WADDINGTON, N.Y. — If you’re going to listen to anyone about who to pick for the St. Lawrence, listen to the guy who’s been the best Fantasy Fishing pick in the last two tournaments.
Edwin Evers was the best choice for BASSfest and for Havasu. While that doesn’t necessarily mean he knows how to play Fantasy Fishing (he doesn’t play it, by the way), it does mean he can smash ’em when it counts, and he might have insight into who else can, as well.
We’ll start with the tiebreaker first, which is the winner’s weight.
“Well, the Canadian Bass Open will be going on at the same time,” said Evers, “and that’s 100 boats, so there will be lots of people on the water then. I’m going to go with 81 pounds, 12 ounces as the winning weight.”
And here are his picks, bucket by bucket.
Bucket A: Evers
Edwin Evers didn’t lead with picking himself. In fact, he chose five other pros before he said anything about himself. But he’s a competitor and he doesn’t ever bet on himself losing.
“I learned a lot there last time. I’d be putting my money on myself, of course,” said Evers, “but if I had to pick other guys, those are the ones I’d go for.”
The “those” he’s referring to are the following: Aaron Martens, Clifford Pirch, Jason Christie, Brent Ehrler and Kevin VanDam.
“Martens is going to do good,” said Evers. “He did really well there last time, and he’s a great drop shotter.
“Pirch also did well there last time, with a Top 10, I think, and he’s also a great drop shotter.
“Christie got in the Top 20 last time, had good bags, and he and Kevin VanDam were fishing the same water.
“And Kevin VanDam, how do you not pick him?”
Bucket B: Kriet
Evers first looked at Jonathon VanDam, Bernie Schultz, Tim Horton and Ken Iyobe as good options for Bucket B. “Iyobe seems to be catching ’em everywhere we go,” he said.
But he settled on Jeff Kriet.
“He’s trying super hard to get to the Classic with it being on Grand Lake. He’s a great smallmouth fisherman, he’s a great light-line fisherman, just a grinder. He’s always the best at fishing the fish and fishing a pattern.”
Bucket C: Klein
Want Evers’ sympathy on trying to pick from this bucket? You’ve got it.
“This is a lot tougher bucket than the others,” he said.
But a few bright stars in C are Josh Bertrand, Steve Kennedy and John Murray.
“Bertrand did well there last time, and Kennedy had the biggest bag. Murray did good, but he caught largemouth.”
Ultimately, Gary Klein was his pick.
“He’s a great, well-rounded angler,” said Evers. “He’s a great drop shotter, he’s great with electronics. I’ve got a lot of respect for him.”
Bucket D: Faircloth
Evers was immediately struck that Todd Faircloth was in Bucket D. (Anglers are assigned to buckets based on their standing in the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year race.)
“I can’t believe Todd’s that low,” said Evers. “He’s one of the best anglers all around. I’ve gotta go with him. He’ll turn it around.”
Alternate picks are Andy Montgomery and Cliff Prince.
“Montgomery is having a good season,” he said. “I’ve gotta think he’s gonna catch ’em fairly well.
“Prince always seems to be around ’em, and he can catch ’em.”
Bucket E: Mueller
Evers picked three guys in Bucket E, but he settled on rookie Paul Mueller.
“Yusuke Miyazaki would be a good one,” said Evers. “I think he caught them really well last time we were there.
“Chad Pipkens is another. He did well there last time, and he’s good on smallies.
“It would be a toss-up for me between Pipkens and Mueller, but I’d lean toward Paul. He’s from up that way, and he probably has had a lot of time on that water.”
Set your team now for the Evan Williams Bourbon Bassmaster Elite at the St. Lawrence River!