Then there were none. Entering the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour, there were two T-H Marine Pick ‘Em Challenge contestants with perfect 14-0 records on the season, and now there are none! Our leader, the BulletDuece, has hit 20/21 selection so far, and after my 6-1 effort at Ray Roberts, there are only 57 players between he, and I. Of course, with the tiebreakers factored in, I am shown in 146th place, but we’ll let those sort themselves out at the end. All I know is that with 17/21 correct selections, less than 1% of you are between me and the BulletDuece, and I’m coming for you, my friend!
Here are my picks for this week at the St. Croix Bassmaster Elite at Pasquotank River!
In Match 1, a couple of Tar Heels, Matt Arey and Shane LeHew, who, like the rest of the field, probably have never seen this place. Arey loves the shallow water and will likely find some sneaky good spots…I’ll take Matt.
Match 2 has a couple of more Carolina boys, Hank Cherry and Brandon Cobb. Is Cobb looking ahead a couple of weeks when the tour hits his home lake at Hartwell? Cherry was a solid 24th at the St. Johns, so I give the slight edge to the 2-time Classic champ!
Match 3 pits the guys at the top of the AOY standing after 2 events, John Garrett and John Cox…but come on, Cox on a river system that has miles and miles of backwater haunts? This dude is a legit contender to win the entire event. I’ve got John Cox.
In Match 4, we get the rookies, Evan Kung and Beau Browning. Canada v. Arkansas. This is a tough one, but I’m going to lean on Kung to get it done and extend his ROY lead.
A couple of Kyles are in Match 5, Welcher and Patrick. Alabama and New York. Former AOY and the kid from the home of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Welcher is a river rat and I am going all-in with him (See what I did there?)
Match 6 pits the Cut Line boys, Drew Cook and Drew Benton. Also, a couple of the best bed fishing guys out there, and there certainly will be fish on the bed. I’ll take Benton, who, like Cox, is a serious contender to take the Blue Trophy.
And in Match 7, we get roommates who are close in the standings, Timothy Dube and Mark Menedez. Dube is a relative newbie, with just 24 B.A.S.S. events under his belt, while Menedez is a not so grizzled veteran of 284 of these battles. New venue, old guy gets the win in this one! There you have it.
Good luck!
