I don’t really consider myself to be a highly competitive guy, but when B.A.S.S. Executive Editor for Digital Kyle Jessie asked me to be a Fantasy Fishing pundit this year, I figured why not? It’s an easy chance to beat the pants off last year’s crop of pundits.
Ha, I’m only kidding, guys. My fantasy track record is par at best, but now that I’m in the seat as executive editor for B.A.S.S. publications, I do occasionally get a hot tip from the pros on who’s feeling confident and who might catch ’em. Hopefully, I can pass those tips along to all of you.
Lake Guntersville should be a fun one to kick off the Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series season. For the first time in a few years, Elite pros will not be allowed to use forward-facing sonar. In a prespawn tournament packed with young guns who’d likely prefer to be ’Scoping, that greatly expands the list of could-be winners.
As you’ll see in my picks, I’m betting on anglers with a mix of experience levels and backgrounds and varying levels of momentum, hedging my bets that we’ll see a diverse Top 10.
If I’m right, I’ll look like a genius. If I’m wrong, then I’ll take back everything I said up top. Here goes …
BUCKET A: SMITH
Talk about low-hanging fruit. Tucker Smith might’ve been spawned on Lake Guntersville, given his track record there. I think he has a house near the lake, too. Last fall, he showed how good he can be on the lake even without forward-facing sonar when he won a $500,000 tournament prize. In this case, I think it pays to pick the favorite.
Another great choice:
I almost picked rookie pro Fisher Anaya, another local favorite. The only reasons I didn’t are because 1) Tucker Smith is also in the field and 2) Anaya will be dealing with the jitters of fishing his first-ever Elite Series event. That said, if you like to stack your roster with pros who haven’t been picked a lot to try and snatch up points that other anglers miss, Anaya could be your guy. As of January 28, he was only picked by 9.2% of players, and he very well could win this thing.
BUCKET B: SCHMITT
Here are three things you should know about Bryan Schmitt: He’s fished a lot of cold-weather tournaments on the grass-filled tidal waters around his Maryland home, he “knows how to win” big tournaments and he’s an absolute hammer throwing a ChatterBait, lipless crankbait and the like around shallow cover. Maybe I’m wrong thinking that pattern will be in play, but without forward-facing sonar, I like a guy who can power-fish his way in the early season and won’t be bothered if conditions turn nasty.
Another great choice:
There are at least eight guys in Bucket B that I could see not only doing well, but winning. Welcher, Wagner, New, Marks, Logan, Livesay, Fothergill …. You get the point. This is a tough pick. I suggest giving a hard look at Brandon Lester. His prespawn success in recent Bassmaster Classics proves he can smash this time of year.
BUCKET C: HAMNER
Is Justin Hamner a ’Scoper? Doesn’t matter. I think he’ll grab a jerkbait and a jig and pick his way to a high finish in his home state. After all, just like Schmitt, Hamner knows what it takes to win. Remember that Classic a few years ago?
Another great choice:
Umm, Brandon Palaniuk, anyone? Even with all the Alabama natives and Tennessee River sticks in this tournament, Palaniuk is, in my opinion, underrated in Bucket C. He might pick up a big Megabass swimbait and surprise absolutely no one by winning the whole thing.
BUCKET D: HANGGI
I don’t know Sam Hanggi yet, but I’ve heard enough to know that he’s a hammer on the Tennessee River. I’d probably feel a little more confident if we were heading to a Tennessee River reservoir farther upstream, but I’m not letting that dissuade me from adding the highly touted rookie to my roster.
Another great choice:
It would be awfully easy to pick one of the local legends, Gerald Swindle or Randy Howell, and if that’s the route you go, I think you’ll be just fine. But my second choice for this one is Stetson Blaylock, for no reason other than I’ve covered him for years and know he has the right set of tools to have a shot at winning.
BUCKET E: CHERRY
Normally, I like to go against the grain a little more than this, but I think Hank Cherry – the top Bucket E pick among fantasy players – is going to shine in this one, and not just because he’s, ya know, won a Classic on Guntersville. I’d bet a box of glidebaits that Cherry will find a good old-school, non-FFS jerkbait bite if conditions are right. And gosh, wouldn’t you like to see that happen?
Another great choice:
Am I rooting for Steve Kennedy to be in the hunt so we can watch him throw a Sneaky Pete on Bassmaster LIVE all weekend? Of course. Do I think that’ll happen? Maybe. He’s a great pick, but I have to give a slight edge to Jeff Gustafson. He’s spent the entire offseason dealing with the pain of not making the Classic on the Tennessee River in Knoxville, a fishery we were all about to rename Lake Gussy in his honor. I can’t imagine a better motivator than that. He’ll show up at Guntersville ready to rip the faces off some bass and get a head start on making the 2027 Classic.
Falcon Rods Bassmaster Drain the Lake Challenge
• Fisher Anaya, Eva, Ala.
• Tristan McCormick, Bon Aqua, Tenn.
• John Garrett, Union City, Tenn.
• Wes Logan, Springville, Ala.
• Jordan Lee, Cullman, Ala.
• Andrew Loberg, Guntersville, Ala.
• Tucker Smith, Birmingham, Ala.
• Hank Cherry, Lincolnton, N.C.
