After an amazing season opener in Palatka, the Bassmaster Elite series convoy slides down south a bit to famed Lake Okeechobee . St. Johns River was unpredictable for many anglers and Fantasy players, myself included.
Bassmaster has visited Okeechobee in February the last two seasons, both won very differently. With the dramatic loss of vegetation over the last few years, the Big O has become less predictable than ever. In 2024, Scott Martin won by out dueling the crowds in a popular area, but in 2023 Tyler Rivet hoisted the blue trophy by having water off the main lake to himself. There can be safety in numbers in Florida, but sometimes doing your own thing can yield the ultimate reward but comes with the risk of falling on your face.
Less options for grass and limited offshore options will likely stack up the field into key areas and might make the Big O fish a bit small. Also the lack of submerged vegetation and higher water will make the water clarity much more volatile if we get strong winds during the event. It was good to see a few 30 pound bags cross the scale in mid February in a regional three day event, interestingly enough much of the Top 10 did well fishing in large groups but the event winner found some stuff to himself off the main lake.
On a positive note, the extended forecast shows steady warm weather into the competition days which should make for some very good fishing for shallow power water anglers. Should be pretty wide open from covering water with bladed jigs and weedless swimbaits to picking apart emergent vegetation with senkos and flipping baits for spawning and staging bass the anglers can’t see with their eyes.
BUCKET A: WALTERS
Warm Florida weather usually leads to Patrick Walters rocking his famous shorts and big bags. I think it is pretty likely that Walters is leading the Progressive Bassmaster AOY race after the Big O. He has all the tools to break down and attack Okeechobee and his last visit resulted in a 15th in 2023.
Bounce back angler
After missing Bassmaster Classic qualification last year, Brock Mosley appears to have his swagger back to start the 20th season of the Bassmaster Elite Series. Brock should find his comfort zone with a combo platter of moving baits and flipping at the Big O.
BUCKET B: SMITH
Scott Martin was the only thing in the way of Tucker Smith winning the 2024 Bassmaster Open EQ season opener. Smith is riding some momentum in Florida, look for more of the same this week from the young rookie.
Home away from home
Logan Latuso felt right at home in his rookie season when he finished 4th at Lake Okeechobee and has had several strong finishes in the sunshine state. If you want to pick an anger that will lock a big rod and braid in his hand Latuso might be your guy.
BUCKET C: MARTIN
While Clewiston’s favorite fishing son didn’t have the tournament he wanted in 2023 on the Big O, he made the hometown crowd proud winning the 2024 Bassmaster Open in record breaking fashion. Scott Martin has had his ups and downs at the St. Johns, so that creates immense value for fantasy players in Bucket C for this event.
Youth play
Both Paul Marks and Beau Browning missed the top 50 cut at St. Johns but they both notched Top 10s in the 2024 Big O Bassmaster Open. So if you want to ride the youth train, lock in with one of these promising rookies.
The Big O really seems to be setting up for how Hunter Shryock likes to fish, big weights on big rods in heavy cover is a sweet spot for Hunter. Hunter is also not afraid of sight fishing if that opportunity presents itself.
BUCKET D: WELCHER
I look for Kyle Welcher to have a bounce back event at Okeechobee where two seasons ago, he just barely missed a Top 10. Power fishing with big sticks and braids, look for Kyle to be in his comfort zone and he can use his FFS if needed as well.
Defending champ
If you are looking for another option, it is hard to overlook the defending Elite Champion Tyler Rivet from 2023. I would be shocked if can exploit the same area again, but Okeechobee fits Rivet’s style, so look for him to get his season back on track.
BUCKET E: FOTHERGILL
Rookie Easton Fothergill tripped up big time in his first event, a Florida tidal fishery can be a tough puzzle to crack, but I expect a major rebound for Easton at the Big O, where he opened the 2024 Bassmasters Opens with a 7th place finish.
Don’t expect a Sophomore Slide
Trey McKinney just notched his worst Bassmaster finish of his young career, after being ROY and challenging for AOY in 2024, I don’t expect Trey to be pickable in Bucket E for much of the season.
Falcon Rods Bassmaster Drain the Lake Challenge
Here we are in season five of the Bassmaster Drain the Lake Challenge. This additional Fantasy Fishing game not only offers a fresh way to play the game, but a completely separate prize pool. Drain the Lake is an elimination / survivor style game where you can only use an angler once all season.
For 2025 we will have 10 events and 104 anglers. You will need to use up 80 of the 104 anglers. Do you have any solid Florida anglers left after the first event?
Here is my Lake Okeechobee Drain the Lake roster:
Scott Martin
Beau Browning
Tucker Smith
Paul Mark
Will Davis, Jr
Steve Kennedy
Brad Whatley
Brandon Lester
