Fantasy Fishing: Pick bar room brawlers

Written by

Pete Robbins

There’s obviously a new paradigm – driven by the twin rotors of technology and youth – that’s strengthened since the Elite Series last visited La Crosse in 2022. This is a fishery that has lots to offer – largemouth, smallmouth, grass, current and more. It’s also be a place where we’ve seen innovation, like Tommy Biffle with the Biffle Bug back in 2013.

I expect it to be an old-fashioned shootout, determined less by technology (although FFS will certainly play a role) than by wits and great decision making.

That doesn’t mean these young guns won’t catch ‘em. It’s not like these presumed-scopers don’t know anything about grass. Plenty of them cut their teeth on lakes like Guntersville. And just because many of them aren’t from anywhere near the Upper Midwest doesn’t mean they don’t understand northern smallmouth.

Age won’t be the determining factor in my picks. Nor will it be technological ability. What I’m looking for is someone who likes a good fight. Someone who can get punched in the face and still follow through on his plan. “Grit” is of course a speculative and subjective factor, but I’m picking anglers who won’t be intimidated by the moment or the stakes. It’ll help if they have past success on rivers in general and the Upper Mississippi in particular, but it won’t be the whole shooting match. I want punchers who will leave nothing to the judges’ discretion.

Here are my picks and my rationale:

BUCKET A: JOHNSTON

HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMP: Nothing against Trey McKinney, who has been nothing short of world-beating in his short career, but I don’t see Chris Johnston giving up a chance at a second consecutive AOY easily. He doesn’t necessarily need it, but he’ll have his brother’s help. It doesn’t hurt that he was the runner up here in 2022.

SILVER MEDALIST: Remember what Kyle Welcher did at the Pasquotank? The numbers won’t be as big, but the certified Alabama river rat could shake a jig or pitch a Bronco Bug and get it done here, too.

BUCKET B: SCHMITT

MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMP: Bryan Schmitt has won here before, and it sets up beautifully for his skills and pedigree. He’s inside the Classic cut, but not safe. I think he’s more likely to move up than move down, so pick him.

SILVER MEDALIST: Seth Feider is perceived as a smallmouth guy, and he can certainly catch them, but he really likes using big string for green bass. He might combo the field to death. His finishes here have been inconsistent, but the one time he really needed to whack ‘em, back in 2016, he was the runner-up.

BUCKET C: COMBS

WELTERWEIGHT CHAMP: Keith Combs has fished five B.A.S.S. events here, and hasn’t missed a check since the first one. The last one was his best, so expect him to get out there with a Thunder Cricket and make a run toward a Classic berth.

SILVER MEDALIST: Another angler who needs a solid performance to make the Classic is bubble boy Brandon Palaniuk. His finishes here have been all over the map – one of them tainted by a DQ for a culling error – but don’t expect him to miss two Classics in a row.

BUCKET D: POWROZNIK

LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMP: The “win and you’re in” aspect of the tournament should motivate everyone, but perhaps no one more than Jacob Powroznik, who was 2nd to Ish Monroe in 2018, and wants to keep his Classic streak alive – he’s fished four in a row and nine straight that he’s been eligible for.

SILVER MEDALIST: Like Powroznik, it seems odd to see big fish hammer Greg Hackney in the “lightweight” column, but he finds himself in unfamiliar space outside the Classic cut. He’s never made a Bassmaster Top 10 in La Crosse, but he’s come close enough to expect hat he could and will.

BUCKET E: ROBERTSON

FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMP: When in doubt, go with the “baby pattern,” and that favors Matt Robertson, who’s coming off his best Elite event of the 2025 season (and his new son Stone Cold). He earned a check here in 2022 and let’s be honest – who doesn’t want to see what kind of fur he’ll wear to the Classic?

SILVER MEDALIST: Mike Iaconelli certainly hasn’t had the kind of year he wanted, health wise or in terms of performance, but he’s another one who would spice up the Classic stage. It would be great to see him win a second nearly 23 years after his first.