After the first Elite event of the year at the St. Johns River, 274 T-H Marine Bassmaster Pick ‘Em Challenger players were a perfect 7-0, besting my 6-1 week. I wondered how long it would take until there were no perfect pickers, kinda like the Perfect Bracket contest they have going in that “Other” big event this week. Well, after Okeechobee, there are just two! Maybe this game is a little tougher than I thought!
I went 5-2 at the Big O, leaving me at 11-3 through 2 events, which doesn’t sound bad, until you realize that 317 contestants are ahead of me. On the other hand, the 11 points put me in the 97th percentile, so that makes me feel a bit better.
So, now it’s time to pick the Classic match ups, and let me say right off the top, I have nothing to do with setting up these pairings. Those that do have come up with a downright diabolical set of pairings, but I’m here to help you, so let’s get to it.
In Match 1, it’s a Texas Pick ‘em between a Californian and a Nebraskan who are now Texans. Ben Milliken and Chris Zaldain are both big bait guys…Milliken more with the glide baits, while Zaldain loves him a giant swimbait, many of which are of his own design. I’m going to hedge a bit on this one. Milliken will catch the biggest fish, but Zaldain, who has fished Ray Roberts more than anyone in the field, will have the bigger bag when it’s all over.
In Match 2, we have the last two Bassmaster Classic champs, Jeff Gustafson and Justin Hamner. Gussy is great on the scope, while Hamner, who I was actually in the boat with the first time I saw Livescope, loves him a Jerkbait. This is another tough match, but I’ll take Rammer Jammer Yellow Hamner here to edge the Canadian out.
Match 3 pits a couple of young guns up (Aren’t they all?), Jay Przekurat and Trey McKinney, Two former Rookie of the Year winners. Both from North of the Mason-Dixon line, and both destined for stardom, but in this spot, I will take McKinney, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see both of these guys in the Super 6 late Sunday afternoon.
In Match 4, it’s a couple of Auburn guys duking it out in a March Madness of their own. Jordan Lee was kinda at the beginning of the Auburn dynasty with brother Matt, and Logan Parks kept it going with Tucker Smith, who is a Rookie Elite this year. The glaring difference between these two guys is that little Back to Back Classic run Lee went on a few years ago. Experience means a lot at this event, and I’ll take the experience Jordan Lee brings to the table…
Match 5 finds a couple of my B.A.S.S. Nation Brothers, Blake Capps and Connor Jacob. To be honest, I don’t know a ton about these guys, but I do know that Jacob is another Auburn guy, so he’s the pick here.
I wondered how long it would be before we got a battle between the Johnston brothers, and it happens here in Match 6 with Cory and Chris facing off. Making this more difficult is the fact that these guys approach professional fishing like a NASCAR team, sharing intel and earnings along the way. But make no mistake, they are highly competitive, and I’m going with the older brother, Cory, to edge Chris here.
And in our final match, it’s Patrick Walters and Scott Martin. Walters has had some incredible success in Texas while Martin is driven to finish some unfinished family business. It’s going to have to wait just a bit longer, as Walters is one of my favorites to hoist the Ray Scott Trophy when the confetti falls! Enjoy the Classic!
