Fantasy Fishing: Take your gut choice

Written by

Chase Sansom

If you prefer Bassmster Elite Series events where you can make picks based on your gut feeling, this might be the one. The 2023 Gamakatsu Bassmaster Elite at Lake Seminole is certainly going to be one where there isn’t a whole lot of history to base your picks off of, and you’ll want to choose guys instead based on their strengths.

The last time that the Bassmaster Elite Series visited Lake Seminole was nearly nine years ago in 2014 where it almost took 100 pounds to win the four-day event. Seminole spans just a little over 37,500 acres and will most likely offer a big bass beatdown this week with the projected weather outlook. Projected during the days of competition, the highs will be in the 80s, and the lows won’t dip any lower than 61. Mix that warm weather in with already warming water temperatures and this will most likely setup to be a shallow-water dominant tournament.

So, if you’re like me without much research to base your picks on, you might be wondering who to pick this week. My suggestion is to take your gut choice and take the guys who predominantly excel with shallow-water power fishing.

BUCKET A: WELCHER

Taking Kyle Welcher over the hometown favorite Drew Cook might be a decision that can get you burned, but it’s also a risk worth taking, especially if Welcher can just edge out Cook. This event will setup extremely well for Welcher as the fish are going to be on the move to the shallows and we are well aware of his strength up shallow flipping and frogging.

Alternate: Drew Cook

Again, not taking Drew Cook as my main pick might come back to bite me, but there is a good chance Cook will find himself in the Top 10 after it is all said and done. There’s a home-lake advantage for Cook, and you have to imagine he is pretty comfortable sleeping in his own bed this week.

BUCKET B: MOSLEY

Brock Mosley will be one of those gut picks where you can count on his shallow-water power fishing to excel. Whether it be up shallow with a ChatterBait or a jig, this event sets up well for him to take a shot at the top of the leaderboard.

Alternate: Buddy Gross

Buddy Gross has found success at Lake Seminole just back in 2019 where he finished a respectable 11th place in an FLW Tour event.

BUCKET C: PALMER

If you remember the 2022 Bassmaster Elite on Santee Cooper, you most likely will remember Luke Palmer flirting around the top of the leaderboard after he boated an almost 10-pounder during Day 3. With similar conditions and cover to Santee Cooper this week, you can expect to Palmer to be right in the mix after it’s all said. Last week at Okeechobee he barely missed the cut, so you can believe he is looking to turn it around this week on Seminole.

Alternate: David Gaston

Rolling from some good momentum at Okeechobee by making the cut, David Gaston should be an excellent choice as he likes to find himself up in the shallows.

BUCKET D: WEBSTER

Here’s a sleeper pick that won’t be much of a sleeper pick after this is published. Joseph Webster dropped a 25-pound bag on the scales at Lake Seminole back in 2019 during the FLW Tour event on Day 1. Had it not been for an uncharacteristic Day 2 and 3 he could’ve won the event there, but he still rallied to finish 24th.

Alternate: Drew Benton

Again, not taking Drew Benton on a lake he has spent a vast amount of time on might be a mistake. He will likely be one to keep an eye out for throughout the event. As well as the rest of my lineup, Benton is another angler who excels up in the shallows, and we will see him most likely exploit that this week.

BUCKET E: AUTEN

Todd Auten and a ChatterBait is just like peanut butter and jelly. Auten is one of the best winders on the Elite Series, and we could for sure see a ChatterBait play a huge role in this week’s tournament on Seminole. The South Carolinian has also notched two top 20 finishes on Lake Seminole in his 27-year career with Bassmaster.

Alternate: Jason Christie

Not seen very often in Bucket E is Jason Christie. Expect him to have a big tournament after a rocky start to the season. He should find his way up the leaderboard this weekend.