Man, I needed that break! I was stuck in a rut the last couple of events, but now it’s time to finish strong in the T-H Marine Bassmaster Pick ‘Em Challenge. This deal seemed easy at 1st, but as the season wore on, the matchups became tougher and tougher, and this week is no different. So here we go.
Match 1 pits the top two in a fierce AOY battle, Jay Przekurat and Chris Johnston…with Try McKinney and Patrick Walters hot on their heels…we’ll get to those guys in a minute. Przekurat and Johnston are both tough on the massive flats of St. Clair, but Jay won an Open here last year, and was 11th when the Elites visited in 2023…I’m taking that guy!
Match 2 is between a couple of other St. Clair champs who have struggled this past season, Jason Christie and Joey Cifuentes III. I’m going to go with the vet, Christie, here, to take the young cowboy down.
Match 3 pits a couple of hotshot rookies, who just happen to be roommates, against each other. These guys swapped 1st and 2nd place finishes earlier this season, and figure to be sharing info on St. Clair as well. This may be the tightest match of them all, and I’ll take Tucker by a hair…
In Match 4, we get Cory Johnston, fresh off his Open win at the St. Lawrence, against the guy who coined the term “Smallmouth Disneyland”, Taku Ito. I am a believer in momentum, and Cory has a boatload of that, so he’s the pick here.
Now for young Trey McKinney and Patrick Walters, a couple of guys rocketing up the AOY leaderboard and taking on each other in Match 5. Walters has some experience on St. Clair, with cuts made at the last 2 events here, while McKinney has yet to fish here in a BASS event. Trey is a Top 20 machine, but I’ll fight the urge and take the experience of Walters in this one.
Match 6 gives us a little feel of “The Game” that will be played in November between Michigan and Ohio State as Chad Pipkens (Michigan) faces off against Alex Redwine (Ohio)…Michigan has ruled this duel as of late, but no more! I’ll take the Buckeyes….er, Redwine, to win this one!
And in Match 7, a couple of Alabama boys, Wes Logan and Andrew Loberg, battle once again after finishing 1-2 at Tenkiller. Not sure how either of these guys will do in this smallmouth paradise, but against each other, Logan makes it 2 in a row!
So there you have it, we, and the Elite Series, are back! Good luck on your picks…
