Fantasy Fishing: Pick lookers and pingers

Written by

Pete Robbins

The Pasquotank River was not kind to me.

I wasn’t alone. Indeed, except for Kyle Welcher and a few others, plenty of anglers and Fantasy Fishing fans left the Albemarle Sound behind with their tails firmly tucked between their legs.

But now, after visiting a comparatively unknown fishery, the Elites are heading back to a very familiar venue, South Carolina’s Lake Hartwell. It’s hosted Classics, Elite events, college events, and all sorts of other derbies, thanks to the creators of the exceptional Green Pond Landing, the tireless folks who’ve made it their job to promote the community around Anderson. I can’t imagine there are more than a couple of Elites who haven’t been there, and if there are some, they’ve probably watched enough TV and YouTube coverage of the big pond to think that they have fished there.

And therein lies the problem for this week – it’s a great time of year to fish on a remarkably prolific fishery where essentially the entire field has history. They’re going to catch ‘em. They’re going to catch ‘em several different ways, but as always it comes down to culling the cookie cutters and distinguishing yourself from the masses.

Spotted bass will play a large role in the outcome, but so too will the often-larger largemouth. I’m looking for some big fish to be on the bed, but what I’ve learned over time is that you can never count out the scopers. They’ll find a way to catch isolated fish in places we wouldn’t previously have thought to look. Or if the places are obvious to them – like the stumpy flat Welcher plied – they make the process even more efficient.

This week I’m picking a mix of guys who always seem to stand out from the crowd in some way, but not necessarily all from one silo of techniques. Spotted bass expertise is a bonus, but not necessary. Here are my picks:

BUCKET A: NORTHERN AGGRESSION

MY PICK: With AOY leader Will Davis Jr., reigning AOY Chris Johnston and other hammers in this Bucket, it’s easy to overlook the quiet Jay Przekurat, but you do so at your peril. He’s going to win an AOY at some point, and while the one Open he fished at Hartwell wasn’t exceptional, since that time he’s had a number of Top 10s on southern spot lakes. He rarely stumbles in Elite competition, and when he does it’s typically not a major bomb.

SNEAKY SECOND: Tyler Williams will shun shoes, wind a jig and giggle his way to an Elite in the not-too-distant future. He was 11th in the 2022 Southern Open on Hartwell.

BUCKET B: HOME COOKING

MY PICK: I hate going with the plurality of voters, but I don’t see Patrick Walters missing two checks in a row in the Carolinas. He won the 2020 Eastern Open on Hartwell and came in 11th in the 2019 Elite. It’s not his home waters, but it might as well be.

SNEAKY SECOND: Jason Christie won a Classic here in 2022, and the time before that he finished 7th in an Eastern Open. Granted, those tournaments were at different times of year but after escaping Florida with two good finishes, he struggled in North Carolina and needs to get things headed back on track.

BUCKET C: EYES ON THE PRIZE

MY PICK: Emil Wagner is an absolute hammer on Lanier, a blueback lake full of spotted bass, and should be able to translate that to Hartwell. He had several good college finishes there, and needs a top finish now to rise in the still wide-open Rookie of the Year race.

SNEAKY SECOND: If there are bedders to be had, expect Drew Cook to be on top of the biggest ones of the bunch. He came in 4th in the 2019 Elite on Hartwell and hasn’t missed a cut since Smith Lake Last year. After a 33rd place finish in last year’s AOY race, he needs a strong finish to get back toward the top where he usually resides.

BUCKET D: EVEN CLOSER TO HOME

MY PICK: If you have to go with the obvious pick – and I can’t fault you for doing so – write in Brandon Cobb in pen. He’s probably spent more time on and around Hartwell than anyone else in the field. I had him as my backup but thought about it and would have been kicking myself if he’d won and I didn’t capitalize.

SNEAKY SECOND: Was that really Easton Fothergill in Florida? Because after the Pasquotank it seems that the real deal is back. He did well in both the Opens and in College on Hartwell, so if you’re convinced that he’ll start top-tenning again on the regular, pick him here.

BUCKET E: FORGOTTEN SOPHOMORE

MY PICK: Wesley Gore often gets overlooked because he was part of an uber-successful group of flashy rookies last year, but he finished a remarkable 10th in the AOY race. This year has been tougher, but he’s a bargain in Bucket E, with Opens and College experience on Hartwell. The Top 10s should be back soon.

SNEAKY SECOND: The king moper himself, Jeff Gustafson, has gotten himself in a bit of a pickle early this year, but there’s still time to turn things around. He was 13th in the 2019 Elite on Hartwell, and needs a dose of South Carolina success to get back to the winner he’s always been.