GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. — They say fish are going to be caught 100 different ways. Some say it will take nearly 100 pounds to win. And there are roughly 100 “locals” from Alabama fishing the event (never mind that there only 99 guys on the Elite Series).
The pundits have picked and the experts have spoken, but with only a few hours left before Fantasy Fishing picks are locked, we go straight to the horse’s mouth in the Marine Formula STA-BIL Southern Challenge edition of pick three.
J. Todd Tucker
1) Kevin VanDam — The fish are in a reaction mode right now and Kevin’s going to catch them.
2) Timmy Horton — Deep cranking is what he does as good as anybody.
3) Jason Quinn — He’s an offshore guy and likes to crank big baits.
Kevin VanDam
1) Timmy Horton — Timmy knows this lake exceptionally well and he’ll know what to do with these changing water conditions.
2) Matt Herren — Like Timmy, Matt’s a local guy too.
3) Ken Cook — He’s a great spinnerbait fisherman and the should be plenty in this tournament.
Pat Golden
1) Tommy Biffle and Denny Brauer — The water’s high and they should be able to find a flipping bite.
2) Kevin VanDam — He’s rolling and won here last time.
3) Matt Herren — Local guy that knows this lake very, very well.
Pete Ponds
1) Kevin VanDam — He moves around a lot and there’s a lot of big fish in several places.
2) Timmy Horton — He’s such a good ledge fisherman and has the local knowledge needed to win here.
3) Mark Tucker — He seems to do well here and has a lot of knowledge of the lake.
Kelly Jordon
1) Kevin VanDam — He won here the last time.
2) Timmy Horton — He’s the man here and makes the top 12 every time we come here.
3) Terry Butcher — He always catches them here, this is his lake.
Clark Reehm
1) Timmy Horton — He’s the local favorite and knows where every shell bed on the lake is.
2) Mark Davis — This is the first post-spawn tournament we’ve had this year, and Davis is the king of post-spawn fishing.
3) Kevin VanDam — You don’t not pick him.