Fantasy: Young smallie guys will do the trick

One trend I’ve noticed is young smallmouth anglers doing well on the Great Lakes. Jonathon VanDam and Brandon Palaniuk are prime examples,

It appears the summer is creeping past us and the Bassmaster Elite Series is winding down. I remember waiting what seemed like an eternity for the season to begin, and now we have three events left before the AOY Championship in the great state of Wisconsin.

The Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing season is moving closer to the end as well, so time to put up or shut up. Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing. Insert next sports cliché here.

We’ve had a little break since the last few events and now it is time to get after it again.

Without much ado or fanfare, here is what I am thinking, feeling, seeing, hearing and I guess hoping will happen on the St. Lawrence. I have a mix of safety and ground to be made up. I am sitting in roughly 2000th place so I need to climb some more for sure.

Bucket A: Pirch

Aaron Martens and Kevin VanDam are getting 52 percent of the votes for the entire bucket. It’s hard to argue with either pick.

VanDam is back in Bucket A where he belongs and Martens is challenging for the AOY. I’m not sure if that motivates these guys to play it safer or to swing for the fences, but I think the latter for both of these two.

However, I am leaning toward Clifford Pirch. Pirch has shown he is at home in deep, clear water, and he should excel in this event as well. Plus, at 2.5 percent and a Top 10 the last time the Elite Series was here, I am confident he will do well. Pirch is my pick for A.

Stats say Jacob Powroznik is safe. Powroznik has only finished worse than 40th two times out of 20. That includes 11 Top 20s and seven Top 10s. That is pretty hard to argue with, and he has some success on other Northern smallmouth waters as well. Ownership as of this writing is 4.3 percent. If I happen to get cold feet at the last minute with Pirch, Powroznik is who I will pick.

Gut says: If you are looking for a safer long shot, go to Shaw Grigsby. Despite being from Florida, Grigsby has shown a penchant for being able to catch smallmouth on a variety of occasions.

Maggie says: Edwin Evers (not KVD for once).

Sam says: Maggie made a mistake and KVD is the way to go.

Bucket B: J. VanDam

All of the love here (63 percent) is going to Mike Iaconelli and Jonathon VanDam.

I like the JVD love, not sold on the Ike love. VanDam has a history of strong finishes on the Great Lakes fish, and I expect that to continue. Even with the 25 percent ownership, I feel better taking a flyer on some lower percentage guys hoping JVD performs as he has in past events where smallmouth will play.

Gut says: Bernie Schultz in this one. Not sure why. He did do well here last time and made a big jump from Day 1 to Day 2.

Maggie says: A voice in her head said “pick me” when she saw James Niggemeyer, so take that to the bank.

Sam says: Ike will “never give up!” Pick Ike.

Bucket C: Kennedy

Brandon Palaniuk is getting all of the love here, and I get it. He won here last time and he does well on smallmouth waters.

Palaniuk is a good pick for this bucket for sure. But I see some other solid choices as well. Mark Davis and Josh Bertrand come to mind. Steve Kennedy averages about one Top 10 every four events, and the last time he had a Top 10 was the last time in Waddington.

I am going with Kennedy and his 3 percent ownership. Palaniuk does not have access to the water he fished last time; otherwise, I would likely go that direction. If the angler you choose beats Palaniuk, you gain on 50 percent of the players, and that is why I am picking Kennedy.

Gut says: Mark Davis. He made a big jump last time from Day 1 to Day 2, which tells me he figured something out.

Maggie says: David Mullins is due because Mount Carmel (where he lives in Tennessee) sounds delicious and cool.

Sam says: Mike McClelland because he knows him.

Bucket D: Feider

This bucket has been my nemesis all year. I think I will take another stab in the dark. If this were the first or second event of the year, I would be all over Todd Faircloth or Randall Tharp, but they have had off years. I expect them both to do well the rest of the year and likely have bounce-backs next year.

However, one trend I’ve noticed is young smallmouth anglers doing well on the Great Lakes. Jonathon VanDam and Palaniuk are prime examples, and that is why I am going with Seth Feider. I feel like this is the event he may have been waiting for all year.

Gut says: Tommy Biffle and his Biffle Bug may do some damage here.

Maggie says: Morizo Shimizu.

Sam says: Randall Tharp.

Bucket E: Pipkens

In sticking with my young up-and-comers and the ability to catch smallmouth, I am taking brown fish specialist Chad Pipkens. He excels on the Great Lakes and, with the other chances I am taking in higher buckets, I like Pipkens at 19 percent ownership. This seems clearer to me than the other buckets. Mueller had a good finish here in the past, but it was not against the likes of these guys.

Gut says: Kevin Hawk is due to make a run in one of these events.

Maggie says: Kevin Hawk. When asked why, she stated “I don’t know.” Seems like solid advice.

Sam says: Say “Pick Pipkens” fast five times, and that is his pick.

Good luck! Should be a fun event.