There are few activities in this world more relaxing than fishing.
I think we all can agree there is something very zen—like in grabbing a line, a pole, and some bait and just being one with nature for a morning.
One man thought he was going to have a nice, peaceful afternoon on the ocean in his kayak until his day of solo fishing was rudely interrupted by someone with some serious personal space issues.
And this wasn't a fellow fisherman or some drunk guy in his Boston Whaler.
Hell, it wasn't even a human being.
That's right, a massive great white shark buzzed some poor kayaker just trying to enjoy his day off, and the whole thing was caught on the fisherman's helmet camera.
Footage from the fisherman, David Slavich, shows him getting startled as the giant predator closed in.
"The shark came incredibly close, swimming alongside me just beneath the surface," Slavich told Storyful, adding that he was "absolutely amazed" by its size.
"There was a moment when it seemed like we were looking directly at each other, and I had the distinct feeling that it was just as curious about me as I was about it," Slavich said.
"I felt more awe and fascination than fear," he said. "It’s an experience I’ll never forget."
You don't even see the shark coming at first, but you can hear the terrified words trembling out of Slavich's mouth.
"Oh my God! Oh my God," he repeats as the great white makes its way into the frame of the video.
In a split-second decision that might have saved his life - or at the very least, a limb or two - Slavich reels his line in quickly to ensure the shark doesn't take the bait and pull him in with it.
As the monster with teeth glides past, we get a full view of its size, appearing to be about as big as Slavich's kayak.
Once the shark passes by harmlessly, Slavich utters a phrase I think we can all relate to in a situation like that.
"Okay, we're getting the f--- out of here," he exclaims.
NASHVILLE — Old Hickory Lake isn't handing out many favors this week. But apparently nobody told Matt Robertson.
The Bassmaster Elite Series pro hauled in a five-fish limit weighing an impressive 20 pounds Thursday to take the lead after Day 1 of The Champions, a historic tournament pitting 30 Bassmaster anglers against 30 Major League Fishing pros for a record $3.25 million purse and a whopping $1.25 million first-place prize.
And on a lake that's been downright stingy for much of the field, Robertson made it look almost easy.
"It was a pretty good day. A little rough, but once we got to where we wanted to go, it happened pretty quick," Robertson told OutKick OutDoors after Thursday's weigh-in.
"Caught two real quick, and then I started wanting to run around, but I just made myself sit there and grind it out. And yeah, we caught us a little bag today."
A little bag, indeed.
Robertson's 20-pound haul put him 4 pounds, 9 ounces ahead of second-place Fisher Anaya, who finished Thursday with 15 pounds, 7 ounces. MLF's Michael Neal sits third at 13-09, followed by Bob Downey (13-07) and Bryant Smith (13-03).
Anaya, meanwhile, had to work for his five-fish limit.
"Oh, it was tough, but it was fun," the Bassmaster rookie told OutKick OutDoors. "We caught three big ones, got two babies, but I think it's enough to kind of settle me in for tomorrow, so I ain't got to catch much."
But as the anglers hit the water again Friday morning, Thursday's leaderboard offers no guarantees.
LiveScope could shake up the leaderboard
One of the biggest wild cards heading into Day 2 is the tournament's restriction on forward-facing sonar, commonly known as LiveScope.
Anglers can use the technology on either Thursday or Friday, but not both. That means competitors who relied on their electronics to locate fish on Day 1 must go without them Friday, while those who saved their sonar day could have an advantage.
"It's going to make it tougher," Anaya acknowledged.
But with the field narrowing to 15 anglers for Championship Saturday, he's more concerned about catching enough weight to survive the cut.
"I think I'm going to need about anywhere from 5 to 7 pounds to make the cut," he said. "So that's what we're going to swing for. Hopefully, we catch them better than that. But we'll see."
Robertson, on the other hand, caught his tournament-leading bag without forward-facing sonar. That means he still has the option to use it Friday.
Not that he's particularly interested.
"We didn't use no LiveScope today. We'll have it tomorrow, but not really planning on using it," Robertson said. "So try to catch us one or two tomorrow and call her good."
And Robertson's successful Thursday has apparently attracted some attention. After traveling through a navigation lock to fish beyond Old Hickory Dam on Day 1, Robertson headed back in that direction Friday morning — this time with several other anglers following him toward the lock.
So yeah, the secret is out about that little honey hole.
The pressure is on to survive Friday's cut
The stakes extend well beyond the two anglers at the top.
Only the top 15 competitors after Friday's weigh-in will advance to Championship Saturday, when weights reset to zero and the remaining anglers battle for the $1.25 million grand prize.
And with much of the field struggling to find quality bites on Old Hickory, there's very little room for error.
After Thursday's competition, Team Stars (Bassmaster) held eight of the top 15 positions, while Team Stripes (MLF) claimed seven. That advantage could easily change Friday as anglers adjust to the sonar restrictions and the difficult conditions.
Reigning Bassmaster Angler of the Year Trey McKinney is among those facing a particularly tense second day. He finished Thursday in 16th place with 11 pounds, 1 ounce — just a single ounce behind Takahiro Omori, who currently occupies the final qualifying position.
And while Robertson has built himself a comfortable cushion, the race to make Saturday's final is considerably tighter.
Friday's weigh-in begins at 4 p.m. CT at Sanders Ferry Park in Hendersonville, where the Champions Cup team winner will be determined and the final 15 anglers will punch their tickets to Saturday's championship round.
OutKick OutDoors is on the ground at Old Hickory Lake, bringing readers exclusive interviews, tournament updates and behind-the-scenes coverage of the richest competition in professional bass fishing.
Follow OutKick OutDoors on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube for exclusive interviews, video highlights and coverage of The Champions all weekend long.
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