
The first Elite Series event is looming near and as always the 2025 season will undoubtedly bring its fair share of opportunities and challenges. Not only does this go for the anglers but you as a Fantasy player to either continue success or redeem yourself from disappointing past seasons.
When looking to predict anglers that will do well, the first event can be increasingly tricky. No one has a momentum advantage, and everyone is coming out of the off-season differently, whether they kept fishing regularly or took some sort of break. There is also the addition of 10 new rookies who will be looking to prove themselves at the highest level. Regardless, each angler will be striving to start the 2025 season strong, however, the St. Johns River can be a fickle beast. The weights in the past have been all across the board and now that we are back on the river in February there is still the imminent threat of the dreaded Florida cold front. Whatever the situation is this go around, the anglers will still find a way.
Below are the picks I’m going with for this year’s battle in Palatka.
BUCKET A: CORY JOHNSTON
Yeah, yeah Cory Johnston won last year on the St Johns, easy pick. While that doesn’t hurt, last year’s victory isn’t the full basis for this selection in a very stacked Bucket A. The Johnstons have both found success on the St. Johns for years and while the river has never been the same both Chris and Cory Johnson have found a way. My pick of Cory is backed up by stats from the 2021 and 2022 events that were both in February. Cory Johnston finished 17th in both of those events. Pretty good average if you ask me.
Solid secondary selection: Easton Fothergill– With the kind of hot streak Fothergill is carrying over from his Opens AOY season and beyond, it’s hard to bet against him even at the Elite level. While less experienced on the St Johns than most of the field, look for Fothergill to be a threat in his first event in the big leagues.
BUCKET B: BLAYLOCK
Stetson Blaylock has a great track record for getting the year started strong and many times St Johns has been one of those first events of the year. Blacklock is a fantastic pre-spawn fisherman and is also very talented at bed fishing if this year’s event comes down to that. In his last 4 visits, he’s clinched a Top 20 and two Top 10s.
Solid secondary selection: Drew Cook– While Drew Cook stumbled a bit last year when the Elites visited the St Johns in April his recent trips in February have produced a 9th and 23rd. If there is a strong warming trend, Cook is one to watch when bed fish are involved.
BUCKET C: DOWNEY
The St Johns has produced a couple of Bob Downey’s best finishes including a close second in 2022. Downey also ended last season on a hot streak after missing Harris Chain for the birth of his child. Even by missing an event Downey still nearly qualified for the Classic. Look for Downey to try and start this season on a high note as he will be extra hungry to make it into the Classic cut.
Solid secondary selection: Greg Hackney– Hackney is one of those guys who can usually figure something out in any situation. The St Johns in the past has also been very good to him as he’s made two Top 10s in the past three visits. No matter the weather trend Hackney is likely to find something prominent.
BUCKET D: WAGNER
A little shot in the dark here, but one I believe could be a good bet. From what I can tell Emil Wagner doesn’t have a ton of experience on the St Johns however being from Georgia he’s not too terribly far away. Wagner calls Lake Lanier home and is very good at fishing structure such as stumps and brush. There happens to be a few stumps in some areas of the St. Johns.
Solid secondary selection: Logan Latuso – The third-year pro has only made one trip to St Johns on the Elites and it turned out to be his second-highest finish so far. He has also had success on other Florida fisheries and usually excels fishing shallow water cover.
BUCKET E: EBARE
Although Dakota Ebare is a rookie on the Elite Series, he’s far from a rookie in every other sense. He is a very versatile angler who should be able to adjust to whatever conditions presents itself. While not much experience on the St. Johns, the state of Florida has been good to him in the past, and Ebare’s adaptability should allow him a good chance to start his Elite career with a bang.
Solid secondary selection: John Crews– Crews doesn’t always have the best finishes on the St Johns, but 2022 proved that he knows how to win on the river. That win was also the last time the Elites were there in February. Can Crews find his grove from 2022?
Falcon Rods Bassmaster Drain the Lake Challenge
• Drew Benton
• Stetson Blaylock
• John Cox
• John Crews
• Bob Downey
• Logan Latuso
• Clifford Pirch
• Brad Whatley