT-AOY point’s leader. Starting the 2009 WBT trail on Lake Neely Henry with a 6th Place finish, a 5th place at the Quachita River, then a 4th place finish on the Arkansas River, Juanita Robinson ended the regular WBT season with her lowest finish a 10th place on Old Hickory.
“With our 2009 WBT Championship on the Red River, my confidence level tied together with my consistent Top-10 performance all year long is at an ultimate high. I feel my ability to make on the water changes as needed, while staying focused as each moment dictates is an additional bonus to being totally versatile with every bait I throw in every situation,” claims Robinson, who is presently idling in second place for the 2009 Toyota Angler of the Year title.
Logging over 160 days on the water Juanita Robinson is preparing for the final B.A.S.S. Women’s Tour event scheduled for October 16-18 in Shreveport-Bossier City, LA ……The WBT Championship on the Red River!
“I have completed my pre-tournament practice, made my detailed notes, and look forward to the official practice-days just before the tournament,” says Robinson as she peers over a thick, well-utilized notebook tilted ‘Red River’.
What does it mean to win the Angler of the Year title…………… for Professional B.A.S.S. WBT-Angler Juanita Robinson; it’s a Life Long Dream and a trip to the Bassmaster Classic.
God Bless and Best Bass’n
