Fantasy Fishing: Pick game managers

Written by

Pete Robbins

When is a Florida tournament not a Florida tournament?

When the Elite Series heads there outside of the January-to-March window.

Most of the venues still set up the same way. They’re shallower than most other fisheries, grassier than most other fisheries and the fish are just plain weird in the face of any changes or adversity. Nevertheless, once the majority of the main spawn concludes, it widens the ways to catch them.

At this point, most of the field has fished a tournament or 20 on the Harris Chain, but it’s a constantly-changing fishery. Long gone are the days when Mike Folkestad won with a three-day weight of 14-10. Still, I don’t think anyone will sniff triple digits – and while it could be won on a “spot,” expect this idle-zone-filled chain to fish small. The angler who wins will either have to find something all to himself or – more likely – manage the fish in one to three key areas better than anyone else. A couple of monster bites don’t hurt either.

Florida is a state that has shown off the skills of a lot of great game managers – everyone from Don Shula to Jimmy Johnson to Bobby Bowden to Steve Spurrier – and in that spirit I’m picking anglers who understand the Florida game and the intricacies of this particular fishery. Hopefully they will figure out a few sneaky ways to make it work better than the rest of the field:

BUCKET A: The Returning Champ

GAME MANAGER: In his previous stint at B.A.S.S., Jordan Lee generally fared well in Florida, including a 14th-place finish at the Harris Chain in a 2017 Open. He started the season with a ninth at Toledo Bend and 15th at Fork, and I not only expect him to make it back to his first Classic since 2019, but to contend for Prudential Bassmaster Angler of the Year this season.

BACKUP PICK: Patrick Walters is another angler who should contend for AOY and who never seems to stumble. He’s made the top 12 in his past four Elite events, including three top sevens and a win. He has many quality finishes in the Sunshine State, as he does everywhere.

BUCKET B: Mr. Consistency

GAME MANAGER: Drew Benton has qualified for six straight Classics and seven of the last eight. Both of his Bassmaster wins have come in the spring, and he finished second at the Harris Chain in a 2022 Elite. He’s a safe bet anywhere, but especially in this part of the country at this time of year.

BACKUP PICK: The Classic didn’t turn out the way Jeff Gustafson wanted, but despite the fact that he’s known for his smallmouth expertise, Mr. Smeltinator has years of experience in Florida. He has a middling performance in Leesburg in 2022, but he rarely struggles multiple times in a row.

BUCKET C: The Grass Assassin

GAME MANAGER: Go somewhere with vegetation – from LaCrosse to Plattsburgh to the Potomac to, yes, Florida, and you’d be foolish not to consider Bryan Schmitt. He has years of fishing and excelling on this type of water, and he finished sixth in Leesburg in 2022. Between a flipping stick, a drop shot, a swim jig and those seven screens on his boat, he’ll find a way to catch ‘em.

BACKUP PICK: If there are any remaining bedders, expect Drew Cook to exploit them. Even if there aren’t, he always seems to find a way to end up in the money.

BUCKET D: K.I.S.S.

GAME MANAGER: Just pick John Cox. Put a few bags of Berkley Generals in his boat and he’ll use his decades of experience on the Harris Chain to get them all ripped up.

BACKUP PICK: If there’s a heavy-braid flipping bite, Greg Hackney will likely make the Harris Chain’s bass pay. Random note: He fished a Bassmaster event on the Harris Chain before Trey McKinney was born.

BUCKET E: The Rebound

GAME MANAGER: If you’re in Bucket E, you had some early-season struggles, and one angler who doesn’t take that lightly is Mike Iaconelli. Several of his best events since returning to the Elites have been in Florida and/or in the late spring. If he has to junk fish or finesse fish he’ll figure something out.

BACKUP PICK: If they’re eating a swim jig somewhere – and they’re always eating a swim jig somewhere – Will Davis Jr. can find it. He may be able to get some critical points before the tour heads to his home state later this season.