Fantasy: Pick finesse

Choose the less-picked pros who have shown promise on Northern fisheries.

ESCANABA, Mich. — This week is something different for the Bassmaster Elite Series. The Top 50 anglers in the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings will compete in the final event of the season with two major achievements yet undecided: AOY title and Classic berths.

Three anglers still hope to claim the Angler of the Year title (Greg Hackney, Aaron Martens and Todd Faircloth) while at least a dozen anglers teeter on the edge of 2015 Bassmaster Classic qualification, depending on where the final line is drawn. No one knows what will prevail, but here are some choices for your Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing team that I think deserve a look or two.

Bucket A

Take Mark Davis…

…but keep an eye on Aaron Martens.

Something can be said for Mark Davis’ remarkable start to the 2014 season, but his midseason drought set him back. However, he is coming off a Top 12 at Cayuga and proved to be a great finesse fisherman when it comes to smallmouth fisheries.

Last season, Davis finished second place on Lake St. Clair to end the season. I could see a similar result this go-round and maybe Davis can get the victory that slightly evaded him early this season.

To say that Aaron Martens is a favorite pick of this event is an understatement. Time-in and time-out, he has excelled when the Elites head North to smallmouth waters. He is probably the best finesse fisherman ever to fish in the Elite Series. The only reason he isn’t my initial choice is because 32.2 percent of Fantasy Fishing teams chose Martens, while Davis was a safe/cheap option at only 6.1 percent.

Bucket B

Take John Crews…

…but keep an eye on Chris Lane.

John Crews has been a familiar pick for me this season, and his consistency on diverse waters is noted. He has cashed a check in all but three events — and even in those, he still finished in the 50s. Most anglers would welcome the season this Virginia angler is having. He is a good finesse fisherman, and whether he is targeting largemouth, spotted bass or smallmouth, he is a consistent bet everywhere the Elites travel.

Chris Lane won the final event last season on Lake St. Clair and, even though he is known as a power fisherman from the South, he isn’t afraid to pick up a spinning rod and land quality fish. Most recently he did so on the Delaware River when he had a magical final day to vault up the leaderboard. Expect a good finish from the St. Johns River champion. He can swing for the fences because his Classic qualification is already secured.

Bucket C

Take Morizo Shimizu…

…but keep an eye on Brandon Palaniuk.

Morizo Shimizu is one of the most animated anglers on the water and at weigh-in. He gets excited catching big fish. I can see the Japanese angler catching some big smallmouth this week and possibly doing it in a different way than most anglers. If you recently checked out the photo gallery of inside Shimizu’s boat, then you know he has some baits that fish have never seen and that has truly helped him on the Elite Series. A low percentage buy is worth the minimal risk.

Brandon Palaniuk has made a name for himself in the “go big or go home” aspect of competitive bass fishing. Don’t forget the St. Lawrence River event when he made very long runs and risked it all to make it to the Bassmaster Classic. He made it, and in these events, he is never far from making a run at a victory.

Bucket D

Take Cliff Pirch…

…but keep an eye on Ott DeFoe.

Western angler Cliff Pirch has plenty of finesse experience and is good at finding quality schools of deep fish. I expect Pirch to have very consistent weights each day of this event.

Ott DeFoe competed in the Northern Open on Lake St. Clair last week and ended up weighing in mostly largemouth. If an angler could find a largemouth pattern and make it work in a predominantly smallmouth tournament, DeFoe can.

Bucket E

Take Chris Zaldain…

…but keep an eye on Casey Scanlon.

Chris Zaldain has been on a tear the last half of the season. Even after a slow start to the season, he was able to punch his ticket to the AOY championship event. Now, the Elites are heading to a smallmouth fishery, and that is where Zaldain can thrive. Like Palaniuk, he has a different mindset when it comes to making long runs and finding his own fish. He certainly found a honey hole at Cayuga, but he had to share that with one of the world’s best — Todd Faircloth. I expect Zaldain to make one heck of a charge to try and make it onto the Bassmaster Classic roster.

The secondary pick in Bucket E was a difficult choice, but I think Casey Scanlon could have a good showing in Michigan. Scanlon finished 17th on the St. Lawrence River last year, and he could do the same in this smallmouth factory.

Want to discuss your picks? Join the Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing group on Facebook.

Be sure to set your lineup by the time the pros launch on Sept. 18.