Fantasy Fishing: A much different Santee Cooper

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Arkansas

After an absolute slugfest at Lake Murray, the Elites head to the land of the giants for the sixth stop of the 2026 Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series season at the Yokohama Tire Bassmaster Elite at Santee Cooper Lakes. For a multitude of reasons, I am genuinely curious to see how this event plays out.

As we have seen in past Elite and Opens events in the past, both Lake Marion and Moultrie are some of the most target rich environments with endless shallow water cover like cypress trees, laydowns and shallow grass, but the insurgence of submerged grass has changed these fisheries. The preview story for this event that featured insights from local hammer, and 2024 Santee Cooper Open Champion Kyle Austin makes me believe that not only will this event be a heavyweight slugfest but will also feature a lot more offshore fishing than what we have seen in the past. The influx of grass certainly has a lot to do with that, but also the fact that we are here later in the year also plays into that.

As far as Fantasy Fishing picks go, I’m a picking anglers based on fishing strengths, history and even momentum.

Let’s get into it.

BUCKET A: COBB

Brandon Cobb is on a heater and currently finds himself sitting in third in the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year race. As a South Carolinian, Cobb has plenty of experience at Santee and has two Top 10 finishes in his last two Elite Series trips here. As we saw back in 2023, when Cobb gets on a roll, there’s not much that can stop him.

Solid secondary selection: The only downside to picking Brandon Cobb in Bucket A is that you must pick against current AOY leader Trey McKinney. That’s risky business these days.

BUCKET B: WELCHER

While Kyle Welcher doesn’t have any Top 10s at Santee Cooper to his Elite Series resume, he has finished inside the Top 50 in all three trips to this famed fishery. The 2023 Angler of the Year is incredibly versatile, so this event could play right into his hands. I could easily see Welcher sliding up shallow with a frog and mixing in an offshore gameplan as well to notch another solid finish.

Solid secondary selection: If you’re looking to play it safe, Patrick Walters is the clear choice in Bucket B as the true local to Santee and it shows with his 36.4% player percentage. The South Carolina pro has two top 20 finishes in three Elite trips to his home fishery.

BUCKET C: PALMER

Bucket C has plenty of excellent choices, but it’s hard to pick against Luke Palmer considering his history at this fishery. In three Elite events, the Oklahoma pro has a win, a 4th and 18th place finish. At a certain point, you start believing that anglers just feel comfortable on certain bodies of water regardless of what time of the year it is.

Solid secondary selection: If you weren’t impressed with Palmer’s track record at Santee, there’s no way you can deny what Brandon Palaniuk has done at this fishery. In three Elite Series events, Palaniuk has never finished outside of the Top 10. As I’m writing this, I’m already questioning my decision.

BUCKET D: HACKNEY

After a few tough events in a row, Greg Hackney got back on track at Murray with a 17th place finish and heads to a body of water that he has plenty of experience and a history of success. As Bob Downey suggested when making his Fantasy Fishing picks for Santee Cooper, Hackney has fished as many tour level events at Santee Cooper as anyone in the field which should be an advantage.

Solid secondary selection: If you’re looking for a lower player percentage pick, don’t overlook what Jacob Powroznik has done at Santee Cooper in the past.

BUCKET E: BROWNING

The presence of submerged grass makes me believe that Beau Browning will find an offshore chatterbait bite and be able to compliment that with a shallow water bank pattern as well. A lot of my picks are relatively high percentage this week, but I’m going with my gut in Bucket E. The Arkansas pro sits at just a 1.5% player percentage.

Solid secondary selection: John Cox not making a 50 cut through five Elite events may be the most surprising stat of the season to this point. The Florida pro has been within seven spots of the cut in three consecutive events, but I wouldn’t expect that to continue at Santee Cooper.