PALATKA, Fla. — Who are the best choices of Elite Anglers to be sitting atop your Fantasy Fishing Team?
If you ask the Elite Anglers getting ready to fish the St. Johns River Showdown, then you better have Terry Scroggins and Alton Jones on your team. Bassmaster.com polled a sampling of Elite Anglers during registration on the three anglers who are must-haves on their Fantasy Fishing Team, and why they would pick them. These are their answers.
Pete Ponds
Terry Scroggins “Because he lives here.”
Alton Jones “He’s one of the best sight fishermen in the world and that will be a factor in this event.”
Pete Ponds “ I have to pick myself. I feel good about this event and I’m going to catch them here. You watch.”
Mark Menendez
Terry Scroggins “He’s going to know the key areas and it’s not if he wins, but by how much.”
Cliff Prince “He’s a local.”
Greg Hackney “He’s a hard working boy.”
Brent Chapman
Brent Chapman “I’m picking me because I need a win.”
Alton Jones “Sight fishing will be a factor and I know what he has been doing in practice.”
Kevin VanDam “He didn’t have that good of a Classic and he’s going to use that as fuel for this event.”
Kenyon Hill
Terry Scroggins ”He’s the man down here and he’d be the only one on my team … period.”
(Hill, picked Scroggins three times and wouldn’t offer any other anglers.)
Alton Jones
Alton Jones “I’d rather not say why.”
Terry Scroggins “More post-spawn fish this year vs. last year and he will know where they’re going.”
Dean Rojas “If anyone can maximize a sight fishing tournament it’s him.”
Dean Rojas
Terry Scroggins “He’s a local and he knows the water better than most.”
Cliff Prince “Also a local angler.”
Edwin Evers ”He won here last year, so he has to be in my top three.”
Keith Poche
Terry Scroggins ”He’s a local stick.”
Cliff Prince “Also a local.”
Keith Poche “If I don’t think I can win, I might as well stay at the house.”
Jamie Horton
Terry Scroggins “I’m going with the majority vote on this one.”
Alton Jones “He caught them here last year and he is one of the best sight fishermen here.”
Steve Kennedy “He just recently told me he was going to catch them so I’ll go with him.”
The majority of Elite Anglers are convinced that local knowledge is going to be a crucial piece of the puzzle in this event. Sight fishing will take its course as well as a post-spawn pattern so choose wisely. Don’t forget that in Fantasy it’s always important to expect the unexpected!
Remember to update your team here.