Fantasy Fishing: Palmetto State reset

Written by

Pete Robbins

Like a few dozen anglers at the bottom of the Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings, I’d like to forget about the first two Bassmaster Elite Series tournaments of the season. Okeechobee and Seminole were not kind to me. The good news for all of us bottom-of-the-scorecard guys is that the season is still young. There’s lots of time for individual moments of glory and to make up ground.

I don’t think this is a tournament that’ll be won on a single spot – and possibly not even on a single pattern. During another recently-completed professional event there, the majority of the fish were on beds. They may have been the second or third wave of spawners, so while there will still be some looking, there will be other ways to catch ‘em. Those may include fry guarders, spawning herring — two ways that are exciting to watch. And of course you can never rule out forward-facing sonar anymore.

Pick anglers who can adjust on the fly and cobble together a number of different patterns, possibly even wildly disparate ones. It’s a big pond, and this should be a fun one – at least for those who figure things out.

Here are my picks:

BUCKET A: LEHEW

My pick: As usual, Bucket A is a box of hammers of every shape, strength and fishing technique, and Shane LeHew seems to be flying under the radar with a minuscule ownership percentage. He’s another one of those young pros whose fishing experience – especially in the Carolinas – outstrips his age. No one should be surprised if he claims his first Elite crown with a topwater, a stickbait and a skipping jig, all in the same week.

Solid backup: Brandon Cobb, LeHew’s buddy, is a home-state hero and master of the blueback spawn bite. His ownership percentage is huge for a reason.

BUCKET B: WALTERS

My pick: I’ll stick with another Carolinian here, Century Club member Patrick Walters, who escaped Florida with one good finish and one poor one. He needs to get back on track to challenge for the AOY title as the year progresses.

Solid backup: Matt Arey makes it four for four from the Carolinas through two buckets, two from each state.

BUCKET C: KENNEDY

My pick: OK, it’s the time of year when I jump on the Steve Kennedy bandwagon and either live to regret that choice or else end up looking remarkably prescient. He’s competed a fair amount on Murray, and while he didn’t do well the last time the Elites were here, he finished second in a subsequent Forrest Wood Cup. Between a Senko, his big swim jig and a glider, this sets up well for him.

Solid backup: OK, it’s back to the Carolinas, with two-time Classic champ Hank Cherry. Granted, it’s still early, but he’s outside the Classic cut. It would be painful to miss two in a row, especially with the next one on Grand where he’s had some success.

BUCKET D: POWROZNIK

My pick: For some reason this derby just screams Jacob Powroznik’s name to me – not that I necessarily associate him with a herring spawn, but I do consider him one of the masters of plinking around shallow and making something stick. Like Cherry, he needs to get back on track to make sure he’s fishing at Grand next March.

Solid backup: Brandon Palaniuk in Bucket D? That must be a misprint or a mistake. Don’t expect it to last.

BUCKET E: NEW

My pick: If there’s anyone who excels when it’s advisable to have 20 – or even 30, or 40 – rods on the deck it’s Bryan New. After missing the first two cuts, including a dismal 103rd-place showing at Seminole, he needs to feast on home cooking if he’s going to qualify or his fourth straight Classic.

Solid backup: Todd Auten is one of those ultra-quiet guys who, just when you’ve forgotten about him, is likely to reel off a couple of top fives in a row. He may have more experience fishing in the Carolinas than anyone in the field not named Fritts.