As predicted, the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Santee Cooper Lakes was an absolute slugfest. Drew Cook and Caleb Kuphall both earned a Century Club belt with 105-5 and 103-1 respectably, as Brandon Palaniuk and Luke Palmer were both within 5 pounds of reaching the mark.
Given the way the tournament played out, it’s not hard to believe who the best Rapala Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing picks were in this event. Historically good sight fisherman and shallow water power fisherman proved to be the best move.
Let’s get into the best and worst Fantasy Picks at Santee Cooper Lakes.
Having a hard time remembering to set your Fantasy team? Sign up for the new text alert feature! Haven’t created a Fantasy Fishing account yet? No problem! Sign up and play for free at BassmasterFantasy.com. Players win prizes at each specific event and there are prizes for overall winners at the end of the season as well. You can still play the remainder of the season even if you missed out on the earlier events.
The overall winner of the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Santee Cooper Lakes was one of Bassmaster’s very own and host of Bassmaster Live, Tommy Sanders (“tsan”), who selected four of the five picks that would have made up the perfect roster. Overall Rank: No. 1, Total Points 1,392.
BUCKET A: Drew Cook
BUCKET B: Bryan New
BUCKET C: KJ Queen
BUCKET D: Luke Palmer
BUCKET E: Stephen Kennedy
The perfect Fantasy Fishing roster for the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Santee Cooper Lakes would have been:
BUCKET A: Drew Cook
BUCKET B: Brandon Cobb
BUCKET C: KJ Queen
BUCKET D: Luke Palmer
BUCKET E: Stephen Kennedy
Total: 1414
BUCKET A: COOK
Drew Cook fished to his strengths to win his first Bassmaster Elite Series event after coming close on numerous occasions. The Florida native sight fished his way to scoring 320 points while being selected by 2.8% of players.
Second best selection: Fishing nearby Drew Cook was Cory Johnston, who was the second-best selection in Bucket A. Johnston also sight fished and scored 280 points for the 5.1% of players who selected him.
Lowest scoring angler: Micah Frazier got out to a blazing hot start in the first two Elite Series events, but never got it going at Santee Cooper Lakes. The Georgia pro only scored 91 points and was selected by 0.9% of players.
BUCKET B: COBB
After a disappointing showing at the 2022 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk on his home body of water, Brandon Cobb bounced back with a Top 10 finish at Santee Cooper Lakes. The South Carolina native scored 276 points and was selected by 9.8% of players.
Second best selection: Greg Hackney did what he does best at Santee Cooper Lakes by power fishing in shallow water. The Louisiana pro was the second highest selected angler in Bucket B at 15.9% and scored 268 points.
Lowest scoring angler: Despite his history of success in shallow water events, Bill Lowen was the lowest scoring angler in Bucket B. The Elite Series veteran scored 101 points while being selected by 1.6% of players.
BUCKET C: QUEEN
Bucket C proved to be the trickiest Bucket to choose from, but second year Elite pro KJ Queen was the best pick. The North Carolina native sight fished his way to scoring 245 points and was selected by 3.3% of players.
Second best selection: Just behind KJ Queen was Elite Series rookie Joseph Webster. The Alabama native scored 243 points and was selected by only 0.3% of players.
Lowest scoring angler: Despite being the highest selected angler in the Bucket, Jason Christie never got it dialed in at Santee Cooper Lakes. Coming fresh off of his Bassmaster Classic victory, the Oklahoma pro only scored 89 points for the 29.5% of players who selected him.
BUCKET D: KUPHALL
Caleb Kuphall fell just short of hoisting another blue trophy over his head after an incredible comeback on Championship Monday. The Wisconsin native scored 295 points and was selected by 0.8% of players.
Second best selection: After a great showing at the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk, Luke Palmer kept the momentum rolling with a fourth-place finish at Santee Cooper Lakes. The Oklahoma pro scored 325 points while being selected by 12.6% of players.
Lowest scoring angler: Elite Series rookie Matty Wong never got it going at Santee Cooper Lakes. Wong only scored 87 points while being selected by 1.3% of players.
BUCKET E: KENNEDY
With a 14th-place finish, Steve Kennedy was the best pick in Bucket E. The Alabama pro scored 248 points and was selected by 20.7% of players.
Second best selection: Skylar Hamilton got back on track at Santee Cooper Lakes with a Top 20 finish. The Tennessee native scored 239 points while being selected by 0.7% of players.
Lowest scoring angler: Despite a solid finish at Santee Cooper Lakes back in 2020, Frank Talley didn’t get a solid pattern going this time around. The Texan scored 95 points and was selected by 1.1% of players.
