NEWS

ABT South Team Profile Robinson and Anderson

ABT Team Profile
Robbie Robinson and Jeston Anderson
by Dan O’Sullivan

In any professional endeavor, teamwork can be the difference between function and dysfunction; in team tournament angling; it is the difference between success and failure.  Over the course of a season, there are ebbs and flows of performance, and when one team member can support the other, the results can be good.  When a team can be that in sync for over the course of a whole season, the result can be an Angler of the Year title.

That is the case of Alabama Bass Trail 2014 Southern Division Anglers of the Year Robbie Robinson and Jeston Anderson.

The team from Mobile, Ala. used their teamwork strategy and experience with the challenging conditions of their home waters to find a way to build a string of finishes that earned them the highest spot in the 2014 Southern Division standings.

Anderson said that they try to work together to make sure they maximize every opportunity. “We have always tried to fish a little differently in the boat while we stay within our strengths,” he said.  “We both tend towards power fishing, but we try to find ways to complement what the other is doing in the boat.”

They also knew that their years of fishing on the Mobile Tensaw River Delta gave them a perspective to lean on when they went to other bodies of water.  “We were able to keep our spirits high, even when we were having a tough day because of how things can be on the Delta,” said Anderson.  “There were days that fishing on one of the other bodies of water that tends to be more stable.”

The result of their collaboration was a string of steady finishes, a season high fourth place finish at the ABT Championship in October at Lewis Smith Lake, and a trip to the Bassmaster Team Championships at DeGray Lake in Arkansas.  The quality season has only left them yearning for a better year ahead.

They are already preparing for their title defense.  “We are really looking forward to 2015,” said Anderson.  “Neither one of us are hunters, so we spend our fall and winter fishing as much as we can and getting ourselves together for the following season.  Our goal is to move up one spot higher in the overall standings and claim the overall Angler of the Year title.”

They know that it is not going to be an easy task.  “The ABT, has brought out a lot of really good anglers, a standard five fish limit is not going to get you very much,” he said.  “We go out there to finish high and try to win, but that doesn’t mean that it’s been cutthroat.

“The ABT really has a great feel about it.  It’s competition and it is addictive,” he said.  “But it’s friendly competition, and we look forward to seeing our friends as the season gets underway on Lake Jordan on Valentine’s Day.”

The sponsors of the 2015 Alabama Bass Trail include: Bill Penney Toyota, the Alabama Tourism Department, Phoenix Bass Boats, Inc., Garmin, Academy Sports & Outdoors, T-H Marine Supplies, Inc., Alabama Power Company, Buffalo Rock, Inc., Jet-Pep, Inc., Tennessee Valley Authority, and Frogg Toggs, Inc., HydroWaveTM, Alabama Foundation Specialist, Boat U.S., LEER, Vicious Fishing, E3 Sports, Inc., Costa Del Mar, Frogg Toggs, Inc., Power-Pole,  Window World and Yeti Coolers.

For complete standings visit www.alabamabasstrail.org.