Fantasy Fishing: Not a slam dunk by any means

Written by

Pete Robbins

Can I submit write-in votes for any of the Fantasy Fishing Buckets below?

Like the Johnstons’ kids?

Cory’s deceased childhood Pomeranian, Fluffy?

Chris’s imaginary friend Biff?

Someone from the “J” section of the Peterborough phone book?

Seriously, the brothers are gonna catch ‘em on the St. Lawrence. It’s a little cruel and very much fitting that they’re both in Bucket A, which means that to excel here you’re going to have to pick wisely all down the ledger.

But before you just gloss over Bucket A, don’t forget that all of these guys are here for a reason. Just about all of them have competed – and excelled – on the Thousand Islands before. And all of them are fighting for something in the AOY standings. That last part applies to all five Buckets. As we saw at Champlain, no one bites harder than a cornered pit bull.

Also remember that scope is back this time around, which expands who you can pick to includes certain anglers who typically only seem to do well when the front-looker is in play. That makes things harder, not easier. But pick anglers who have a compelling reason to excel, a track record on big water, a particular love of brown bass, and a heavy dose of momentum. If that only made it easier, we could make quick work of the process.

But it doesn’t. After all of that lengthy intro, I’m mostly about gut feelings. Here are my picks:

Bucket A: The “Right” Johnston

My Pick: I’m picking Chris Johnston here because he’s never finished out of the Top 10 in Elite competition on the St. Lawrence, with an average finish of just below 3rd. Meanwhile Cory’s average is 9th, although that’s skewed by a 36th in 2019. Take that out and his average is 4th, plus he has 1st and 2nd place finishes in Opens. You can’t go wrong with either one unless Robert Gee removes the air from their trailer tires.

Solid Second: Cory would be the obvious choice, but if you’re looking for a non-Johnston, consider Trey McKinney who’d especially love to claim AOY by beating the Johnstons on their home pond. He was 3rd here in 2024.

Bucket B: Classic Bubble and Streaks

My Pick: With a poor finish, Easton Fothergill – currently 40th in AOY – will end his streak of Classic qualifications at three. He’s never fished a B.A.S.S. event on the St. Lawrence, and crapped the bed at Champlain, but it’s time to put all of those years of Great Lakes experience to work. While he’s not an obvious choice, he’s an exceptional scoper.

Solid Second: Brandon Lester is another pro who needs to add to his lengthy list of Classic qualifications, but he’s better-situated than Fothergill. He also has more experience here, having made the money in seven of nine Elites, including a 3rd place finish in 2018.

Bucket C: Welcome to Disneyland

My Pick: Taku Ito is in 54th overall and very much in danger of missing the Classic, although he’s not actually that many points out of the hunt. It’ll take some failings by others to get him a berth, but he can do his part by scoping up some big brown bass. He’s never missed the money in five Elites here, including three Top 10s, one of them a win.

Solid Second: Kyoya Fujita is another Japanese innovator and scoping expert right on the Classic bubble. He has a Top 10 in an Open here plus two top twenties in the Elites.

Bucket D: The Prodigy

My Pick: In what seems to be becoming a pattern, The Prodigy Brandon Palaniuk has dug a big hole for himself in the AOY standings heading into the final derby, but he can erase much of that misery by winning here and jumping into the Classic. He won here in 2013.

Solid Second: If only for sentimental reasons, it would be exceptionally fun to see Mike Iaconelli win what he promises will be his last Elite Series tournament. Saturday night’s planned party would be so epic that a groggy-eyed Ike might show up late for Day 4 and still blow the doors off the place.

Bucket E: COOP

My Pick: Cooper Gallant has had a miserable season, with five missed checks in a row at one point, four of them 86th place or worse. But he showed a spark of life at Champlain, enough to convince my typically contrarian self to join the overwhelming percentage of Fantasy Fishing players who chose him. He struggled here in 2024, but needs to go out on a good note.

Solid Second: Kenta Kimura has fished five Bassmaster Opens, including four Elites, on the St. Lawrence, and has never missed the money. That includes two Top 20 finishes, one of them a 7th in 2023.