Fantasy: Who Skeet Reese would pick for the Sacramento River

Skeet Reese has expertise on the Sacramento River and also knows the Bassmaster Elite Series pros extremely well, so he might do better at predicting the top pros on this water than anyone else could.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Skeet Reese just got through showing the world (for the second time) that this California boy can win on Alabama waters.

Now, he gets to go back to his turf and compete on the waters he grew up on.

The veteran pro has expertise on the Sacramento River and also knows the Bassmaster Elite Series pros extremely well, so he might do better at predicting the top pros on this water than anyone else could. He has offered up his Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing picks for the rest of us.

Bucket A: Monroe, Zaldain

When it comes to Bucket A, Reese went straight to Ish Monroe’s name.

“Definitely Ish,” said Reese.

“And Chris Zaldain will be a good pick,” he added.

“What about you?” I asked. It’s always funny to listen to the pros trying to decide if they should choose themselves or not.

“Well, I can’t pick myself!”

“Why not?”

“It just seems … rude,” he answered.

“You know the fishery, you’re doing well, you’ll be at home,” I said. “Randy Howell once told me that if you don’t pick yourself, it shows you don’t have confidence. It’s not rude or arrogant; it’s self-confident.”

“OK, then I guess I’ll pick myself,” he finally said.

With that out of the way, I pointed out that he had only picked California guys. Anyone else?

“Yeah, Justin Lucas and Aaron Martens, too.”

“But they grew up in California,” I said. “So you basically have made five picks in Bucket A, all of whom started in California. Do you have to have grown up there to ‘get it’? What’s the advantage?”

“It’s about understanding areas, tides, presentations,” said Reese. “The minor details could be important here.”

So there you have it. Pick California guys for A, says Reese.

Bucket B: Morgenthaler, Ehrler

In Bucket B, Reese chose Chad Morgenthaler first.

“He’s fishing well and he’s fishing confident,” said Reese. “Whether he’ll be a Top 10er or not, I don’t know. But he’s fishing well enough to get a check and maybe a Top 25.”

And the one California guy in the bucket got Reese’s vote, too.

“Brent Ehrler knows the Delta better than most of that group,” said Reese. “He’ll be a strong pick. He’s a wise choice any time.”

Greg Hackney has had Top 10 finishes the last two times the Elite Series was on the Delta.

“The spot he caught them in last time is probably dry,” said Reese. “I don’t know if he can get in there.” That doesn’t mean not to pick the reigning Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year; just don’t look at his stats there and assume he can just repeat the same finish.

Reese struggled between Bill Lowen and Chris Lane. Both are really good and would do well on the Sacramento River, he said.

Ultimately, he picked Lane.

“It fits his style of fishing,” said Reese. “Plus, he wants to redeem himself after Guntersville.”

Bucket C: B. Hite, Evers

Brett Hite is already the most popular pick in Bucket C by far, and Reese confirmed that’s for good reason.

“Hite is definitely a strong choice in that bucket,” said Reese. “The prespawn and spawn fish will still be there, and he’s the Chatterbait king. He’ll be in there with confidence.”

Edwin Evers is another good pick, more because of his attitude than his prowess on this particular body of water.

“He’s hungry right now,” said Reese. “He wants to prove himself. He could be a factor.” That’s not surprising based on the fact that he’s the second-most popular pick in Bucket C right now.

Reese also went with Dennis Tietje.

“He’s a Louisiana Delta rat,” said Reese. “I think he can understand the type of fishing there. I don’t know if he’ll be a Top 5er or not, but we’ll see.”

Bucket D: Klein, Browning

“Gary Klein is a good bet to do well here,” said Reese. “He’s got some history there. Plus, he’s good friends with the Godfather of Flippin’, Dee Thomas, so he knows all about that.”

Stephen Browning would be a good pick, too.

“He understood it last time,” said Reese, referring to his two Top 10s there the last two times the Elite Series visited. “I think he could do well. He’s got confidence going in there.”

And Bobby Lane would be another good choice.

“This sets up well for the Florida guys,” said Reese. “There will be tules and grass and shallow power fishing.”

Bucket E: Lintner, Murray

“Jared Lintner is definitely No. 1 for me,” said Reese. “He’s a hammer on the Delta.”

But don’t forget John Murray.

“He has 40 years on the Delta,” Reese said. “He has an understanding of the where and the when out there.”

Fred Roumbanis is another good pick.

“He’s a California kid, grew up fishing the Delta,” said Reese. “He’ll be great there, from frogging to flipping.”

Tiebreaker:

Reese thought long and hard about what the winning weight would be. He ultimately came up with 86 pounds, 10 ounces.

Should you listen to him? Probably. He guessed 89 for Guntersville and was off only 3 pounds, when multiple anglers thought the weight would bust 100.