The 2022 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk came down to the wire on Championship Sunday. Eventually, Jason Christie would take home his first Bassmaster Classic title after falling just short on a few different occasions.
Lake Hartwell showed out, and the weights were as good, if not better than most expected. Classic anglers were able to hone in on their strengths, as fish were caught in extremely deep water as well as extremely shallow water.
Let’s get into the best and worst Fantasy Fishing picks from the Bassmaster Classic.
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The overall winner of the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk was “nocobassin” who selected four of the five picks that would have made up the perfect roster. Overall Rank: No. 1, Total Points 1,468.
BUCKET A: Jason Christie
BUCKET B: Stetson Blaylock
BUCKET C: Kyle Welcher
BUCKET D: Caleb Sumrall
BUCKET E: Justin Hamner
The best perfect Fantasy Fishing roster for the 2022 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk would have been:
BUCKET A: Jason Christie
BUCKET B: Stetson Blaylock
BUCKET C: Kyle Welcher
BUCKET D: Luke Palmer
BUCKET E: Justin Hamner
Total: 1,501
BUCKET A: CHRISTIE
After falling just short at the 2018 Bassmaster Classic at Lake Hartwell, Jason Christie got his revenge and hoisted the Classic trophy over his head in 2022. Fishing both deep and shallow, the Oklahoma pro had the second highest player percentage at 17.4% and scored 310 points.
Second best selection: Chris Johnston made a big charge up the leaderboard on Day 2 and three to finish up in fifth place. Johnston was selected by 1.3% of players and scored 280 points.
Lowest scoring angler: Brandon Palaniuk unexpectedly never got anything going at Lake Hartwell. The 11-time Classic qualifier only scored 177 points while being selected by 14.2% of players.
BUCKET B: BLAYLOCK
Stetson Blaylock made a serious surge on Championship Sunday and was less than a pound away from walking away as a Bassmaster Classic Champion. The Arkansan was selected by 17.9% of players and scored 330 points.
Second best selection: Taku Ito was able to make his deep-water strategy work on Lake Hartwell with a Top 10 finish. Ito scored 272 points and was selected by 8.2% of players in Bucket B.
Lowest scoring angler: Drew Cook wasn’t able to put together a solid pattern at Lake Hartwell. The Florida native scored 173 points and was selected by 3.9% of players.
BUCKET C: WELCHER
Kyle Welcher put together a rock solid deep and shallow game plan at Lake Hartwell. The Alabama pro fell just five ounces shy of becoming a Bassmaster Classic champion in just his second Bassmaster Classic. Welcher was selected by 2.4% of players and scored 300 points.
Second best selection: Lee Livesay had a legitimate chance to take home the title heading into the final day, but a slow Championship Sunday left him with an 11th place finish. The Texan scored 257 points while being selected by 4.5% of players.
Lowest scoring angler: John Crews didn’t quite get it dialed in at Lake Hartwell. The Elite Series veteran scored 185 points and was selected by 15.6% of players.
BUCKET D: PALMER
Despite being the second lowest selected angler at 1.6%, Luke Palmer was the best pick in Bucket D. There’s something about Lake Hartwell that suits Oklahoma anglers. Fishing both deep and shallow, the Palmer scored 276 points.
Second best selection: South Carolina’s own Bryan New led the Classic after Day 1, but a slower Day 2 and 3 resulted in a ninth-place finish. New was the highest selected angler in the Bucket at 34.7% and scored 269 points.
Lowest scoring angler: In his first Bassmaster Classic, Matty Wong wasn’t able to get a solid pattern established. Wong scored 167 points and was selected by 1.8% of players.
BUCKET E: HAMNER
In his first Bassmaster Classic, Justin Hamner fished his strengths to a Top 10 finish. The Alabama pro was selected by 10.9% of players and scored 285 points.
Second best selection: Despite being the lowest selected angler amongst all five Buckets, Taylor Smith was able to notch a Top 10 finish in his second Bassmaster Classic. Smith scored 268 points while being selected by 0.6% of players.
Lowest scoring angler: Opens qualifier Keith Tuma had a tough event in his first Bassmaster Classic. Tuma scored 165 points and was selected by 0.9% of players.
