Fantasy Fishing: Slinging mud at Arkansas River

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Fresh off Jason Christie’s super-shallow water win at the Tenn-Tom, the Elite Series heads even closer to his wheelhouse – almost in his backyard – to another stingy river. Forward-facing is back this week in Oklahoma, and while it always plays a role when allowed it shouldn’t be the dominant paradigm.

Each tournament is a standalone ecosystem, but we can still learn some things from our just-concluded sojourn to the Magnolia State. First is that despite often being big playing fields, rivers fish small. Find anglers who aren’t afraid to bang rubrails, go behind other competitors, and utilize subtle rigging tweaks to eke out more bites. Second is that there’s sometimes a fine line between first and last – the angler who found a hidden backwater loaded with untouched giants is just one sandbar or log away from getting stuck and losing a day.

This is a new venue to many of the competitors, but not a new type of fishing. Choose pros who won’t assume that it’s a simple chunk and wind deal and who won’t be freaked out if they find Jason Christie in their spot.

Here are my Muskogee picks:

BUCKET A: MOSLEY

Applicable Merle Haggard Lyric: “There’s always someone younger, and someone stronger too…”

Master of Muskogee: He didn’t get the home-state win he wanted in Mississippi, but Brock Mosley hasn’t missed a check this year and finds himself in 5th in the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year race. He’s had Top 10 finishes at some of our later stops like Champlain and the St. Lawrence, but if he’s going to make a serious push for the title the past Sabine winner needs to gather points in the muddy south.

Solid Second: Guess where Trey McKinney is in the AOY standings? Second, like his last two AOY finishes and the last two Classics. FFS or not, the kid catches ‘em everywhere – check out the 15th place finish at Tenn-Tom and 9th at Guntersville. He seems unlikely to have more than one letdown a year.

BUCKET B: CHRIS JOHNSTON

Applicable Merle Haggard Lyric: “Roaring engines headed somewhere in flight…”

Master of Muskogee: Chris Johnston’s Night of Champions speech included numerous barbs aimed at his brother and business partner Cory – who he now trails in the AOY race by 36 places. He hasn’t been bad this year, just hasn’t warmed up. He has 4th and 13th place finishes on the Sabine, and like McKinney he’s just a straight-up catcher, ready to make a charge at three in a row.

Solid Second: Watching Mike Iaconelli at the Tenn-Tom reminded me of how much we have to lose when he retires from tour-level competition. A Sunday Ike appearance is a variety show and an educational seminar wrapped into one. He’s currently the Classic bubble boy. If he qualifies to we get another year?

BUCKET C: LIVESAY

Applicable Merle Haggard Lyric: “Life ain’t always beautiful, but it’s a beautiful ride.”

Master of Muskogee: We’re at the point in the season where the Classic picture is coming into hazy focus, and right now Lee Livesay – who has qualified for six total and five in a row – is on the wrong side of the line. While most think of him as a Texas big bass slayer, he’s also an aluminum boat bearing river rat. He’s never missed a check at the Sabine, finished 18th at the Pasquotank and was the first man out of the cut at the Tenn-Tom.

Solid Second: Jason Christie, at home in Bucket C – is a great bargain, but definitely not a guarantee. Surprisingly, at the time of this writing, is still under 40% player percentage. I’m picking someone else with the expectation that I might kick myself later, but going back-to-back simply requires too many things to go right.

BUCKET D: FELIX

Applicable Merle Haggard Lyric: “Workin’ man blues… I’ll be workin’ long as my two hands are fit to use.”

Master of Muskogee: With each tournament this year, Austin Felix has gotten better – from 88th to Guntersville to 79th at Martin to 44th at the Classic to 31st in Mississippi. Maybe he’s finally thawing out. He’s made five of the last six Classics, and if he’s going to get back to Greenville for another shot he needs to start the charge before the tour heads north. He’s generally been solid on southern rivers, from the Sabine to the Pasquotank.

Solid Second: John Crews is an elder statesman who is due for another signature victory. He’s previously won at the St. Johns and the Cal Delta. He has decades of shallow river experience back home in Virginia, and while he’s been nibbling around the edges of the check line this year just hasn’t managed to put the pieces together for a full week.

BUCKET E: HACKNEY

Applicable Merle Haggard Lyric: “Are the good times really over for good?”

Master of Muskogee: I picked Greg Hackney at the Tenn-Tom and he struggled, but I don’t expect that to happen again. This is too solidly within his skill set and he needs to dig himself out of the bottom ten in AOY. Ideally he’ll make it simple – pick up a jig or some other flipping bait, tie it onto heavy string, and surprise us all with an unexpectedly high weight.

Solid Second: Pat Schlapper, who won two river tournaments last year, also struggled at the Tenn-Tom. He’s yet to cash an Elite check this season, but if you remember he was similarly mired in bottom of the pack last year at this time before making an epic charge to six figure checks and a Classic berth.