Fantasy Fishing: Find some who like to roll in the mud

Written by

Pete Robbins

Through the first five tournaments of the season, woe to the Fantasy Fishing player who slept on the scope. Sure they’re been occasional examples of old school guys “doing it my way,” but for the most part electronics have been key. Even when success came through shallow water tactics, like Kyle Welcher’s utter domination at the Pasquotank, “traditional fishing” has been improved through tech.

Now that’s about to get flipped on its head. The Sabine River doesn’t really lend itself to offshore chasing and scoping. It’s shallow, the fish are small, they’re scattered and the cover is heavy. That’s why guys like Brock Mosley and Jason Christie and Greg Hackney have won blue trophies there, and it’s why you should pick veterans of hand-to-fin close quarters combat.

Nevertheless, every tournament from here on out is going to have a scoping component to it. It may not be the dominant paradigm, but it’ll contribute to the success of one or more anglers in the Top 10, if not the winner’s effort. So while you might just want to focus on the guys who go old school with well rope and broom sticks, the savvy Fantasy entrant will find a diamond in the rough who can merge the old and the new to make something happen.

Here are my picks:

Bucket A: The ‘Stache

Down and Dirty Option: Seth Feider said that he won “the tournament in the dirt” last week at Fork, and I expect his momentum to continue. He has two straight top tens, finished 13th at the St. Johns, and hasn’t missed a check at the Sabine since 2015. Expect him to pitch and flip and make another Top 10 to slide up into the Top 10 in AOY as the season closes in on the end.

Alternate Mud Wrestler: Bill Lowen has already won on a river this year, and while his results on the Sabine have been decidedly mixed over the years, they include a 5th place finish. His Ohio River roots will show up big time, especially if it’s a tough event.

Bucket B: Maryland Missile

Down and Dirty Option: If you trust a Southern Maryland boy to do well in water that resembles crab soup, go with river rat Bryan Schmitt, who hasn’t excelled on the Sabine, but has made checks in three of four Elites this year. We’ll need a ruling as to whether putting Old Bay on your D Bombs is legal.

Alternate Mud Wrestler: Brandon Lester’s 4th place finish on the Sabine may have been a decade ago, but he’s fishing really well now, with a 7th place in the Classic, distant runner-up at the Pasquotank, and a near Top 10 at Fork. He’s in 41st in AOY and you know he’s craving a shot at another Knoxville Classic.

Bucket C: The Heir Apparent

Down and Dirty Option: Someone’s lineage is a dumb reason to pick them, but Beau Browning has shown me enough already this season to take a flyer on him in Bucket C. His father Stephen was one of the best river anglers in tournament history (and continues to be one – he recently finished 2nd in an Open on the Tombigbee River) and I know Beau has picked up a lot of that along the way.

Alternate Mud Wrestler: Kyle Welcher is our reigning river champ, and finished in the top ten twice at Sabine Elites. Whatever funk plagued him a bit last year seems to be over.

Bucket D: Angry Old School

Down and Dirty Option: I didn’t want to pick Greg Hackney here because of his high ownership percentage, but ultimately I had to do it. He’s won here, he has another top five, and several other checks, and lately he just has that crazed Dardanelle/Rayburn/Cayuga look on his face that tells me he’s about to whoop something.

Alternate Mud Wrestler: He’s been a little bit off his normal pace this year, but Pat Schlapper still has an outside chance at his fourth straight Classic if he can turn things around before the tour heads north. His two results at the Sabine have been mixed, but expect him to pitch and swim a jig into the check line.

Bucket E: Never Give Up

Down and Dirty Option: It’s still a bit jarring to see Mike Iaconelli in Bucket E, but there are still a few more wins in the tank. He’s great on rivers, especially tidal rivers, and particularly on places where the bass are comparatively small and scattered – including but not limited to the Delaware. His Sabine results are mixed, but the huge crowd will come to life in Orange if he wins, just as they did in Philly.

Alternate Mud Wrestler: Something has to go right for Jeff Gustafson this year. He’s too talented and too committed to suffer anymore, and while his past Sabine results have been poor, sometimes when you least expect it that’s when a champion angler is most dangerous.