OKEECHOBEE, Fla. — Ott DeFoe of Knoxville, Tenn., was the highest producing Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing selection at the second Elite Series Event of the season. This was his second Top 12 this year, and the 31-year-old pro is currently leading the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year race.
This was the second event in a row where the tournament champion was in Bucket E. At Cherokee Lake it was Indiana native Jacob Wheeler, at Okeechobee Tim Horton was crowned champion. Plus, there were plenty of surprises regarding who did well and who did not.
Nobody picked the perfect team, but “Cblasius” was very close having earned 1,471 points and winning this event. “Cblasius” missed one angler by only a few places. He chose Dean Rojas, who finished ninth, when Fletcher Shryock would have made his team perfect.
Cblasius’s selections:
Bucket A: Ott Defoe, 340 points
B: Bobby Lane, 272
C: Greg Hackney, 280
D: Dean Rojas, 264
E: Timmy Horton, 315
Total: 1,471
“MikeK950” is currently leading the 2017 Fantasy Fishing season with a total of 2,953 points after a solid week in Okeechobee.
MikeK950’s team:
Bucket A: Randall Tharp, 225 points
B: Bobby Lane, 272
C: Greg Hackney, 280
D: Jeff Kriet, 245
E: Cliff Prince, 290
Total: 1,312
Okeechobee’s perfect team:
Bucket A: Ott DeFoe, 340 points
B: Bobby Lane, 272
C: Greg Hackney, 280
D: Fletcher Shryock, 285
E: Timmy Horton, 315
Total: 1,492
BUCKET A: DEFOE
DeFoe kept his momentum rolling and missed winning by just under 2 pounds, but a stellar performance nonetheless. He earned his 3.3 percent ownership 340 points after finishing in second place.
The second best selection was Jason Williamson who is having a great start to his season currently in second place in the AOY race. Williamson earned his 0.1 percent ownership 268 points.
The worst pick in this bucket was Brandon Palaniuk who earned his 1.6 percent ownership only 65 points.
BUCKET B: B. LANE
Bobby Lane was an obvious pick, and his supporters knew it. He was the most selected angler in Bucket B and earned his 43.3 percent ownership 272 points after an impressive and expected seventh place finish.
The second best selection was Andy Montgomery who earned his 0.8 percent ownership 260 points with a solid 10th place finish.
The worst selection in Bucket B was Terry Scroggins, who was the second most chosen angler in the bucket. A surprising finish for the Florida native who earned his 16 percent ownership 71 points.
BUCKET C: HACKNEY
Greg Hackney continues to be dominant anywhere he can use a big jig in shallow water. He dominated this bucket with an impressive 42.4 percent ownership, which he earned his faithful supporters 280 points following a fifth place finish.
The second best selection in Bucket C was returning legendary crankbait angler David Fritts who earned his 1.4 percent ownership 241 points after a 17th place finish.
The worst selection in Bucket C was a very surprising Rick Clunn. Clunn won on the St. Johns River in Florida just a year ago, yet this time around he earned his 1.3 percent ownership 55 points.
BUCKET D: SHRYOCK
Shryock had a very impressive week in Florida earning his 4.9 percent ownership 285 points after finishing in fourth place.
The second best selection was Dave Lefebre who mounted an outstanding comeback after beginning Day 2 in 100 place, a dismal start. He cracked ‘em and earned his 3.4 percent ownership 276 points.
The worst pick in Bucket D was Jay Brainard who earned his 0.1 percent ownership only 57 points.
BUCKET E: HORTON
Bucket E kicked out a champion for the second time in a row this year. Okeechobee champion Tim Horton was crowned champion after a dominating performance having earned his 1.1 percent ownership 315 points.
The second best selection was Florida native Cliff Prince who finished in third place earning his 4.6 percent ownership 290 points
The worst selection in the final bucket was Takahiro Omori earning his 1.4 percent ownership only 59 points after finishing in 108th place.