I am always excited to see the Bassmaster Elite field take on new fisheries, and based on interviews, most of the anglers feel the same way. On the flip side, not having historical tournament data for the Pasquotank River can make Fantasy picks a little more daunting.
Based on geographic location and being early April, I think it is safe to assume a good population of bass will be in some phase of the spawn and trending to shallow cover. That being said, another large tournament fished a section of this fishery and many of the top 10 anglers found success with their electronics as well. So don’t rule anything out.
Sections of these rivers have a considerable amount of cypress trees and as strange as it sounds, tidal influence is reported as minimal in this fishery. What little coverage I have seen of the Chowan river makes me want to pick anglers known to be good at breaking down expansive cypress tree areas.
If anglers want to fish the Roanoke or Chowan rivers, they will need to make decently long runs, so wind will be more of a factor than temperature and rain in this event. The extended forecast shows moderate winds, direction may be a factor for anglers who want to cross the sound.
BUCKET A: WALTERS
Patrick Walters took 7th at Winyah Bay in 2019 and overall is a strong player anywhere this time of year. Walters won’t be intimidated by big runs or changing conditions. Not to mention, Walters is no stranger to cypress trees with Santee Cooper being his home lake. Who are we kidding, there is not really a good reason not to pick Walters every event.
Spinnerbait Winner: Jason Christie is coming off a big win mining cypress trees with a spinnerbait in South Carolina. It would not surprise me to see a spinnerbait playing this week as well.
BUCKET B: SCHMITT
Even though the tide is subtle, it’s hard not to take Bryan Schmitt on a coastal river fishery. Schmitt has so many wins and top 10s on the Potomac, James, Chesapeake, etc, it is almost silly.
Home away from home: Brock Mosley is deadly with a chatterbait, and being from Mississippi, should find the surroundings and cover familiar. If you are looking for a value pick, don’t sleep on Brock.
BUCKET C: PALMER
A combination of not many players picking Luke Palmer, his success on Winyah Bay, and Santee Cooper drew me to him like a moth to a flame. This fishery should fit Palmer’s Oklahoma roots and fishing strengths. It feels like Luke is due for another Sunday Elite Series appearance.
POWerful Pick: Jacob Powroznik is geographically kind of the hometown pick and mix in J-Pow’s propensity for success with a soft plastic stick worm makes him a solid contender for this coastal river fishery.
BUCKET D: BLAYLOCK
Stetson Blaylock’s lone Bassmaster Elite Series victory was in 2019 on Winyah Bay in mid-April. It would not be shocking to see Stetson have a solid event on another coastal river fishery, not to mention his veteran savvy will likely keep him in the game regardless of what conditions this event throws at the field.
Shallow water vet: There is not much that Brandon Lester hasn’t seen with his many years on the Bassmaster Elite Series and he has found consistent success. Lester is as comfortable as anyone in the field when bass are around shallow heavy cover.
BUCKET E: HACKNEY
Sometimes it is best not to try to outsmart yourself in Fantasy Fishing. Yes, Greg Hackney has had a slow start to this 2025 campaign, but if anyone knows the ins and outs of cypress tree fishing, it is the Hack Attack. Seems like a likely place for Hackney to start making his climb up the AOY to qualify for the 2026 Bassmaster Classic.
Former Tarheel: Before moving to Alabama, Randy Howell’s formative years were spent fishing tournaments all around North Carolina. Not sure if he ever dropped a boat in this fishery, but being back in his home state will probably feel comfortable and Howell also has a Bassmaster Open win on the James River. I expect Randy Howell to get back to his roots and have a solid event.
Falcon Rods Bassmaster Drain the Lake
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 also 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. What river experts have you saved for this event?
Here is my Pasquotank River Drain the Lake roster:
Alex Wetherell
Bryan Schmitt
Bryant Smith
Brian New
Jacob Powroznik
JT Thompkins
Kenta Kimura
Wesley Gore
T-H Marine Bassmaster Pick ‘Em Challenge
Arey – Trust his veteran status
Cobb – Buzzbait vibes
Cox – Tin for the Win
Browning – Chatterbait dominance
Welcher – River angler at heart
Cook – They are the same thing, but Cook has more momentum
Dube – More tolerance for risk if the wind blows
