I am a bass/B.A.S.S. junkie. I read and watch anything I can on our sport, and I am super excited for the Classic and all the Fantasy Fishing fun that is to follow. With Wisconsin water frozen, I get to research and talk bass fishing in our offseason while I tinker, retie, read, daydream, re-spool, reorganize, and watch every fishing show I can, looking for that next tip or technique to try … in a few months.
I also research my Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing picks. So this is my opportunity to try and drop some knowledge on you and hopefully help you out. I didn’t win anything last year, but I did finish in 16th place overall, so I might be blessed with a little skill — or a lot of luck.
I am attacking the Classic as an individual event. The points do not carry, so there is no need to gamble to try and make up ground. The scoring is the same as last year: The daily leader gets a five-point bonus, and big bass and big bag of the tournament each get 40 bonus points, which can lead to a huge points edge. J.J. Patton, last year’s Classic winner in Fantasy Fishing, had three daily leader bonuses and the big bag bonus for 55 bonus points. Picking four of the Top 5 guys did not hurt, either.
The two main things I like to consider are past lake history/results and momentum. Greg Hackney showed last year how far momentum can carry you. Trust your gut, too; that uneasy feeling when you go to select a competitor may not just be the jalapeño poppers talking.
Lastly, I do my picks with my 8-year-old daughter, Maggie, pictured at right. She has the bass fishing bug bad, too, and she keeps my head loose for these life-altering decisions.
So after multiple hours — no, make that multiple days — of painstaking research, here is how I see it.
Bucket A: Faircloth
I love this bucket. All of these guys could or should be picked for various reasons. My heart says pick the “Silent Assassin” Todd Faircloth, who has a tendency to catch big bass. Fun fact: Faircloth is the only angler to be in the Top 10 in each of the last five Classics. Look it up. He is my guy to win it all.
Gut check: Aaron Martens or a Greg Hackney. We know of all the seconds Martens has. A Hackney pick would be based on pure momentum, and he was fifth here last time and the jig bite won it.
Maggie: “Just pick Mark Davis, duh.”
Bucket B: Ashley
Clearly, Casey Ashley is the pick here. He won on Hartwell last year by 15 pounds, and he has tons of history on Hartwell and down the river on Clarks Hill. He knows what to do in a blueback herring lake and should be at or near the top when the dust settles.
Gut check: Randall Tharp.
Maggie: “Yes, Dad, pick Randall Tharp.”
Bucket C: B. Hite
Brett Hite is taking this bucket for me. In three Tour-level events on Hartwell from 2011, 2012 and 2014, Hite went 23rd, 10th and sixth in those events, respectively. I see a trend here. These were early spring events as well.
Gut check: Watch Mike Iaconelli as he excels in a pattern event where he can run similar water all over this nook-and-cranny-filled lake.
Maggie: “Pick Edwin Evers, obviously.”
Bucket D: B. Lane
I clearly see “Big Fish” Bobby Lane winning this bucket. He was fourth at the last Hartwell Classic, and he had a 12th-place finish down the river on Clarks Hill in 2010. Plus, big fish gets bonus points and that’s what they call him, so …
Gut check: Paul Mueller. Does 32 pounds, 3 ounces mean anything? Plus, I picked Paul Mueller last year and he delivered.
Maggie: “Just pick Cliff Prince.”
Bucket E: Wheeler
Not sure why he is in this bucket, but Jacob Wheeler is taking it. He is young, but his upside is unlimited as we saw at BASSfest last year. He also finished 20th on Hartwell in a Tour-level event last spring.
Gut check: Shin Fukae.
Maggie: “Jacob Wheeler.”
Now that we have the Classic picks figured out I have one last quick note looking ahead. 2015 has so many amazing storylines to follow. Another huge influx of “rookie” anglers with tons of credibility, like Brent Ehrler (is he really going to be considered a rookie?), Brandon Coulter, Koby Kreiger and others; the arrival of the Lee brothers on tour; and more international flavor with Japanese angler Ken Iyobe. Plus, the female viewership will go up 50 percent just to listen to Carl Jocumsen talk on stage in his Australian accent. Just ask my wife, Tricia.
And, last but not least, the return of Mark Menendez, which is a great thing for our sport. Welcome back, Mark!