From the sounds around the Bassmaster Elite Series tournament briefing night, catching big fish won’t be a problem…but catching a limit may be. The weather has been a problem as a cold front has surrounded this area over the last week and water temps are in the 50’s, not to mention the wind (and the direction it blows) will be a big factor this week.
So here are some pro’s that other anglers have their eyes on and some input on the AOY race.
Brandon Palaniuk
- “This is not a typical smallmouth fishery and is definitely what I expected. It’s really hard to pick specific anglers because I could see anyone catching a big bag. It is fishing really wide open.”
- His thoughts on the AOY race: “It’s Hackney’s to lose and he has put in the time and focus this year to seal the deal.”
Brett Hite
- “Brandon Palaniuk, Mark Davis and Aaron Martens are all good smallmouth fishermen and when push comes to shove, I think they will rise to the top.”
- His thoughts on the AOY race: “Hackney has a 15-point lead and I think that is a deficit that will be hard to overcome this week.”
Casey Scanlon
- Mike McClelland: “I think someone who is good with a jerkbait like Mike McClelland will thrive this week.”
- Aaron Martens: “When you think smallmouth and drop shotting, you think of Martens.”
- Greg Hackney: “He has been fishing so well this year and I think he keeps it up.”
- His thoughts on the AOY race: “I’m not gonna call that one, but I will say that Greg has been hard to beat.”
Davy Hite
- Aaron Martens: “He is great at catching smallmouth, but it’s fishing weird right now, so anything can happen.”
- His thoughts on the AOY race: “Hackney has had the good karma all year, but this is Aaron’s territory so it’s a tough choice.”
Alton Jones
- Ott Defoe: “He figures out a way to grind them out everywhere.”
- Brandon Palaniuk: “He is a good fisherman on the Great Lakes and fantastic with smallmouth.”
- Greg Hackney: “His momentum is outstanding this year even at Chickamauga, which wasn’t even for points.”
- His thoughts on the AOY race: “Hackney. Plain and simple. His momentum is big this year.”
Clifford Pirch
- Aaron Martens: “I really do think he could do well here and change with the conditions.”
- “I can’t pin down specific anglers, but the spinnerbait fishermen should do well because it could come down to covering a lot of water.”
- His thoughts on the AOY race: “I’d say the door is still pretty wide open out here.”
Cliff Crochet
- Himself: “Don’t be surprised if I come in with 20 pounds or just one good fish. Who knows out here.”
- Greg Hackney: “Confidence and motivation are big!”
- Aaron Martens/Morizo Shimizu: “Any deep water finesse fisherman could do well, but these two come to mind.”
- His thoughts on the AOY race: “Greg Hackney, but 15 points is very doable. His momentum will prevail. I think Todd Faircloth will win an AOY title sometime because he definitely deserves one too.”
Andy Montgomery
- Aaron Martens: “One of the best drop shot anglers out there!”
- His thoughts on the AOY race: “I don’t know, it’s so hard to tell. Getting to your fish could be challenging and so that throws a wrench into everything.”