Fantasy Fishing: Turn the TV off

Written by

Pete Robbins

Depending on your perspective the Elite offseason either seemed rocket-fast or interminable, but either way they’re back – with a few twists.

The first is that the schedule won’t start off in Florida. Indeed, it won’t touch down in the Sunshine State at all. Instead, prepare for a first day launch at Guntersville, one of the most storied venues in the sport. It’s popular, perhaps too popular by some reckonings, but it continues to pump out huge bags.

The other wrinkle of course, is that anglers will not be able to use forward-facing sonar in approximately half of the tournaments, including this first one. Guntersville is a grass lake, although the types of grass have changed, and that means it’s never purely a choice between hoping and scoping, but the technology has historically spread out the field and increased weights.

Now it’s time for those who dislike FFS – and especially those who’ve performed below their historical standards in recent years – to truly make their case for why it impacts the sport in a bad way. That’ll happen if the presumed scopers fail and the old guard comes back to life. I suspect their will be a slight shuffling of the standings at year’s end, as there just about always is, but that it won’t be as profound as expect. Catchers gonna continue catching.

Accordingly, my buckets are unscientific. I’ve avoided a few likely candidates who I perceive as disproportionately tethered to their screens. I’ve chosen a couple of Alabamians, one pro under 30, one almost 40, one in his mid-forties, and another who just turned 50.

BUCKET A: TUCKER SMITH

STRONG STARTER: I hate picking pros with high percentage ownership, and I hate picking young guys who’ve had rookie season momentum interrupted, but I can’t lay off picking Tucker Smith. He’s proven he can win Elites on big fish waters with his rookie victory at Fork, and last fall he showed that he can win a best-of-the-best event on Guntersville, where he lives. He’ll be around for a long time, scope or no scope.

SOLID SECOND:After a “letdown” season in which he posted zero top tens, look for two-time defending AOY Chris Johnston to “bounce back” in the season opener. He was 9th here in 2021 and is three for three in Elite checks on Guntersville.

BUCKET B: WES LOGAN

STRONG STARTER: Kyle Welcher is the heavy odds home state favorite among early voters, but I’m putting my money on Wes Logan. He’s an incredible grass fisherman with two Elite wins (one elsewhere in Alabama), and has finished 2nd and 4th in two Elite Series events on the Big G.

SOLID SECOND: Like Logan, Pat Schlapper is another pro who added to his win total in 2025 (except he did it twice). This year he’ll need to get off to a stronger start to ensure his Classic spot and perhaps make a push at AOY. Schlapper’s been good on Guntersville in the past, but doesn’t have quite as much experience as Logan, which is the distinguishing factor for me.

BUCKET C: KEITH COMBS

STRONG STARTER: Keith Combs has decades of experience of finding the winning fish on grass lakes with big fish. While his results at Guntersville have been all over the map, he did earn a top five finish here in 2015. He’s missed the past few Classics, which certainly gnaws at his pride, and part of the reason has been slow starts. This is a chance to fix that.

SOLID SECOND: Hunter Shryock is one of the least recognized potential stars, a veteran of five Classics (including one on Guntersville) and an angler who lives to flip heavy cover. His record on Guntersville is mixed, but after barely missing the 2026 Classic he’s another pro who needs to get the season off on the right foot.

BUCKET D: DAVID MULLINS

STRONG STARTER: While he spent most of last season just inside or outside of the 50-cut (in seven Elite events he ended up between 44th and 69th), it’s hard to believe that David Mullins wasn’t just one or two good decisions away from a top ten in each of those. In four Guntersville Elites, he’s only missed the money once (a dreaded 52nd in 2015), so if he’s to resuscitate the career that produced four consecutive Classics from 2020 to 2023, this is a prime opportunity.

SOLID SECOND: It seems like it’s a little early for bed fish, but if the sun comes out, the water heats up and some bloated big’uns head to their beds during the tournament, Drew Benton could have a banner week. His Elite results on Guntersville are mixed, but no one should be surprised if the two-time winner adds more early season hardware.

BUCKET E: MATT ROBERTSON

STRONG STARTER: It’s strange to see so much historical talent – including a Hall of Famer and multiple Classic winners – in the E Bucket, but that’s where we find ourselves, and no one is more primed for an early-stage career rebirth than Matt Robertson, especially since it’ll start off on the Tennessee River chain.

SOLID SECOND: Where have you gone, Jeff Gustafson? The 2023 Classic champ had an off year in 2025. No one will be mad if a top-five candidate for the nicest guy in fishing bounces back with a run at AOY in 2026.